Abstract
The closure of borders and travel restrictions, nationwide lockdowns and restrictions on the gathering of people at venues characterised the measures that were adopted by several governments, both nationally and internationally, as a response to managing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Consequently, the tourism industry was one of the sectors that was most affected by the pandemic. Using South Africa as a case study, the current study
was conceptualised so as to critically examine how the aforementioned measures resulted in
changes in regulations that affected the operations in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) events sector. Specifically, the study sought to examine the adaptability and the resilience of the MICE sector to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim of developing a resilience framework for MICE events. Following a mixed methods approach,
data were collected from 19 key informants, consisting of MICE event supply-side stakeholders and 500 event attendees at South Africa’s three major MICE destinations (Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban). The key findings revealed that, from a broader
MICE sector perspective, the policy responses taken to minimise the impact of the pandemic had related to financial assistance in support of the survival of MICE organisations, the development of MICE event-specific strategies and protocols to derisk the sector, plans for
the recovery and readjustment of the existing strategies to conform to the COVID-19
environment, and implications for MICE tourism development. The impact of the pandemic on the MICE sector, and the uncertainty surrounding the reopening of events, led to increased
strategic collaboration within the MICE sector, through shared capacity-building and
information sharing and the development of the SA Events Council, which focused on
lobbying for sector reopening. From a MICE organisational perspective, the COVID-19
pandemic resulted in massive MICE business closures and in the disruption of all MICE activity. The findings obtained revealed that adopting such adaptive operational strategies had
been crucial to ensuring the survival of the sector during a challenging financial time, with the move to virtual events having been key to ensuring that the sector continued to operate and to
fulfil its required functions. Accordingly, learning, innovation, leadership and adaptability
emerged as important qualities within MICE organisations. Regarding the long-term changes
made, the hosting of in-person events going forward, the digitalisation, the hygiene practices and the inclusion of a virtual component were all important to the attendees. While there is increased momentum for the hosting of in-person events, the recovery of the MICE sector
relies on a direct focus on the African market, increased airline access and the building of
destination confidence. Overall, the study found that the quality of resilience depends on the individual MICE organisation and sector efforts, and on the ability of the stakeholders concerned to find innovative solutions to their ever-expanding complex and chaotic business environment, which is influenced by the political and regulatory environment. The theoretical
contribution of the current study lies in the application of the resilience theory to MICE events. The resilience theory has, so far, been predominantly developed and understood
within the sphere of the natural sciences and has, as yet, to be fully examined, particularly in
terms of primary data, within the realm of events tourism. Therefore, the COVID-19
pandemic, as a point of remarkable change, provided a unique opportunity for understanding
the process of tourism adaptation and change in the face of exogenous (and wide-scaled)
disturbances. The present study concludes that resilience, which is an ongoing process, is
capable of providing a framework for the next major crisis that the MICE sector faces. The study also recommends which further research directions should be followed to develop a comprehensive understanding of resilience within the context of the tourism industry.