Crisis Management and Sustainability in Tourism Industry: Obstacles and Recovery Strategies after the COVID-19 Crisis in Antalya, Türkiye

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear colleagues,

Thank you for your hard work and efforts you invested in this research.

The paper is significant not only for the province examined, but for the whole of the Turkish tourism, which contains numerous favourable natural and anthropogenic tourist attractions and amenities.

The findings are very well explained and presented.

I suggest to the authors change of the following details:

1. In the entire paper, it should be changed to expression Russia-Ukraine War. It is more suitable expressions: Ukraine war (War in Ukraine) or Russian aggression in Ukraine. We know that this War, as all recent armed conflicts and those in the past, are very sensitive and undoubtedly controversial topics.

2. Chapter 1. Introduction (page two; paragraph two) it should be added larger explanation and statistical data (tourist arrivals, overnights, contribution to the economy…) about tourism in Türkiye in the pre-COVID pandemic period (2019) and the decrease during the pandemic period. In the same way as you described globally, using WTTC data.

3. Chapter 1. Introduction (page two, paragraph three). I advise you more precise explanations of importance of Antalya province in Turkish tourism. So, it is strictly recommended that BBC and Euromonitor data should be replaced with official data from Turkish Statistical Institute

(links: https://www.tuik.gov.tr/

https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/bolgeselistatistik/anaSayfa.do

https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/bolgeselistatistik/tabloYilSutunGetir.do?durum=acKapa&menuNo=273&altMenuGoster=1#)

According to these data, Antalya province is the first province among the top Turkish tourism destinations (provinces).

I suggest that you illustrate these data with one table. That table could include the five top tourism provinces in 2019 and 2020, 2022, 2023 by arrivals (domestic, foreign and total) and nights spent (domestic, foreign and total) in both sorts of accommodations (Municipality Licensed and Tourism Operation Licenced).

4. Chapter 2. Literature review. I deeply recommend a book Tourism facing a pandemic: from crisis to recovery / edited by Federica Burini – Bergamo: Università degli Studi di Bergamo, 2020.

5. Chapter 3. Try to avoid only one subchapter (3.1.). Furthermore, paragraph two (page six of 33): The framework of the study questions should be more transparent in the form of the table or, alternatively, each question (topic) to put in a separate line.

6. Subchapter 3.1. Data Collection and Processing. Paragraph 4 (page 7 of 33). Maybe we can’t agree, but in my opinion, in terms of the number of employees, small family enterprises (companies) with less than 20 or even ten employees are not represented in this research. So, some further projects could be very useful to research the COVID-19 pandemic and crisis management in such companies.

7. Chapter 4. Subchapter 4.1. Crisis Management and Tourism in the Covid-19 Era. Paragraphs one, two, and three (page 7 of 33) could be unified in one paragraph in the shorter version.

8. Text (page 8 of 33): “According to the results of the study titled "Importance of Crisis Management in Tourism Business; A Research on Covid-19 Crisis in 5 Star Hotels in Alanya" by Yıldırım and Sayın [59]…” should be the shorter: “According to Yıldırım and Sayın [59]…”

8. Chapter 4. If you could, the interviewees responses transfer and write in the shorter form, especially in which are opinions are very similar.

I hope that my advice and recommendations will help.

Thank you.

Kind regards

Comments on the Quality of English Language

No comment

Author Response

Note: In order to show the revisions which we made, we highlighted the words, sentences and lines in yellow. In addition, we crossed out the sentences which we thought unnecessary according to the suggestions of the reviewers.

Our Revisions Regarding the Comments of the Reviewer 1

 

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear colleagues,

Thank you for your hard work and efforts you invested in this research.

The paper is significant not only for the province examined, but for the whole of the Turkish tourism, which contains numerous favourable natural and anthropogenic tourist attractions and amenities.

The findings are very well explained and presented.

I suggest to the authors change of the following details:

 

 

1. In the entire paper, it should be changed to expression Russia-Ukraine War. It is more suitable expressions: Ukraine war (War in Ukraine)or Russian aggression in Ukraine. We know that this War, as all recent armed conflicts and those in the past, are very sensitive and undoubtedly controversial topics.

Our revisions:

In line with your request, we organized “Russia-Ukraine War” expression as “Ukraine War”. We highlighted the revisions we made in  in the revised manuscript in yellow.

 

2. Chapter 1. Introduction (page two; paragraph two) it should be added larger explanation and statistical data (tourist arrivals, overnights, contribution to the economy…) about tourism in Türkiye in the pre-COVID pandemic period (2019) and the decrease during the pandemic period. In the same way as you described globally, using WTTC data.

Our revisions:

In line with your request, we added a paragraph including statistical data (tourist arrivals, overnights, contribution to the economy…) about tourism in Türkiye in the pre-COVID pandemic period (2019) and the decrease during the pandemic period.

The paragraph we added to “Chapter 1 Introduction” and the references are as follows:

According to WTTC [16], “Turkey’s Travel & Tourism sector’s contribution to GDP was 11% (TRY 693.3 billion or US$78.2 billion) in 2019, falling to just 5.1% (TRY 327.2 billion or US$36.9 billion) in 2020, which represented a painful 52.8% loss.” In terms international arrivals, while 31 million people came to Türkiye and spent 112 million overnights in 2019, these numbers decreased to 10 million arrivals and 33 million overnights in 2020 [17]. This led to a decrease in the number of people employed in tourism sector, despite government supports. While 2.6 million people were working in travel and tourism sector in Türkiye before the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of employees decreased by 18% to 2.1 million people due to the pandemic [16].

 

References which we added:

12. WTTC. Available online: https://wttc.org/news-article/turkeys-travel-and-tourism-sector-to-grow-at-twice-the-rate-of-the-national-economy (accessed on 29 May 2024).
13. Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Available online: https://www.ktb.gov.tr/EN-249310/yearly-bulletins.html (accessed on 29 May 2024).

 

 

3. Chapter 1. Introduction (page two, paragraph three). I advise you more precise explanations of importance of Antalya province in Turkish tourism. So, it is strictly recommended that BBC and Euromonitor data should be replaced with official data from Turkish Statistical Institute

(links: https://www.tuik.gov.tr/

https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/bolgeselistatistik/anaSayfa.do

https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/bolgeselistatistik/tabloYilSutunGetir.do?durum=acKapa&menuNo=273&altMenuGoster=1#)

According to these data, Antalya province is the first province among the top Turkish tourism destinations (provinces).

I suggest that you illustrate these data with one table. That table could include the five top tourism provinces in 2019 and 2020, 2022, 2023 by arrivals (domestic, foreign and total) and nights spent (domestic, foreign and total) in both sorts of accommodations (Municipality Licensed and Tourism Operation Licenced).

Our Revisions:

In line with your suggestions, we made more precise explanations about the importance of Antalya in Turkish tourism. We replaced BBC and Euromonitor data with the official data from Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Turkish Statistical Institute. Moreover, in line with your recommendations we illustrated these data with one table including the five top tourism provinces between 2019 and 2023 by arrivals (domestic, foreign and total) and nights spent (domestic, foreign and total) in both sorts of accommodations.

The changes we made and the table we added are as follows:

Due to its 640 km coastline along the Mediterranean Sea and its significant historical tourist centers, Antalya, the second most visited province after Istanbul, stands out as an attractive tourism destination due to the richness of its natural and human tourism resources [15]. In addition, according to Euromonitor International the Top 100 City Destinations Index 2023. “Antalya in fourth place for the number of international arrivals in 2023 with 16.5 million visitors.” According to BBC, Antalya “managed to welcome 16.5 million international visitors – more than Paris (population: 2.1 million), Hong Kong (7.4 million), Bangkok (11 million) and New York City (8.5 million), and more than 12 times its own population.” Moreover, Antalya has been at the top in terms of  tourism sector of Türkiye for many years. The top five tourism provinces in Türkiye between 2019 and 2023 by arrivals (domestic, foreign and total) and nights spent (domestic, foreign and total) are clearly shown in Table 1.

