ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
COVID-19 severely impacted the tourism industry locally and globally. During the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO), the Malaysian government urged the people in the nation to take their family for vacation and to travel domestically to support the rejuvenation of the hotel sector. However, due to the harmful and contagious nature of COVID-19, the safety of the family members, especially the young and dependent children makes taking a vacation is fraught with uncertainty. Thus, this study sought to discover the safety procedures and associated actions taken by tourism providers with the implementation of the RMCO while concurrently combating and breaking the chain of infection. The objectives of the study are to investigate COVID-19 safety procedures in resuming tourism operation and to analyse the execution of safety procedures in family vacation consumption. The study covers the in-situ safety procedures experienced in family vacations during the COVID-19 pandemic at several popular family vacation destinations in Malaysia, which are located about a two-hour drive journey from the country’s capital city. The results of the study present the preventive measures taken by local tourism providers in accordance with the guidelines provided by the local authorities. It is hoped that this study would contribute to existing knowledge on the preventive actions taken in facing the pandemic, specifically to the tourism field of education.
Abu Bakar, N., & Rosbi, S. (2020). Effect of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to tourism industry. International Journal of Advanced Engineering Research and Science, 7(4), 189–193. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijaers.74.23
Albzeirat, M. K., Al-Tarawneh, M. S., Khalid, N., Zulkepli, N. N., & Islam, D. M. Z. (2020). COVID-19 story the unknown killer and future studies. International Journal of Multidisiplinary Sceinces and Advanced Technology, Special Issue Covid-19, 1(1), 1–18.
Azlan, A. A., Hamzah, M. R., Sern, T. J., Ayub, S. H., & Mohamad, E. (2020). Public knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19: A cross-sectional study in Malaysia. PLoS ONE, 15(5), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233668
Backer, E., & King, B. (2017). VFR traveller demographics: The social tourism dimension. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 23(3), 191–204.
Barakat, A. M., & Kasemy, Z. A. (2020). Preventive health behaviours during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic based on health belief model among Egyptians. Middle East Current Psychiatry, 27(43), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-020-00051-y
Barlés-Arizón, M. J., Fraj-Andrés, E., & Martínez-Salinas, E. (2013). Family Vacation Decision Making: The Role of Woman. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 30(8), 873–890. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2013.835681
Behsudi, A. (2020). Tourism-dependent economies are among those harmed the most by the pandemic. Finance and Development, December 2020,36-39.
https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2020/12/impact-of-the-pandemic-on-tourism-behsudi.htm
Cascella, M., Rajnik, M., Cuomo, A., Dulebohn, S. C., & Di Napoli, R. (2020). Features, Evaluation and Treatment Coronavirus (COVID-19). In StatPearls [internet]. StatPearls Publishing. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32150360
CDC. (2020). Social Distancing. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/social-distancing.html
Che Omar, A. R., Ishak, S., & Jusoh, M. A. (2020). The impact of Covid-19 Movement Control Order on SMEs’ businesses and survival strategies. Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, 16(2), 139–150. https://doi.org/10.17576/geo-2020-1602-11
Cheng, V. C. C., Wong, S. C., Chuang, V. W. M., So, S. Y. C., Chen, J. H. K., Sridhar, S., To, K. K. W., Chan, J. F. W., Hung, I. F. N., Ho, P. L., & Yuen, K. Y. (2020). The role of community-wide wearing of face mask for control of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic due to SARS-CoV-2. Journal of Infection, 81(1), 107–114.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2020.04.024
Chinazzi, M., Davis, J. T., Ajelli, M., Gioannini, C., Litvinova, M., Merler, S., Pastore y Piontti, A., Mu, K., Rossi, L., Sun, K., Viboud, C., Xiong, X., Yu, H., Elizabeth Halloran, M., Longini, I. M., & Vespignani, A. (2020). The effect of travel restrictions on the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Science, 368(6489), 395–400.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aba9757
Code Blue. (2020). Starting Aug 1, Masks Mandatory in Public Areas with Max RM1,000 Fine. https://codeblue.galancentre.org/2020/07/23/starting-aug-1-masks-mandatory-in-public-areas-withrm1000-fine/
Director-General of Health Malaysia. (2020). Kenyataan Akhbar KPK 18 May 2020 – Situasi Semasa Jangkitan Penyakit di Malaysia. Ministry of Health Malaysia. Retrieved 26 August 2020 from https://kpkesihatan.com/2020/06/14/kenyataan-akhbar-kpk-14-jun-2020-situasi-semasa-jangkitan-penyakit-coronavirus-2019-covid-19-di-malaysia/
Dube, K., Nhamo, G., & Chikodzi, D. (2020). COVID-19 cripples global restaurant and hospitality industry. Current Issues in Tourism, 1–4.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1773416
Elengoe, A. (2020). COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia. Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives, 11(3), 93–100. https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2020.11.3.08
Fletcher, J., Fyall, A., Gilbert, D., & Wanhill, S. (2017). Tourism: Principles and practice (6th ed., Vol. 32, Issue April). UK: Pearson.
