Lessons from the First Wave of COVID-19. What Security Measures Do Women and Men Require from the Hotel Industry to Protect against the Pandemic?

Abstract

The tourism sector in general and the hotel sector in particular face the challenge of managing appropriate security measures to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. In this sense, it is useful to know which measures are most demanded by the clientele. This research, through non-parametric statistics tests, concluded that women are more demanding than men in relation to the security measures to be taken in hotels. More specifically, this research concludes that women are more demanding than men in relation to a set of measures including ensuring good hygiene conditions, the use of disinfectants, the existence of health and information checks, adapting the establishment to WHO recommendations, obtaining quality certification, measuring temperature, the need to provide information on protocols and measures, and the elimination of physical contact between people. This, as a practical application, makes it possible to know more accurately about the safety requirements of sex-segmented customers in the face of future health crises, allowing tourist managers to offer safer destinations and the hotel sector better health conditions for their clients.