Table 1. List of the top 5 tourism provinces in Türkiye between 2019 and 2023

Year		Ranking	Number of Arrivals			Nights Spent
			Foreign	Citizen	Total		Foreign	Citizen	Total
2023		1.Antalya	20 662 085	4 680 542	25 342 627		81 577 296	81 577 296	94 030 989
		2. İstanbul	9 265 769	3 946 897	13 212 666		22 372 086	7 376 332	29 748 418
		3. Muğla	3 154 134	3 154 134	5 149 488		10 813 124	5 404 405	16 217 529
		4. Ankara	511 486	2 980 263	3 491 749		1 110 597	4 889 043	5 999 640
		5. İzmir	1 153 534	2 139 496	3 293 030		2 800 265	3 986 776	6 787 041
2022		1.Antalya	19 147 515	3 939 694	23 087 209		75 667 328	10 603 223	86 270 551
		2. İstanbul	8 735 697	3 339 885	12 075 582		22 132 017	6 464 550	28 596 567
		3. Muğla	2 432 279	1 425 075	3 857 354		8 763 589	3 848 162	12 611 751
		4. İzmir	1 211 881	2 171 301	3 383 182		2 984 655	4 003 322	6 987 977
		5. Ankara	436230	2455644	2891874		965274	3943689	4908963
2021		1.Antalya	12 989 618	3 669 437	16 659 055		50 537 706	10 066 394	60 604 100
		2. İstanbul	5 133 272	2 791 863	7 925 135		13 346 788	5 224 575	18 571 363
		3. Muğla	1 379 852	1 538 879	2 918 731		4 234 228	3 839 175	8 073 403
		4. İzmir	625 639	1 667 223	2 292 862		1 706 740	3 255 570	4 962 310
		5. Ankara	254 034	1 771 534	2 025 568		609 844	3 000 584	3 610 428
2020		1.Antalya	5 835 903	2 460 169	8 296 072		21 540 134	6 333 719	27 873 853
		2. İstanbul	2 474 237	1 936 117	4 410 354		6 390 575	3 500 370	9 890 945
		3. Muğla	587 092	901 391	1 488 483		2 116 412	2 241 386	4 357 798
		4. Ankara	134 638	1 212 470	1 347 108		324 129	2 012 004	2 336 133
		5. İzmir	219 647	1 112 514	1 332 161		590 281	2 077 261	2 667 542
2019		1.Antalya	16 077 147	3 060 162	19 137 309		73 772 317	8 624 957	82 397 274
		2. İstanbul	6 885 230	3 411 940	10 297 170		17 635 904	6 297 894	23 933 798
		3. Muğla	1 987 987	988 111	2 976 098		8 038 030	2 640 976	10 679 006
		4. İzmir	1 042 479	1 769 032	2 811 511		2 752 703	3 326 959	6 079 662
	5. Ankara		450 362	2 118 229	2 568 591		932 227	3 314 211	4 246 438

Note: Accommodation statistics were compiled from Ministry of Culture and Tourism [14] and Turkish Statistical Institute [16] data

According to accommodation statistics [14,16], Antalya managed to welcome 21 million international arrivals and 25 million total arrivals in 2023 and ranked first in Türkiye. Therefore, due to both its ranking as the 4th in the global tourism ranking and, Antalya, the being the 2nd province in Türkiye, to receive receiving the most international arrivals through tourism, Antalya's  has special position among tourism destinations, the Covid-19 crisis has created dramatically negative effects on the sustainability of the tourism sector. Antalya, the province receiving the most international arrivals through tourism has a special position among tourism destinations, was dramatically  affected during the Covid-19 crisis with regards to the sustainability of the tourism sector. Despite the detrimental impact of the Covid-19 crisis, Antalya was at the top in terms of the number of arrivals and nights spent between 2019 and 2023 when compared to Istanbul which ranked the second on the list. In fact, the number of arrivals and nights spent in Antalya is two and three times more than in Istanbul respectively.

 

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic hindered the sustainability of tourism sector activities in Antalya, leading to the abrupt cessation of all tourism-related activities, and hotels' occupancy rates failed to meet expectations due to the pandemic. As a result of the measures taken due to the pandemic, some sectors operating in the tourism and food and beverage industries had to close, with many on the brink of closure. The occupancy rates of hotels in Antalya decreased by 46.8% in the first 7 months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, reaching 33.7% [17]. While the number of arrivals to Antalya in 2019 was 19 million people, it decreased dramatically to 8 million in 2020 [14]. The sudden and high rate decrease in visitor numbers resulted in a rapid decline in tourism revenues and employment rates. The dramatically negative effects of Covid-19 on the tourism sector have emphasized the importance of crisis management, which plays a significant role in the sustainability of tourism activities.

 

References which we added:

14. Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Available online: https://www.ktb.gov.tr/EN-249310/yearly-bulletins.html (accessed on 29 May 2024).
15. Turkish Statistical Institute. Available online: https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/bolgeselistatistik/tabloOlustur.do (accessed on 30 May 2024).

 

 

4. Chapter 2. Literature review. I deeply recommend a bookTourism facing a pandemic: from crisis to recovery / edited by Federica Burini – Bergamo: Università degli Studi di Bergamo, 2020.

Our answer:

Thank you very much for your contribution. We have reviewed the book you recommended and added references where appropriate in the article. The sentences we refer to the book are shown below:

1: In: 1. Introduction

Studies addressing crisis management and the tourism industry in the tourism literature have predominantly focused on defining crisis management in tourism and examining the recovery process in tourism through multiple topics and methods [3,18–23]. Post-Covid-19 studies have primarily addressed the processes of post-crisis recovery in the tourism industry in general and/or specific tourism destinations [24–29]. According to Biruni [30] (p. 79), the Covid-19 pandemic “provides tourism studies with an opportunity for an unprecedented analysis of the spatiality of the phenomenon, both for highlighting some territorial pathologies generated by non-sustainable forms of tourism and for discovering the capacity of tourism resources to face the crisis and discover new functions.” According to Chang et al. [31] (p. 1) also assert that "It is essential to investigate how the industry will recover after COVID-19 and how the industry can be made sustainable in a dramatically changed world."

References which we added:

30. Biruni, F. Spatial Effects of a Pandemic on Tourism: Discovering Territorial Pathologies and Resilience . In Tourism Facing a Pandemic: From Crisis to Recovery; Biruni, F., Ed.; Università degli Studi di Bergamo : Bergamo, 2020; pp. 79–98.

2: In: 4.1. Crisis Management and Tourism in Covid-19 Era

Ensuring the sustainability of tourism activities requires travel, hence any threat that obstructs travel may be reflected as a crisis for the tourism industry. The implementation of travel bans during the Covid-19 period also had negative effects on the aviation sector, which is highly important for tourism activities. According to Şenerol [64], governments typically impose restrictions on both domestic and international flights during pandemic periods to mitigate the effects of infectious diseases and to maintain maneuverability. Similarly, Keller [67] (p. 20), who defines the “Covid-19 pandemic as a first global-scale supply shock affecting international tourism activities” expresses that “Potential visitors were among the first consumers reacting on the Corona shock by the cancellation of bookings. The setback of travel bookings started in the early stage of crisis.” T22, who holds a managerial position in a company operating in the aviation sector, described severely the negative effects of Covid-19 on their operations: "Covid-19 had serious effects on our operations. Our planes were not operating. We ceased our operational activities. There was nothing we could do."

References which we added:

60. Keller, P. Corona Pandemic as Exogenous Shock for International Tourism: A Context Analysis. In Tourism Facing a Pandemic: From Crisis to Recovery; Biruni, F., Ed.; Università degli Studi di Bergamo: Bergamo, 2020; pp. 15–24.

 

 

5. Chapter 3. Try to avoid only one subchapter (3.1.). Furthermore, paragraph two (page six of 33): The framework of the study questions should be more transparent in the form of the table or, alternatively, each question (topic) to put in a separate line.

Our answer:

Moreover, in line with other revieweer’s request, we added 3. theoretical framework section in study.

In line with your and other reviewers requests we removed subchapters in Chapter 3.1 (4.1 in new version) and also Chapter 2.1 .

