| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1013733 | Tourism Management Perspectives | 2013 | 8 Pages |
•This study assessed the impact of the BP oil spill on hotel demand in the two most impacted regions.•The results revealed the volatility brought about by this disaster were significant.•However the impact paled in comparison to impacts caused by major hurricanes and recessions.•Highlighted is a neglected area of the literature – the objective measure of loss due to a disaster.
Assessing the impact of the BP oil spill on hotel demand was the focus of this study. More specifically, this analysis chronicles the demand trajectories of the two most impacted regions of the Gulf Coast by employing a pseudo-experiment ‘compromise design’ to measure the impact of an event on consumer demand involving a sector subject to high seasonality and other disruptive influences. The results reveal that the volatility brought about by this man-made disaster varied greatly and, though significant, paled in comparison to impacts caused by major hurricanes and recessions. In addition, this research highlights an important but neglected area of the tourism literature – the objective measure of tourism losses due to a disaster – that serves as one of the initial steps to economic recovery for a community or business sector.
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