FACTOR ANALYSIS OF POST-WAR HOTEL CRISIS IN TUNISIA

Abstract

This paper discusses the crisis phenomenon in hotel enterprises as a natural consequence of war conflict. The subject of discussion – crisis management of hotels enterprises, is referred to Tunisia, whose national economy is in a recovery post-war period. The purpose of the paper is to identify the factors that influence the operation of hotel business in Tunisia, in crisis and post-crisis conditions. The methodological apparatus used in this research entails a number of scientific methods, each of which has its purpose and value. Some of the employed research methods are induction and deduction, content analysis, historical method, system method, functional and structural method, economic, comparative and statistical analysis, sociological research and more. The information basis is compiled from reports of the World Tourism and Travel Council, Ministry of Education, Tunisia tourism statistics, Tunisian government reports, statistical group data of Tunisia Central Bureau of Statistics, publications in the specialized press, data from the official websites of hotel enterprises, etc.
Some of the major results are related to the outline and systematization of factors affecting the operation and development of hotel enterprises in Tunisia as well as the basic opportunities and threats which should be considered in the anti-crisis hotel management strategy.
At the moment, the total number of surviving hotels is 289, while in Tunisia before the war 585 hotels were operating, i.e. only 49% of hotels are still functioning and ready to receive tourists. More than 50% of the hotels in the provinces of Hammamet, Sousse and Cartagena were damaged during the war and are not functioning, in the sub-desert only 48% of the hotels were damaged and around the Sahara Desert - 2%. The hotel potential of the territory of the capital Tunis remains practically at the pre-war level. Simultaneously, the employment of hotel enterprises decreases to 49%, which negatively affects the functioning of hotel enterprises.
Anti-crisis management can be considered as a complete management system of the hotel enterprise, which is aimed at preventing and eliminating the adverse consequences of the crisis using the full potential of modern management, including the development and implementation of a crisis stabilization program to overcome temporary difficulties and maintain market positions relying on own resources.