Our revision:

In line with your suggestion, we added list of questions table in Chapter 3. (Chapter 4 in new version) Materials and methods section.

Moreover, we moved the last paragraph at the end of the Chapter 3. below the table to ensure semantic integrity.

The changes which we added in Chapter 3. (Chapter 4 in new version) are as follows:

In this study, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with senior executives working in the tourism sector in Antalya, using snowball sampling method. The number of individuals to be interviewed semi-structured in-depth was determined as 23, depending on the type, scope, and nature of the research. Within the scope of the study, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 23 senior executives working in the tourism sector in Antalya between September 2023 and February 2024. In the study, company representatives operating in the tourism sector were coded as T1, T2, T3, T4, T5.... T23.

The pre-prepared research questions were created within the framework of the information obtained from the literature review [3,24–29,32–43] and theoretical framework [35,44–57] of the study. Within the framework of the study questions, initially, personal information such as age, educational background, professional experiences, and titles were asked to the interviewees. Subsequently, they were asked to specify the areas of activity of their current businesses, the number of employees, and the countries where they mainly conduct tourism activities. Secondly, questions related to the basic research topic were posed to the interviewees. In this context, the interviewees were asked to evaluate the changes brought about by the Covid-19 crisis in the tourism sector in Antalya. They were also asked questions about how they did the crisis management and recovery strategies applied to manage the Covid-19 crisis. Subsequently, the interviewees were asked to evaluate the recovery process of the tourism sector after the Covid-19 crisis. Then, their views and thoughts on the future of the Antalya tourism sector were solicited. Finally, the interviewees were consulted for their comments and recommendations regarding crisis management. In this context, they were asked to share their thoughts on what constitutes effective crisis management, the roles of company managers and employees in effective crisis management, and whether it is necessary to establish a crisis management team within the organization for effective crisis management. Subsequently, the interviewees were asked whether they had made short-term, medium-term, and long-term plans regarding crisis management, their recommendations on crisis management, and whether it is necessary to establish cooperation between the public and private sectors and universities for effective crisis management. In Table 2. the list of questions asked to interviewees were clearly demonstrated.

 

Table 2. Questions asked to interviewees

Question 1.	How old are you?
Question 2.	What is your educational level?
Question 3.	What is your job title?
Question 4.	What is your company's field of activity in the tourism sector?
Question 5	How many years has your company been operating in the sector?
Question 6	How many employees does your company have?
Question 7	In which countries do you mainly carry out tourism activities?
Question 8	How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect your tourism operations?
Question 9	Could you tell us about how you managed the Covid-19 crisis and which recovery strategies you applied before, during and after the crisis?
Question 10	Did the tourism industry enter the recovery process after the Covid-19 pandemic? What kind of impact did the Ukraine War and the regulations regarding retirement have on the sustainability and recovery of Antalya tourism sector activities and crisis management?
Question 11	What are your evaluations regarding the future of Antalya tourism?
Question 12	What are your comments and recommendations regarding effective crisis management to ensure sustainability in tourism and develop effective recovery strategies?   Additional questions about effective crisis management to ensure sustainability in tourism and develop effective recovery strategies: What are the characteristics of effective crisis management? What are the responsibilities of company executives and employees in effective crisis management? What do you think about establishing crisis management teams in companies to ensure effective crisis management and sustainability of activities? Do you have short, medium, and long-term plans for crisis management? What are your preparations about future crises and what recommendations could your give to other businesses in the sector regarding crisis management? Do you think cooperation between universities, government and the private sector is necessary to ensure effective crisis management?

 

In semi-structured in-depth interviews, additional extra questions were posed to the interviewees depending on the course of the interviews in addition to the predefined questions mentioned above. The interviews were conducted face-to-face or via telephone, depending on the availability of the interviewees, and lasted approximately 40-60 minutes. With the consent of the interviewees, the interviews were recorded using a recording device, and the important points of the interviews were noted by the interviewer depending on the course of the interview. After When all the interviews were completed, the recordings were transcribed. After transcribing the interviews, the outputs obtained from the interviews and the data obtained from the literature were evaluated together to form the findings and discussion sub-sections of the study. the data obtained from the interviews, the literature review and theoretical framework were evaluated in detail under subsections based on the main and additional questions within the scope of the study.

 

 

6. Subchapter 3.1. Data Collection and Processing. Paragraph 4 (page 7 of 33). Maybe we can’t agree, but in my opinion, in terms of the number of employees, small family enterprises (companies) with less than 20 or even ten employees are not represented in this research. So, some further projects could be very useful to research the COVID-19 pandemic and crisis management in such companies.

Our answer:

We have completed  the semi-structured in-depth interview process and received ethics committee report of our study. Unfortunately, we need quite a lot of time to make the arrangement which you suggested. We will take your suggestion into consideration in our future work. We appreciate your valuable suggestions. We have added your suggestion into the limitations part of the conclusion section in the article as follows:

On the other hand, the study also has certain limitations. The study addresses the problems faced by the Antalya tourism sector in the post-Covid-19 period through semi-structured interviews with a crisis management perspective on the recovery and sustainability process of the tourism sector in the post-Covid-19 period. In fact, in terms of the number of the employees, small family enterprises with less than 20 are not represented in this study. Therefore, some further projects could be very useful to research the Covid-19 pandemic and crisis management in such companies. […].

 

 

7. Chapter 4. Subchapter 4.1. Crisis Management and Tourism in the Covid-19 Era. Paragraphs one, two, and three (page 7 of 33) could be unified in one paragraph in the shorter version

Our answer:

In line with your request, we shortened paragraph one two and three  in one paragraph. The new version of paragraph is presented below:

Crises disrupt tourist flows, tourism stability, and the sustainability of tourism businesses, creating challenges for affected regions, tourist destinations, and residents therein. "In the COVID-19 outbreak context, some industries were seriously affected, and the T&T (travel and tourism) industry is unarguably one of those industries." [28] (p. 1). The COVID-19 pandemic inflicted unprecedented damage on the tourism sector, resulting in substantial revenue and job losses worldwide, exacerbating sustainability issues within the tourism sector [63]. As noted by Jones and Comfort [42] (p. 3043), "While the crisis has severely damaged all sectors of the global economy, the problems in the hospitality industry have been particularly acute, and the crisis has revealed a number of major changes in the relationships between sustainability and the industry." Within the scope of this study, while underlining the severity of the crisis, interviewees expressed that the COVID-19 pandemic had negative effects on their operational activities and financial sustainability and they underlined that many companies, unfortunately, faced the risk of bankruptcy. For instance, T1 emphasized that crises in  tourism sector, regardless of their causes, predominantly prioritize economic sustainability over social and environmental sustainability, highlighting that the COVID-19 pandemic, initially a health crisis, translated into an economic crisis for them.

According to Şenerol [64], governments typically impose restrictions on both domestic and international flights during pandemic periods to mitigate the effects of infectious diseases and to maintain maneuverability. Additionally, the economic and psychological concerns of travelers contributing to travel demand are further dampened. Quarantine measures implemented during the Covid-19 period led to travel restrictions, resulting in flight cancellations, accommodation demand downturns, and tour cancellations. Orîndaru et al. [28] (p. 1) assert, "As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, most tourist destinations were forced to halt operations during 2020 due to lockdown measures and travel bans, canceled bookings, and local logistics. In conjunction, such evolution has placed tourism among the most severely impacted sectors in terms of revenue, jobs, and few available alternatives for maintaining operations during a lockdown."  In 2020, the number of tourists visiting Türkiye experienced a significant decline of approximately 69% compared to the previous year, marking a substantial loss [65]. The Covid-19 pandemic and associated measures led to intense crisis situations in the Antalya tourism sector, both globally and nationally.

According to Jones and Comfort [42] (p. 3041), “While the COVID-19 crisis may have produced some, possibly short-term, environmental benefits, it has also had a devastating impact on economies and societies across the world.” Within the scope of this study, interviewees expressed that the COVID-19 pandemic had negative effects on their operational activities and financial sustainability, with many companies facing the risk of bankruptcy. For instance, T1 emphasized that crises in the tourism sector, regardless of their causes, predominantly prioritize economic sustainability over social and environmental sustainability, highlighting that the COVID-19 pandemic, initially a health crisis, translated into an economic crisis for them.

