Developing relationships to survive the Covid-19 crisis: the case of e-learning in tourism supply chain

The sector of tourism and its whole supply chain suffered from a serious impact with the spread of COVID-19 pandemic around the world. Actors involved in this supply chain had to face new challenges set by COVID-19 and were forced to restructure their processes: the use of digital technologies was crucial for a modern development and for the survival of the industry. Training had already become a crucial tool for the development of the tourism industry, to support business competitiveness in the traditional distribution system. This has encouraged a growing focus on e-learning and on the interesting advantages that it allows to obtain in training activities. However, limited attention was given to the use of this tool for marketing purposes. In a moment of absolute crystallization of the tourism sector, some actors of the supply chain decided to invest in online training as a tool to keep the sector alive and to nurture relationships with stakeholders. Through in-depth interviews, this paper aims to analyze the use of e-learning tools in a marketing perspective, with specific reference to the relationship between tour operators and travel agents in a period of crisis. The case study of the e-learning platform GoAcademy and of GoWorld Tour Operator is discussed.