A Better Brew: COVID-19 and Sustainable Outcomes for Coffee Tourism in Ali Mountain, Taiwan
COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the global economy in an unprecedented manner, which includes the coffee industry. This paper seeks to provide insights as to how coffee farmers on Ali Mountain, Taiwan transitioned to sustainable futures as an outcome of the pandemic. A case study approach is adopted to explore how COVID-19 influences the coffee business and corresponding tourism implications, along with crisis management strategies for a post-pandemic era. Through a case study approach, the study revealed that the current pandemic has conditioned the perception of risk towards all actors of the coffee estate and thereby causing a shift in consumer preference. Despite the adaptive strategies employed by the business to establish some form of normality, the coffee estate operation in Ali Mountain remains reactive to crises and disaster in the absence of a strategic and holistic plan to deal with situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Theoretical and practical suggestions are provided to inspire coffee farm owners in terms of disaster management scenarios, sustainable anti-pandemic strategies, as well as the desire and quest for industry resuscitation and activation.
Keywords: sustainable tourism; crisis management; resilience; coffee supply chain; agritourism