 

 

8. Text (page 8 of 33): “According to the results of the study titled "Importance of Crisis Management in Tourism Business; A Research on Covid-19 Crisis in 5 Star Hotels in Alanya" by Yıldırım and Sayın [59]…” should be the shorter: “According to Yıldırım and Sayın [59]…”

Our revision:

In line with your request, we organized the reference as According to Yıldırım and Sayın

Our revised sentence is presented below:

According to the results of the study titled "Importance of Crisis Management in Tourism Business; A Research on Covid-19 Crisis in 5 Star Hotels in Alanya" by Yıldırım and Sayın [62], hotel managers indicated the following steps they took to manage the crisis during the Covid-19 period:

 

 

 

8. Chapter 4. If you could, the interviewees responses transfer and write in the shorter form, especially in which are opinions are very similar.

Our answer:

In line with your request, we reviewed the entire article and made the edits you suggested. We arranged interviewees responses as you recommended. The revised article file will be uploaded to the journal page.

 

Note: The whole study is revised by a native speaker academician.

Thank you very much for your valuable contributions.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The aim of the study is clearly presented through 5 concrete questions. They are very practical in nature.  

Is there a need for having subsection title 2.1. Crisis Management, Tourism and Sustainability since this is the only subsection under section 2? Please reconsider this. Either introduce section 2.2. or erase the title of subsection 2.1.

The methodology is partially explained. Most researchers use the snowball sampling method and papers are accepted but this is not the best representative method. Maybe you could indicate in the conclusion that this was the limitation of the study. I believe 23 responses are not a fully representative number of observations. Let us know when the study is conducted. The part about which method is used for data analysis is missing.

 

Although you used the qualitative approach in your study, still some statistical methods can be used to analyses their responses. And how findings are presented, it looks more like a magazine paper than an academic paper that provides systematic findings on 5 very concrete questions. So, is there any concrete summary for answering these questions and how you made answers (which method you used to make these answers) on very concrete research questions? So, I cannot find how you addressed these questions and what are the empirical results about them. 

Author Response

Note: In order to show the revisions which we made, we highlighted the words, sentences and lines in yellow. In addition, we crossed out the sentences which we thought unnecessary according to the suggestions of the reviewers.

Our Revisions Regarding the Comments of the Reviewer 2

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The aim of the study is clearly presented through 5 concrete questions. They are very practical in nature. 

 

Is there a need for having subsection title 2.1. Crisis Management, Tourism and Sustainability since this is the only subsection under section 2? Please reconsider this. Either introduce section 2.2. or erase the title of subsection 2.1.

Our answer:

In line with your request, we removed 2.1. Crisis Management, Tourism and Sustainability subsection in Chapter 2.

 

 

The methodology is partially explained.

Our answer:

In line with your and other revieweers’ suggestions we  combined the data collection and processing section with the materials and methods section to provide a holistic explanation. We added a list of the questions table to clearly demonstrate  the research design. We also reviewed the materials and methods section and made the necessary adjustments. The revised materials and methods section is as follows:

4. Materials and Methods

This study aims to evaluate the economic and social consequences of Covid-19 from the perspective of crisis management through semi-structured in-depth interviews. The semi-structured in-depth interview method is a qualitative approach that includes a pre-prepared set of questions but allows for the emergence of subsidiary questions depending on the flow of the interview. During the interview, adherence to the sequence of questions and the manner of their expression is not strictly enforced. While participants in the interviews tend to prepare a list of predefined questions, semi-structured in-depth interviews typically evolve into conversations that offer participants the opportunity to delve into topics they consider important [58]. Semi-structured interviews stand out from surveys and other data collection methods due to their detailed coverage, often consisting of intensive individual interviews with a small number of participants, and their ability to uncover in-depth information [59]. Semi-structured in-depth interviews are beneficial for gathering information on complex behavioral patterns, diverse perspectives, and various experiences [60,61].

The purpose of qualitative methods is to select participants who will help the researcher understand people's experiences [58]. Therefore, interviewees in semi-structured in-depth interviews are selected based on their relevant experiences related to the research topic. The aim is not breadth through representativeness, but depth through rich insights about a group of participants [62]. Selecting the study sample in semi-structured in-depth interviews involves determining the appropriate sample type among different types of sampling and selecting interviewees accordingly. The types of sampling generally used in semi-structured in-depth interviews include stratified sampling, purposive sampling, quota sampling, and snowball sampling. In this study, participants were selected through snowball sampling. In snowball sampling, researchers ask participants to introduce the researcher to other individuals who meet the criteria of the study [62]. The total number of interviewees depends on various factors such as the quantitative structure of the studied area, the feasibility of making comparisons, and the duration of the interviews.

3.1. Data Collection and Processing

In this study, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with senior executives working in the tourism sector in Antalya, using snowball sampling method. The number of individuals to be interviewed semi-structured in-depth was determined as 23, depending on the type, scope, and nature of the research. Within the scope of the study, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 23 senior executives working in the tourism sector in Antalya between September 2023 and February 2024. In the study, company representatives operating in the tourism sector were coded as T1, T2, T3, T4, T5.... T23.

The pre-prepared research questions were created within the framework of the information obtained from the literature review [3,24–29,32–43] and theoretical framework [35,44–57] of the study. Within the framework of the study questions, initially, personal information such as age, educational background, professional experiences, and titles were asked to the interviewees. Subsequently, they were asked to specify the areas of activity of their current businesses, the number of employees, and the countries where they mainly conduct tourism activities. Secondly, questions related to the basic research topic were posed to the interviewees. In this context, the interviewees were asked to evaluate the changes brought about by the Covid-19 crisis in the tourism sector in Antalya. They were also asked questions about how they did the crisis management and recovery strategies applied to manage the Covid-19 crisis. Subsequently, the interviewees were asked to evaluate the recovery process of the tourism sector after the Covid-19 crisis. Then, their views and thoughts on the future of the Antalya tourism sector were solicited. Finally, the interviewees were consulted for their comments and recommendations regarding crisis management. In this context, they were asked to share their thoughts on what constitutes effective crisis management, the roles of company managers and employees in effective crisis management, and whether it is necessary to establish a crisis management team within the organization for effective crisis management. Subsequently, the interviewees were asked whether they had made short-term, medium-term, and long-term plans regarding crisis management, their recommendations on crisis management, and whether it is necessary to establish cooperation between the public and private sectors and universities for effective crisis management. In Table 2. the list of questions asked to interviewees were clearly demonstrated.

Table 2. Questions asked to interviewees

Question 1.	How old are you?
Question 2.	What is your educational level?
Question 3.	What is your job title?
Question 4.	What is your company's field of activity in the tourism sector?
Question 5	How many years has your company been operating in the sector?
Question 6	How many employees does your company have?
Question 7	In which countries do you mainly carry out tourism activities?
Question 8	How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect your tourism operations?
Question 9	Could you tell us about how you managed the Covid-19 crisis and which recovery strategies you applied before, during and after the crisis?
Question 10	Did the tourism industry enter the recovery process after the Covid-19 pandemic? What kind of impact did the Ukraine War and the regulations regarding retirement have on the sustainability and recovery of Antalya tourism sector activities and crisis management?
Question 11	What are your evaluations regarding the future of Antalya tourism?
Question 12	What are your comments and recommendations regarding effective crisis management to ensure sustainability in tourism and develop effective recovery strategies?   Additional questions about effective crisis management to ensure sustainability in tourism and develop effective recovery strategies: What are the characteristics of effective crisis management? What are the responsibilities of company executives and employees in effective crisis management? What do you think about establishing crisis management teams in companies to ensure effective crisis management and sustainability of activities? Do you have short, medium, and long-term plans for crisis management? What are your preparations about future crises and what recommendations could you give to other businesses in the sector regarding crisis management? Do you think cooperation between universities, government and the private sector is necessary to ensure effective crisis management?

