Analyzing the role of government in the management and planning of tourism crisis; a case study of the COVID-19 crisis

The tourism planning and management is a collective action in which different actors of governmental and non-governmental organizations and institutions are involved. It is necessary to manage this phenomenon both during normal and crisis times. One of the most important actors in the field of tourism management is the government, which is responsible for facilitating and regulating this domain. But the phenomenon that has now negatively affected the tourism industry in Iran and the whole world is the Coronavirus crisis. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of government in managing the impact of this crisis on the tourism industry. an‎d to identify the effective factors that the government can carry out to save the tourism industry during and after the Coronavirus crisis. The main question of this research is to investigate the extent to which the government can manage the consequences of the Coronavirus crisis on Iran's tourism industry. To this end, in a qualitative method, attempts have been made to answer the research questions via a semi-structured interview. A number of managers and employees (8 persons) of tourism-related institutions in Iran were interviewed. The results of the research show that the government must first have an accurate estimate of the amount of losses caused by the Coronavirus crisis in the field of tourism. an‎d then, by identifying areas that are more or less damaged, consider tax exemptions for them. Also, providing cyberspace and its infrastructure for the prosperity of the tourism is another useful measure of the government to support the tourism industry in the face of the Coronavirus crisis.