Choosing the Right Recovery Marketing Strategies for Future Tourism Crises: Re-Attracting Tourists in the Post-COVID-19 Era

Over the years 2020-2022, as more and more countries recover gradually from the COVID-19 pandemic, the question arises as to which image repair strategy marketers will choose to re-attract tourists anew. Choosing the right image repair strategy is a topic that has been neglected so far. The COVID-19 tourism crisis is an opportunity to bridge this theoretical gap, as several surveys in assorted countries asked potential consumers about their future travel plans. Analyzing these surveys provided a valuable look into the selection process of recovery marketing strategies. Combining twenty recovery marketing strategies used in past crises with recent surveys examining planned consumer behavior in the post-COVID-19 era will allow us to recommend the most valuable strategies to be adopted by DMOs. Out of the twenty recovery marketing strategies, we discovered six image repair strategies for the post-COVID-19 era. These strategies were found suitable according to three criteria: the practicality of implementing the strategy considering the COVID-19 crisis’ characteristics, proof of the strategy’s effectiveness in previous crises, and the results of surveys regarding future tourism consumption in the post-COVID-19 era. In addition to the study’s theoretical contributions, its findings can also be helpful for practitioners.