COPING AND RECOVERY STRATEGIES AMID COVID-19 PANDEMIC EFFECT ON THE TOURISM MICRO, SMALL, AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (MSMES) IN AURORA PROVINCE

The COVID-19 epidemic has posed unprecedented challenges to Aurora Province's MSMEs in the tourism industry. This research study sheds light on businesses' coping and recovery strategies by the MSMEs in the Tourism Industry in Aurora Province. This study used a quantitative-descriptive design and conducted a survey of 155 MSMES tourism industries in Aurora Province through random sampling. The data were gathered through a self-made questionnaire. The results revealed that the tourism sector, specifically the accommodation sector, provides major economic prospects for local communities in Aurora Province. Still, several businesses have managed to survive under these rare circumstances. The results also revealed that rural places such as Aurora Province can have lower visitor numbers and populations than metropolitan or famous tourist destinations. This also shows that many of MSMEs' tourism businesses in rural areas cater to local or regional tourists. This study also demonstrates how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected organization and management, marketing, technical, and financial aspects and how the MSMEs coped with these effects. In terms of recovery strategies (responding, resuming, recovering, restoring), this study looked at how the MSMEs in the tourism industry of Aurora Province managed to respond, resume, recover, and restore their operations following a crisis. The results of the research highlight the development of an adaptive resilience framework for the MSMEs tourism industry to help them deal with uncertainty, handle crises well, maintain long-term sustainability, encourage innovation and adaptation, boost competitiveness, support supportive policies and mechanisms, and foster community resilience.