Goeldner, C., & Ritchie, B. (2012). Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies (12th ed.). USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Gössling, S., Scott, D., & Hall, C. M. (2020). Pandemics, tourism and global change: a rapid assessment of COVID-19. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(1), 1–20.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1758708
Habibah, A., Hamzah, J., Er, A. C., Buang, A., & Selvadurai, S. (2015). Appraisal of family-friendly tourism in Malaysia. Tourismos, 10(1), 37–62.
Habibah, Ahmad, Hamzah, J., Noradila, A., Kadaruddin, A., Nurul Fadhiah, M., & Mohd Fuad, M. J. (2019). Pantai pelancongan mesra keluarga dan tuntutan persekitaran fizikal semulajadi daripada lensa pelancong tempatan. Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, 15(4), 321–335. https://doi.org/10.17576/geo-2019-1504-23
Huang, X., Dai, S., & Xu, H. (2020). Predicting tourists’ health risk preventive behaviour and travelling satisfaction in Tibet: Combining the theory of planned behaviour and health belief model. Tourism Management Perspectives, 33, 100589.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2019.100589
Jones, C. L., Jensen, J. D., Scherr, C. L., Brown, N. R., Christy, K., & Weaver, J. (2015). The Health Belief Model as an Explanatory Framework in Communication Research: Exploring Parallel, Serial, and Moderated Mediation. Health Communication, 30(6), 566–576. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2013.873363
Karim, W., Haque, A., Anis, Z., & Ulfy, M. A. (2020). The Movement Control Order (MCO) for COVID-19 Crisis and its Impact on Tourism and Hospitality Sector in Malaysia. International Tourism and Hospitality Journal, 3(2), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.37227/ithj-2020-02-09
Kaushal, V., & Srivastava, S. (2021). Hospitality and tourism industry amid COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives on challenges and learnings from India. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 92. 102707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102707
Kay Smith, M., & Diekmann, A. (2017). Tourism and wellbeing. Annals of Tourism Research, 66, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2017.05.006
Khor, V., Arunasalam, A., Azli, S., Khairul-asri, M. G., & Fahmy, O. (2020). Experience from Malaysia During the COVID-19 Movement Control Order. Urology, 141, 179–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urology.2020.04.070
Laws of Malaysia. (2017). Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988.
Lee, A. (2020). Wuhan novel coronavirus (COVID-19): why global control is challenging? Public Health, 179, A1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2020.02.001
Lee, P.F., Chin, M.Y., Tan, K.L. and Phuah, K.T. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 on tourism industry in Malaysia. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(19), 2735-2739.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13683500.2020.1777951
Lehto, X. Y., Fu, X., Li, H., & Zhou, L. (2017). Vacation Benefits and Activities: Understanding Chinese Family Travelers. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 41(3), 301–328. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348013515921
MAH. (2020). Clean & Safe Malaysia Hotel Certicification Guidelines (Issue July). Malaysia Association of Hotels.
