The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the Hospitality Sector in Belgium

Details

Supervisors

Depaepe, Philippe

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences de gestion, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic which originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019 soon spread to the entire globe. The Belgian regional and Federal governments undertook several measures to stem the spread of the virus. The first lockdown and curfew was imposed on 15th of March 2020. This immediately impacted many businesses like the hospitality sector. This thesis therefore examines the impact of the pandemic on the hospitality industry. We argue that the pandemic decimated the accommodation and food services sector because the mobility of people was halted. The study focused on the effects of the pandemic on the hospitality industry and the workers. A multi-prong approach was adopted as the research methodology of this study. Firstly, we utilised the qualitative approach in the collection and collation of data. We administered seventy questionnaires to business owners, managers and general staff of the sector. However, only fifteen responded. This was a potential problem for the study. Nonetheless, we also relied on a few interviews and secondary data to overcome the huddle. The findings revealed the extensive impact of the coronavirus crisis on the hospitality industry: loss of revenue, job losses, lay- offs of temporary workers, mental health crisis and increase in poverty and inequality. These findings were substantiated by some secondary literature on the repercussions of the pandemic on Belgian workers. Nonetheless, other companies were able to survive and came out of the crisis almost unscathed. The digital sector was among the most robust and prosperous during and after the pandemic.