Exploring Resilient Hospitality Practices in Odisha’s Unconventional Tourism Sector: An Empirical Analysis of Crisis Preparedness and Service Innovation

Authors & Affiliations

Sudhir Kumar Singh *

ORCID

Research Scholar, Vivekananda Global University, Jaipur

Corresponding Author Scholarly Research India

Dr. Sidharth S. Raju

ORCID

Associate Professor, Vivekananda Global University, Jaipur

Co-author Scholarly Research India

* Corresponding Author. Author contact details are available in the published PDF article as per journal policy.

Abstract

The tourism and hospitality sector is more vulnerable to various types of crises such as natural disasters, health crisis, and regulatory crises, and therefore the issue of resilience is of high significance in sustainable development. This paper will discuss resilient hospitality practices within the unconventional tourism industry in Odisha, particularly in the areas of crisis preparedness, health requirements, legal requirements, and service innovation. Being a state with a rich cultural tradition and various tourism products including eco-tourism, rural tourism and tribal tourism, Odisha is very susceptible to natural disasters like cyclones and floods which have severe effects on tourism activities and livelihood of the locals. This paper is qualitative and analytical and relies on secondary data, such as scholarly articles, reports, and policy documents, to investigate how well hospitality stakeholders in unconventional tourism destinations are prepared to deal with crisis management and cope with changing circumstances. The results indicate that resilience awareness is on the rise, although there is still a lack of structured crisis management measures, especially among the small-scale and community-based tourism operators. Health and safety measures have been adopted more in the post-pandemic period, but there continue to be differences between formal and informal sectors. Moreover, the situation is characterized by inconsistency in legal compliance as the level of awareness is low, and technology adoption and innovations in services are in their infancy. The paper is concluded by a conclusion that the resilient hospitality practices should be reinforced with the help of a holistic and integrated approach. It highlights the importance of capacity building, policy support, technological integration, and community involvement in order to improve sustainability and competitiveness in unconventional tourism sector in Odisha.

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Copyright © 2026 International Journal of Commerce, Management and Social Sciences. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License . Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication.

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References

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