MOH. (2020). SOP Pembukaan Ekonomi (Kemaskini 03 Jun 2020). http://covid-19.moh.gov.my/faqsop/sop-pembukaan-ekonomi-kemaskini-03-jun-2020
OECD. (2020). Tourism Policy Responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Park, S. Y., Pan, B., & Ahn, J. B. (2020). Family trip and academic achievement in early childhood. Annals of Tourism Research, 80, 102795.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2019.102795
Peeri, N. C., Shrestha, N., Rahman, M. S., Zaki, R., Tan, Z., Bibi, S., Baghbanzadeh, M., Aghamohammadi, N., Zhang, W., & Haque, U. (2020). The SARS, MERS and novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemics, the newest and biggest global health threats: what lessons have we learned? International Journal of Epidemiology, 49(3), 717–726. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyaa033
Prime Minister Office of Malaysia. (2020). Teks Ucapan Yab Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Muhyiddin Bin Haji Mohd Yassin Pelaksanaan Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan Pemulihan (PKPP) 7 Jun 2020 (Ahad) (pp. 1–7). Retrieved 26 August 2020 from https://www.pmo.gov.my
Quintal, V. A., Lee, J. A., & Soutar, G. N. (2010). Risk, uncertainty and the theory of planned behavior: A tourism example. Tourism Management, 31(6), 797–805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2009.08.006
Rosenstock, I. (1974). Historical Origins of the Health Belief Model. Health Education Monographs, 2(4), 328–335.
Rosenstock, I. M., Strecher, V. J., & Becker, M. H. (1988). Social Learning Theory and the Health Belief Model. Health Education & Behavior, 15(2), 175–183.
https://doi.org/10.1177/109019818801500203
Schänzel, H. A., & Yeoman, I. (2014). The future of family tourism. Tourism Recreation Research, 39(3), 343–360. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2014.11087005
Schänzel, H. A., & Lynch, P. A. (2016). Family perspectives on social hospitality dimensions while on holiday. Tourist Studies, 16(2), 133–150.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1468797615594742
Schänzel, H. A., Smith, K. A., & Weaver, A. (2005). Family Holidays: A Research Review and Application to New Zealand. Annals of Leisure Research, 8(2–3), 105–123. https://doi.org/10.1080/11745398.2005.10600965
Schänzel, H. A., & Yeoman, I. (2015). Trends in family tourism. Journal of Tourism Futures, 1(2), 141–147. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-12-2014-0006
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2016). Research Method for Business: a skill building approach (7th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Shah, A. U. M., Safri, S. N. A., Thevadas, R., Noordin, N. K., Rahman, A. A., Sekawi, Z., Ideris, A., & Sultan, M. T. H. (2020). COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia: Actions taken by the Malaysian government. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 97, 108–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.05.093
Sohrabi, C., Alsafi, Z., O’Neill, N., Khan, M., Kerwan, A., Al-Jabir, A., Iosifidis, C., & Agha, R. (2020). World Health Organization declares global emergency: A review of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). International Journal of Surgery, 76(February), 71–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsu.2020.02.034
Whittington, A. (2014). Family vacation 2050: Socially and technologically-Driven scenarios of the future of family travel, recreation and tourism. Tourism Recreation Research, 39(3), 379–396. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2014.11087007
WHO. (2020). COVID-19 severity. World Health Organization Western Pasific Region. Retrieved 6 August 2020 from https://www.who.int/westernpacific/emergencies/covid-19/information/severity
Zenker, S., & Kock, F. (2020). The coronavirus pandemic – A critical discussion of a tourism research agenda. Tourism Management, 81, 104164.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104164
In-Text Citation: (Fazil et al., 2022)
To Cite this Article: Fazil, F., Choy, E. A., Ahmad, H., Singh, S. J., Tambi, N., & Jusoh, H. (2022). Preventive Measures for Family Vacation during COVID-19. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(1), 1519–1533.
Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s)
Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non0-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode