Responding to crisis: the case of the Thomas Cook bankruptcy in Majorca
Authors
Ramirez Gea, Tania ; Belmonte Requena, Joaquin
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-06-02
Pages
125
Abstract
Turisme er en voksende, men kriseudsat sektor. Da Thomas Cook kollapsede den 23. september 2019, blev tusinder af rejsende strandet, og en række destinationer forstyrret; Mallorca var blandt de hårdest ramte i Spanien. Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan konkursen blev håndteret på Mallorca med fokus på den umiddelbare respons og den efterfølgende genopretning. Med afsæt i krisehåndteringslitteraturen koncentreres analysen om respons- og genopretningsfaserne for at afdække, hvem de centrale aktører var, hvilke tiltag de iværksatte, hvilke værktøjer der understøttede genopretningen, og hvilke læringer der opstod for destinationen. Studiet er et kvalitativt enkeltcase-studie, der kombinerer primære og sekundære data: interviews, online nyhedsartikler, statslige dokumenter og podcasts; det behandler validitet og reliabilitet og anerkender begrænsninger som følge af COVID-19-pandemien. Analysen kortlægger offentlige tiltag (bl.a. indsats for luftforbindelser, likviditets- og beskæftigelsesstøtte, juridiske skridt og markedsføring rettet mod diversificering og konkurrenceevne) samt private konkurrenters reaktioner (bl.a. TUI, easyJet, Jet2.com, On the Beach og Hays Travel) og undersøger forhold, der prægede genopretningen (mediernes rolle, markedsføring samt turisters og virksomheders adfærd). Mens detaljerede resultater præsenteres i senere kapitler, samler specialet praksisser og læringer, der diskuteres på Mallorca—herunder relevansen af at diversificere udbuddet og styrke adaptiv kapacitet og digital omstilling—til brug for destinationers krisehåndtering.
Tourism is a growing yet crisis-prone sector. When Thomas Cook collapsed on 23 September 2019, thousands of travelers were stranded and multiple destinations were disrupted; Majorca in Spain was among the most affected. This thesis investigates how the bankruptcy was handled in Majorca, with a focus on the immediate response and subsequent recovery. Grounded in crisis management literature, it concentrates on the response and recovery phases to examine who the main actors were, what measures they took, which tools supported recovery, and what lessons emerged for the destination. The study uses a qualitative single-case design that combines primary and secondary data: interviews, online news coverage, government documents, and podcasts; it addresses validity and reliability and acknowledges limitations introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis maps public actions (including air connectivity initiatives, liquidity and employment support, legal steps, and marketing aimed at diversification and competitiveness) alongside private competitors’ reactions (including TUI, easyJet, Jet2.com, On the Beach, and Hays Travel), and explores factors shaping recovery (the role of mass media, marketing, and tourist and corporate behavior). While detailed outcomes are presented in later chapters, the thesis synthesizes practices and lessons discussed in Majorca—including the relevance of diversifying the tourism offer and strengthening adaptive capacity and digital transformation—to inform destination crisis management.
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