 

In semi-structured in-depth interviews, additional extra questions were posed to the interviewees depending on the course of the interviews in addition to the predefined questions mentioned above. The interviews were conducted face-to-face or via telephone, depending on the availability of the interviewees, and lasted approximately 40-60 minutes. With the consent of the interviewees, the interviews were recorded using a recording device, and the important points of the interviews were noted by the interviewer depending on the course of the interview. After When all the all interviews were completed, the recordings were transcribed. After transcribing the interviews, the outputs obtained from the interviews and the data obtained from the literature were evaluated together to form the findings and discussion sub-sections of the study. the data obtained from the interviews, the literature review and theoretical framework were evaluated in detail under subsections based on the main and additional questions within the scope of the study.

Out of the participants in the interviews, 8 were in the age range of 41-50, 11 were in the age range of 51-60, 3 were in the age range of 61-70, and 1 was in the age range of 71-80. In terms of educational level, the interviewees predominantly consisted of university graduates. Fifteen of the interviewees had a bachelor's degree, six had a master's degree, and two had an associate degree. In terms of professional experience, three of the interviewees had 11-20 years of experience, three had 21-30 years, ten had 31-40 years, six had 41-50 years, and one had 51-60 years of experience. In terms of titles, four of the interviewees were department managers, and nineteen were general managers.

The companies where the interviewees work show diversity in terms of the areas of activity. Twelve of the companies have been operating in the sector for 11-20 years, while eleven have been operating for 21-30 years. In terms of the number of employees, two companies employ between 80-100 people, six companies employ between 101-500 people, nine companies employ between 501-1000 people, and six companies employ over 1000 employees. In addition to these, the countries where the interviewees conduct tourism activities also show diversity. The countries where the interviewees provide services are mainly Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Middle Eastern countries, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Iran, Baltic countries, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Romania, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and Türkiye.

In semi-structured interviews, additional questions were posed to the interviewees depending on the course of the interviews in addition to the predefined questions mentioned above. The interviews were conducted face-to-face or via telephone, depending on the availability of the interviewees, and lasted approximately 40-60 minutes. With the consent of the interviewees, the interviews were recorded using a recording device, and the important points of the interviews were noted by the interviewer depending on the course of the interview. After all interviews were completed, the recordings were transcribed. After transcribing the interviews, the outputs obtained from the interviews and the data obtained from the literature were evaluated together to form the findings and discussion section of the study.

 

 

Most researchers use the snowball sampling method and papers are accepted but this is not the best representative method. Maybe you could indicate in the conclusion that this was the limitation of the study.

Our answer:

In line with your request  we stated that snowball sampling is a limitation and we added sentences about the limitation of the sampling of the study in the last paragraph of the  conclusion section. The sentences which we added in the last paragrapth of the conclusion section are presented below:

On the other hand, the study also has certain limitations ..[…]. Furthermore, interviewees in this study were selected through snowball sampling. Therefore, different sampling styles such as stratified sampling, purposive sampling or quota sampling may be used in future studies.

 

 

I believe 23 responses are not a fully representative number of observations.

Our answer:

Unlike quantitative research methodology, qualitative research methodology proposes a limited number of participants in the academic research papers because the data is collected from the participants by means of interviews. While discussing the total number of interviews, Knott et al. insist that it depends on many factors, one of which is the duration of interviews (2022). In addition, they add that “the important consideration is, therefore, not merely how many participants are interviewed, but whether one’s research design allows for collecting rich and textured data that provide insight into participants’ understandings, accounts, perceptions and interpretations.”  In our study, our interviewees were so willing to share their experiences that each interview lasted approximately 40-60 minutes.

In-dept interviews are mostly suggested in qualitative research in order to discover the experiences particular to each participant. It is useful and valuable since the researcher can gather more specific and undiscovered insights of the interviewed individual when compared with quantitative research methods. “While the aim of many quantitative methods is to choose a random or representative sample, to be ‘objective’, and to be able to replicate the data, the aim of qualitative methods is to choose respondents who will help the researcher make sense of people’s experiences.” (Longhurst, 2009). The reason why qualitative methods propose a limited number of participants is to avoid the risk of saturation. After interviewing an adequate number of participants, the researcher feels the repeated experiences of the interviewees when answering to the questions.  In order to avoid receiving repeated answers from the participants, the researcher should stop to interview more people. Otherwise, the researcher will receive similar answers and experiences from the participants. That is the reason why quantitative research methodology claims that the number of participants should by limited and a total number is generally limited between 12 and 20 participants. “Researchers often stop interviewing when new interviews confirm findings from earlier interviews with no new or surprising insights (saturation). As a criterion for research design, saturation assumes that data collection and analysis are happening in tandem and that researchers will stop collecting new data once there is no new information emerging from the interviews. Researchers often draw on existing reports of saturation to estimate a sample size prior to data collection. These suggest between 12 and 20 interviews per category of participant (although researchers have reported saturation with samples that are both smaller and larger than this) (Guest et al., 2006; Braun and Clarke, 2011; Vasileiou et al., 2018; Knott et al., 2022)”. In addition, “Ando et al., (2014) reported that 12 interviews ‘should be a sufficient sample size for thematic analysis where higher-level concepts are concerned.” Consequently, we decided that a total number of 23 participants of our study is a satisfactory number of respondents.   

References

Braun, V., Clarke, V., 2012. To saturate or not to saturate? Questioning data saturation as a useful concept for thematic analysis and sample-size rationales. Qual. Res. Sport Exerc. Health 13, 201–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1704846.

Guest, G., Bunce, A., Johnson, L., 2006. How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods 18(1), 59–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05279903.

Knott, E., Rao, A. H., Summers, K., Teeger, C., 2022. Interviews in the social sciences. Nature Reviews Methods Primesr, 2(73). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-022-00150-6.

Longhurst, R, 2009. Interviews: in-depth, semi-structured. International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, 580-584. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-008044910-4.00458-2.

Vasileiou, K., Barnett, J., Thorpe, S., Young, T., 2018. Characterising and justifying sample size sufficiency in interview-based studies: systematic analysis of qualitative health research over a 15-year period. BMC Med. Res. Methodol. 18(148). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0594-7.

 

 

Let us know when the study is conducted. The part about which method is used for data analysis is missing.

Our answer:

In line with your and other revieweers’ suggestions we  combined the data collection and processing section with the materials and methods section to provide a holistic explanation. Thus, the part about which method is used for data analysis is clearly demonstrated. Moreover, we added the list of the questions table to clearly demonstrate  the research design. We also reviewed the materials and methods section and made the necessary adjustments. Moreover, in line with your request we added a sentence and giving information about when the research was conducted. The revised materials and methods section is as follows:

4. Materials and Methods

This study aims to evaluate the economic and social consequences of Covid-19 from the perspective of crisis management through semi-structured in-depth interviews. The semi-structured in-depth interview method is a qualitative approach that includes a pre-prepared set of questions but allows for the emergence of subsidiary questions depending on the flow of the interview. During the interview, adherence to the sequence of questions and the manner of their expression is not strictly enforced. While participants in the interviews tend to prepare a list of predefined questions, semi-structured in-depth interviews typically evolve into conversations that offer participants the opportunity to delve into topics they consider important [58]. Semi-structured interviews stand out from surveys and other data collection methods due to their detailed coverage, often consisting of intensive individual interviews with a small number of participants, and their ability to uncover in-depth information [59]. Semi-structured in-depth interviews are beneficial for gathering information on complex behavioral patterns, diverse perspectives, and various experiences [60,61].

The purpose of qualitative methods is to select participants who will help the researcher understand people's experiences [58]. Therefore, interviewees in semi-structured in-depth interviews are selected based on their relevant experiences related to the research topic. The aim is not breadth through representativeness, but depth through rich insights about a group of participants [62]. Selecting the study sample in semi-structured in-depth interviews involves determining the appropriate sample type among different types of sampling and selecting interviewees accordingly. The types of sampling generally used in semi-structured in-depth interviews include stratified sampling, purposive sampling, quota sampling, and snowball sampling. In this study, participants were selected through snowball sampling. In snowball sampling, researchers ask participants to introduce the researcher to other individuals who meet the criteria of the study [62]. The total number of interviewees depends on various factors such as the quantitative structure of the studied area, the feasibility of making comparisons, and the duration of the interviews.

