Tourism businesses management practices in the Plateau State, Nigeria, during the ‘new normal’: A chaos theory approach

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic businesses in the travel and tourism industry were pushed to the edge of chaos and bifurcation and restrictions resulted in unprecedented and far-reaching impacts. Using a qualitative method, chaos theory is applied to investigate 24 tourism business managers in Plateau State in Nigeria on the business management practices employed for their businesses to promote tourism activities following the post-pandemic reopening of tourism businesses. Results reveal that most of the tourism businesses survived the pandemic with businesses gradually ‘bouncing back’ due to human resources and the overhauling of business operations. Bifurcation caused tourism businesses to be on paths that led to their closure (destruction), while some gained new market segments thanks to reorganization to reach self-organization facilitated by strange attractors. The incorporation of chaos theory in business management practices during the pandemic further confirms that crises are complex and unpredictable.