3.1. Data Collection and Processing

In this study, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with senior executives working in the tourism sector in Antalya, using snowball sampling method. The number of individuals to be interviewed semi-structured in-depth was determined as 23, depending on the type, scope, and nature of the research. Within the scope of the study, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 23 senior executives working in the tourism sector in Antalya between September 2023 and February 2024. In the study, company representatives operating in the tourism sector were coded as T1, T2, T3, T4, T5.... T23.

The pre-prepared research questions were created within the framework of the information obtained from the literature review [3,24–29,32–43] and theoretical framework [35,44–57] of the study. Within the framework of the study questions, initially, personal information such as age, educational background, professional experiences, and titles were asked to the interviewees. Subsequently, they were asked to specify the areas of activity of their current businesses, the number of employees, and the countries where they mainly conduct tourism activities. Secondly, questions related to the basic research topic were posed to the interviewees. In this context, the interviewees were asked to evaluate the changes brought about by the Covid-19 crisis in the tourism sector in Antalya. They were also asked questions about how they did the crisis management and recovery strategies applied to manage the Covid-19 crisis. Subsequently, the interviewees were asked to evaluate the recovery process of the tourism sector after the Covid-19 crisis. Then, their views and thoughts on the future of the Antalya tourism sector were solicited. Finally, the interviewees were consulted for their comments and recommendations regarding crisis management. In this context, they were asked to share their thoughts on what constitutes effective crisis management, the roles of company managers and employees in effective crisis management, and whether it is necessary to establish a crisis management team within the organization for effective crisis management. Subsequently, the interviewees were asked whether they had made short-term, medium-term, and long-term plans regarding crisis management, their recommendations on crisis management, and whether it is necessary to establish cooperation between the public and private sectors and universities for effective crisis management. In Table 2. the list of questions asked to interviewees were clearly demonstrated.

Table 2. Questions asked to interviewees

Question 1.	How old are you?
Question 2.	What is your educational level?
Question 3.	What is your job title?
Question 4.	What is your company's field of activity in the tourism sector?
Question 5	How many years has your company been operating in the sector?
Question 6	How many employees does your company have?
Question 7	In which countries do you mainly carry out tourism activities?
Question 8	How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect your tourism operations?
Question 9	Could you tell us about how you managed the Covid-19 crisis and which recovery strategies you applied before, during and after the crisis?
Question 10	Did the tourism industry enter the recovery process after the Covid-19 pandemic? What kind of impact did the Ukraine War and the regulations regarding retirement have on the sustainability and recovery of Antalya tourism sector activities and crisis management?
Question 11	What are your evaluations regarding the future of Antalya tourism?
Question 12	What are your comments and recommendations regarding effective crisis management to ensure sustainability in tourism and develop effective recovery strategies?   Additional questions about effective crisis management to ensure sustainability in tourism and develop effective recovery strategies: What are the characteristics of effective crisis management? What are the responsibilities of company executives and employees in effective crisis management? What do you think about establishing crisis management teams in companies to ensure effective crisis management and sustainability of activities? Do you have short, medium, and long-term plans for crisis management? What are your preparations about future crises and what recommendations could you give to other businesses in the sector regarding crisis management? Do you think cooperation between universities, government and the private sector is necessary to ensure effective crisis management?

 

In semi-structured in-depth interviews, additional extra questions were posed to the interviewees depending on the course of the interviews in addition to the predefined questions mentioned above. The interviews were conducted face-to-face or via telephone, depending on the availability of the interviewees, and lasted approximately 40-60 minutes. With the consent of the interviewees, the interviews were recorded using a recording device, and the important points of the interviews were noted by the interviewer depending on the course of the interview. After When all the all interviews were completed, the recordings were transcribed. After transcribing the interviews, the outputs obtained from the interviews and the data obtained from the literature were evaluated together to form the findings and discussion sub-sections of the study. the data obtained from the interviews, the literature review and theoretical framework were evaluated in detail under subsections based on the main and additional questions within the scope of the study.

Out of the participants in the interviews, 8 were in the age range of 41-50, 11 were in the age range of 51-60, 3 were in the age range of 61-70, and 1 was in the age range of 71-80. In terms of educational level, the interviewees predominantly consisted of university graduates. Fifteen of the interviewees had a bachelor's degree, six had a master's degree, and two had an associate degree. In terms of professional experience, three of the interviewees had 11-20 years of experience, three had 21-30 years, ten had 31-40 years, six had 41-50 years, and one had 51-60 years of experience. In terms of titles, four of the interviewees were department managers, and nineteen were general managers.

The companies where the interviewees work show diversity in terms of the areas of activity. Twelve of the companies have been operating in the sector for 11-20 years, while eleven have been operating for 21-30 years. In terms of the number of employees, two companies employ between 80-100 people, six companies employ between 101-500 people, nine companies employ between 501-1000 people, and six companies employ over 1000 employees. In addition to these, the countries where the interviewees conduct tourism activities also show diversity. The countries where the interviewees provide services are mainly Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Middle Eastern countries, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Iran, Baltic countries, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Romania, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and Türkiye.

In semi-structured interviews, additional questions were posed to the interviewees depending on the course of the interviews in addition to the predefined questions mentioned above. The interviews were conducted face-to-face or via telephone, depending on the availability of the interviewees, and lasted approximately 40-60 minutes. With the consent of the interviewees, the interviews were recorded using a recording device, and the important points of the interviews were noted by the interviewer depending on the course of the interview. After all interviews were completed, the recordings were transcribed. After transcribing the interviews, the outputs obtained from the interviews and the data obtained from the literature were evaluated together to form the findings and discussion section of the study.

 

 

Although you used the qualitative approach in your study, still some statistical methods can be used to analyses their responses. And how findings are presented, it looks more like a magazine paper than an academic paper that provides systematic findings on 5 very concrete questions. So, is there any concrete summary for answering these questions and how you made answers (which method you used to make these answers) on very concrete research questions? So, I cannot find how you addressed these questions and what are the empirical results about them.

Our answer:

In line with other revieweers’ request we added the list of semi structured in depth interview’s main and some additional questions in the manuscript. Moreover, in order to clearly state the systematic of the study, the theoretical framework subheading was added in the study. Thus, we tried to clearly state the structure and systematic of the study by adding the questions which were asked during the interviews of the study. We tried to evaluate the answers to the questions we asked in detail under subsections of the results and discussion. In the study, the pre-prepared research questions were created within the framework of the information obtained from the literature review [3,24–29,32–43] and theoretical framework [35,44–57] of the study. The data obtained from the interviews, literature review and theoretical framework were evaluated in detail under subsections based on the main and additional questions within the scope of the study.  

 

Our study model is totally different than statistical study model. For example in quantiative method, “sample size for an expected prevalence of 10% is the same as that for an expected prevalence of 90%” (Martinez-Mesa et al., 2014: 611). A good sample size is usually around 10% of the population. Hovewer, our sample size is sufficient for a qualitative research design but insufficient for a quantitative research model.For example, researchers suggesting this method propose between 12 and 20 interviews per category of participant (although researchers have reported saturation with samples that are both smaller and larger than this) (Guest et al., 2006; Braun and Clarke, 2011; Vasileiou et al., 2018; Knott et al., 2022)”.

References: 

Braun, V., Clarke, V., 2012. To saturate or not to saturate? Questioning data saturation as a useful concept for thematic analysis and sample-size rationales. Qual. Res. Sport Exerc. Health 13, 201–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1704846.

Guest, G., Bunce, A., Johnson, L., 2006. How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods 18(1), 59–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05279903.

Knott, E., Rao, A. H., Summers, K., Teeger, C., 2022. Interviews in the social sciences. Nature Reviews Methods Primesr, 2(73). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-022-00150-6.

 Martínez-Mesa, J., González-Chica, D. A., Bastos, J. L., Bonamigo, R. R., & Duquia, R. P. (2014). Sample size: how many participants do I need in my research? Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia, 89(4), 609–615. doi:10.1590/abd1806-4841.20143705.

Vasileiou, K., Barnett, J., Thorpe, S., Young, T., 2018. Characterising and justifying sample size sufficiency in interview-based studies: systematic analysis of qualitative health research over a 15-year period. BMC Med. Res. Methodol. 18(148). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0594-7.

 

Our research findings and results are based on qualitative findings from semi-structured in-depth interviews rather than quantitative data.  Therefore, we added a sentence in the limitation part of the conclusion and we revised last sentence of the manuscript. The sentences are presented below:

 

Furthermore, the study findings are based on qualitative findings from semi-structured in-depth interviews. Therefore, in future studies, more in-depth evaluations can be made on the subject by comparing the challenges and recovery processes faced by different tourism destinations in the tourism sector during the Covid-19 pandemic process by using different data sets, different qualitative and quantitative methods.

 

Note: The whole study is revised by a native speaker academician.

Thank you very much for your valuable contributions.

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

-- Theoretical background can be improved. The introduction does not explain the gap in the literature, and the authors do not provide enough information to make a good theoretical background.

--There is an urgent need for more linked references to embrace the research contexts, methodology, and findings on crisis management; Covid-19; recovery.

 

-- - The authors did not explain the dedicated interviewees data collection methods, time and place limitations, the interviewee's basis, and analysis methodology or methods. (3.1. Data Collection and Processing).

--The research design, questions, and methods not clearly stated in this version.

-- Discussion of findings needs more time for revision and editing (5. Conclusions).

-- - The results, conclusions, and implications for research, practice, and/or society are presented clearly and analyzed appropriately if extensive corrections are made to the paper

 

-- Reviewing the weak conceptual framework established at the outset and running throughout all sections could significantly reconstruct and improve the manuscript while clarifying potential fit in the journal in the future.

- The links in the reference list needed to be revised and shortened (e.g. no 60-70).

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing of English language required

Author Response

Note: In order to show the revisions which we made, we highlighted the words, sentences and lines in yellow. In addition, we crossed out the sentences which we thought unnecessary according to the suggestions of the reviewers.

Our Revisions Regarding the Comments of the Reviewer 3

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

 

-- Theoretical background can be improved. The introduction does not explain the gap in the literature, and the authors do not provide enough information to make a good theoretical background.

Our answer:

In line with your and other revieweer’s request, we revised introduction section and added sentences about explaining the gap in the literature. Moreover, we added “Theoretical Framework” subsection in the study. The theoretical framework section and the sentences which we added in introduction section is presented below:

1. Introduction

…[…]…. According to Chang et al. [31] (p. 1), "It is essential to investigate how the industry will recover after COVID-19 and how the industry can be made sustainable in a dramatically changed world." Therefore, the main objective of this study is to evaluate the negative consequences of the Covid-19 crisis on the sustainability of the tourism sector in Antalya, which holds a significant position in both global and Turkish revenue rankings of tourism industry as well as to assess the changes and transformations in tourism activities after the Covid-19 pandemic and the recovery process in the tourism industry through semi-structured interviews and from the perspective of crisis management. As a result of the literature review, a study addressing the sustainability and recovery strategies of Antalya tourism industry during and after Covid-19 era from a crisis management perspective by means of semi-structured in-depth interview method does not exist. Therefore, this study is expected to fill this gap in the literature Furthermore, it is expected to contribute to raising awareness about crisis management and sustainability in tourism through an in-depth examination of crisis management in tourism during and after the Covid-19 period via semi-structured in-depth interviews with prominent sector representatives in Antalya….[…]….

3. Theoretical Framework

Crisis management encompasses efforts to develop the capacity for instant intervention before a problem turns into a disaster, striving to minimize the impact of crises and emerge from them with minimal damage, while also preparing for future crises through comprehensive and systematic planning. According to Jia et al. [44], crisis management serves as both a technique for avoiding emergencies and unforeseen situations through planning and a method for dealing with them when they arise to mitigate their disastrous consequences. The objective of crisis management is to ensure the long-term survival of companies and the continuity of their reputation [45].

The crisis management process is fundamentally divided into three stages: the crisis period, the pre-crisis period, and the post-crisis period, encompasses activities aimed at minimizing the effects of crises and, when necessary, turning crises into opportunities. The pre-crisis period primarily focuses on prevention and preparedness, involving the identification of potential risks that could lead to a crisis and the creation of a suitable team and program for crisis management [35,46,47]. However, the prevention and preparedness stage, despite being the simplest and least costly phase of overcoming a potential crisis, is often overlooked [48]. In the preparedness and prevention phase of crises, it is very important to establish a crisis management team and crisis management strategies that meets at regular intervals and shares information before the crisis arises [35,47,49–51]. Determining the roles and areas of responsibility of the crisis management team, which is ready to take immediate action in case of crisis, is also very significant in effective crisis management. Thus, possible management confusion can be minimized by providing instant and systematic responses to crises.

The crisis period mainly consists of diagnosing the crisis, making critical decisions, and implementing them. According to Boin et al. [52], effective crisis management begins with the shared recognition that a threat requiring urgent intervention has emerged. Diagnosing the crisis in crisis management is the stage of defining its end. The critical decision-making and implementation stage, which covers the period following the diagnosis of the crisis, is crucial for managing crises more effectively and determining the extent to which crises can be successfully overcome. Therefore, managers have a great responsibility in making decisions while company employees have a responsibility to implement the decisions in effective crisis management [52]. The choice of model and approach for crisis management depends on the organization's structure and resource capacity. According to Loseemore [47], the most suitable approach to crisis management lies in plans and programming developed cumulatively considering the nature of the crisis, existing technological capabilities, environmental factors, and the capacities of all individuals involved in the organization.

The final stage of the crisis management process, the post-crisis period, encompasses recovery and returning to normality, as well as learning. The end of the crisis process and the efforts of organizations that have overcome the crisis to restore pre-crisis conditions occur during the recovery and return to normality stage. According to Sui Pheng et al. [53], during the recovery stage, organizations develop and implement tested, short- and long-term programs designed to help them continue normal business activities. Moreover, making short and long-term planning in effective crisis management provides great advantages to organizations in getting rid of crises with minimum losses or turning the crisis into an opportunity [54,55]. According to Jaques [56] although many management models present the terms "post-crisis" and "recovery" as synonymous, the risks a post-crisis organization may face can be much greater than those during the crisis. Therefore, it is important for organizations to address crisis management comprehensively, considering their resources and capacities to minimize the risks posed by crises and perhaps even turn crises into potential opportunities. Additionally, post-crisis recovery not only concerns recovery and returning to normality but also includes management learning stages such as evaluation and process change [57]. The learning process during the post-crisis period is based on the assumption that a better understanding of the causes of crises and learning from past crises can prevent their recurrence in the future.

 

 

--There is an urgent need for more linked references to embrace the research contexts, methodology, and findings on crisis management; Covid-19; recovery.

Our answer:

 In line with your request, we revised whole manuscript, and we added linked references to embrace the research under all sections and subsections.  

 

 

-- - The authors did not explain the dedicated interviewees data collection methods, time and place limitations, the interviewee's basis, and analysis methodology or methods. (3.1. Data Collection and Processing).

--The research design, questions, and methods not clearly stated in this version.

Our answer:

In line with your and other revieweers’ suggestions we  combined the data collection and processing section with the materials and methods section to provide a holistic explanation. We added the list of the questions table to clearly demonstrate  the research design. We also reviewed the materials and methods section and made the necessary adjustments. The revised materials and methods section is as follows:

4. Materials and Methods

This study aims to evaluate the economic and social consequences of Covid-19 from the perspective of crisis management through semi-structured in-depth interviews. The semi-structured in-depth interview method is a qualitative approach that includes a pre-prepared set of questions but allows for the emergence of subsidiary questions depending on the flow of the interview. During the interview, adherence to the sequence of questions and the manner of their expression is not strictly enforced. While participants in the interviews tend to prepare a list of predefined questions, semi-structured in-depth interviews typically evolve into conversations that offer participants the opportunity to delve into topics they consider important [58]. Semi-structured interviews stand out from surveys and other data collection methods due to their detailed coverage, often consisting of intensive individual interviews with a small number of participants, and their ability to uncover in-depth information [59]. Semi-structured in-depth interviews are beneficial for gathering information on complex behavioral patterns, diverse perspectives, and various experiences [60,61].

The purpose of qualitative methods is to select participants who will help the researcher understand people's experiences [58]. Therefore, interviewees in semi-structured in-depth interviews are selected based on their relevant experiences related to the research topic. The aim is not breadth through representativeness, but depth through rich insights about a group of participants [62]. Selecting the study sample in semi-structured in-depth interviews involves determining the appropriate sample type among different types of sampling and selecting interviewees accordingly. The types of sampling generally used in semi-structured in-depth interviews include stratified sampling, purposive sampling, quota sampling, and snowball sampling. In this study, participants were selected through snowball sampling. In snowball sampling, researchers ask participants to introduce the researcher to other individuals who meet the criteria of the study [62]. The total number of interviewees depends on various factors such as the quantitative structure of the studied area, the feasibility of making comparisons, and the duration of the interviews.

3.1. Data Collection and Processing

In this study, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with senior executives working in the tourism sector in Antalya, using snowball sampling method. The number of individuals to be interviewed semi-structured in-depth was determined as 23, depending on the type, scope, and nature of the research. Within the scope of the study, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 23 senior executives working in the tourism sector in Antalya between September 2023 and February 2024. In the study, company representatives operating in the tourism sector were coded as T1, T2, T3, T4, T5.... T23.

The pre-prepared research questions were created within the framework of the information obtained from the literature review [3,24–29,32–43] and theoretical framework [35,44–57] of the study. Within the framework of the study questions, initially, personal information such as age, educational background, professional experiences, and titles were asked to the interviewees. Subsequently, they were asked to specify the areas of activity of their current businesses, the number of employees, and the countries where they mainly conduct tourism activities. Secondly, questions related to the basic research topic were posed to the interviewees. In this context, the interviewees were asked to evaluate the changes brought about by the Covid-19 crisis in the tourism sector in Antalya. They were also asked questions about how they did the crisis management and recovery strategies applied to manage the Covid-19 crisis. Subsequently, the interviewees were asked to evaluate the recovery process of the tourism sector after the Covid-19 crisis. Then, their views and thoughts on the future of the Antalya tourism sector were solicited. Finally, the interviewees were consulted for their comments and recommendations regarding crisis management. In this context, they were asked to share their thoughts on what constitutes effective crisis management, the roles of company managers and employees in effective crisis management, and whether it is necessary to establish a crisis management team within the organization for effective crisis management. Subsequently, the interviewees were asked whether they had made short-term, medium-term, and long-term plans regarding crisis management, their recommendations on crisis management, and whether it is necessary to establish cooperation between the public and private sectors and universities for effective crisis management. In Table 2. the list of questions asked to interviewees were clearly demonstrated.

Table 2. Questions asked to interviewees

Question 1.	How old are you?
Question 2.	What is your educational level?
Question 3.	What is your job title?
Question 4.	What is your company's field of activity in the tourism sector?
Question 5	How many years has your company been operating in the sector?
Question 6	How many employees does your company have?
Question 7	In which countries do you mainly carry out tourism activities?
Question 8	How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect your tourism operations?
Question 9	Could you tell us about how you managed the Covid-19 crisis and which recovery strategies you applied before, during and after the crisis?
Question 10	Did the tourism industry enter the recovery process after the Covid-19 pandemic? What kind of impact did the Ukraine War and the regulations regarding retirement have on the sustainability and recovery of Antalya tourism sector activities and crisis management?
Question 11	What are your evaluations regarding the future of Antalya tourism?
Question 12	What are your comments and recommendations regarding effective crisis management to ensure sustainability in tourism and develop effective recovery strategies?   Additional questions about effective crisis management to ensure sustainability in tourism and develop effective recovery strategies: What are the characteristics of effective crisis management? What are the responsibilities of company executives and employees in effective crisis management? What do you think about establishing crisis management teams in companies to ensure effective crisis management and sustainability of activities? Do you have short, medium, and long-term plans for crisis management? What are your preparations about future crises and what recommendations could you give to other businesses in the sector regarding crisis management? Do you think cooperation between universities, government and the private sector is necessary to ensure effective crisis management?

 

In semi-structured in-depth interviews, additional extra questions were posed to the interviewees depending on the course of the interviews in addition to the predefined questions mentioned above. The interviews were conducted face-to-face or via telephone, depending on the availability of the interviewees, and lasted approximately 40-60 minutes. With the consent of the interviewees, the interviews were recorded using a recording device, and the important points of the interviews were noted by the interviewer depending on the course of the interview. After When all the all interviews were completed, the recordings were transcribed. After transcribing the interviews, the outputs obtained from the interviews and the data obtained from the literature were evaluated together to form the findings and discussion sub-sections of the study. the data obtained from the interviews, the literature review and theoretical framework were evaluated in detail under subsections based on the main and additional questions within the scope of the study.

Out of the participants in the interviews, 8 were in the age range of 41-50, 11 were in the age range of 51-60, 3 were in the age range of 61-70, and 1 was in the age range of 71-80. In terms of educational level, the interviewees predominantly consisted of university graduates. Fifteen of the interviewees had a bachelor's degree, six had a master's degree, and two had an associate degree. In terms of professional experience, three of the interviewees had 11-20 years of experience, three had 21-30 years, ten had 31-40 years, six had 41-50 years, and one had 51-60 years of experience. In terms of titles, four of the interviewees were department managers, and nineteen were general managers.

The companies where the interviewees work show diversity in terms of the areas of activity. Twelve of the companies have been operating in the sector for 11-20 years, while eleven have been operating for 21-30 years. In terms of the number of employees, two companies employ between 80-100 people, six companies employ between 101-500 people, nine companies employ between 501-1000 people, and six companies employ over 1000 employees. In addition to these, the countries where the interviewees conduct tourism activities also show diversity. The countries where the interviewees provide services are mainly Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Middle Eastern countries, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Iran, Baltic countries, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Romania, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and Türkiye.

In semi-structured interviews, additional questions were posed to the interviewees depending on the course of the interviews in addition to the predefined questions mentioned above. The interviews were conducted face-to-face or via telephone, depending on the availability of the interviewees, and lasted approximately 40-60 minutes. With the consent of the interviewees, the interviews were recorded using a recording device, and the important points of the interviews were noted by the interviewer depending on the course of the interview. After all interviews were completed, the recordings were transcribed. After transcribing the interviews, the outputs obtained from the interviews and the data obtained from the literature were evaluated together to form the findings and discussion section of the study.

 

 

-- Discussion of findings needs more time for revision and editing (5. Conclusions).

Our answer:

In line with your request, we revised and edited the whole manuscript including results and discussion.

 

 

-- - The results, conclusions, and implications for research, practice, and/or society are presented clearly and analyzed appropriately if extensive corrections are made to the paper

-- Reviewing the weak conceptual framework established at the outset and running throughout all sections could significantly reconstruct and improve the manuscript while clarifying potential fit in the journal in the future.

Our answer:

In line with your suggestions, we revised whole manuscript. Furthermore, In line with your and other revieweers’ request we added the list of semi structured in depth interview’s main and some additional questions in the manuscript. Moreover, in order to clearly state the systematic of the study, the theoretical framework subheading was added in the study. Thus by making extensive corrections in the manuscript, we tried to present and analyzed the results, conclusions, and implications for research, practice, and/or society clearly and appropriately.

 

 

- The links in the reference list needed to be revised and shortened (e.g. no 60-70).

Our answer:

We have organized the references, and the links in the reference list according to the references format of "Sustainability".

 

 

Comments on the Quality of English Language: Minor editing of English language required

 

Note: The whole study is revised by a native speaker academician.

Thank you very much for your valuable contributions.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript has been advanced to a satisfactory level for publication. All my recommendations have been considered and applied to the manuscript.  I still believe that the table should not be part of the introduction, however, I will not make any further judgment. When I said for subsection title, I meant only the title, not the text. The methodology section is clarified in a more precise way. 

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Keep up the good work!.
All the best.