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RESEARCH PRODUCT

The Effects of COVID-19 on the Rent-a-Car Industry

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Doubtless, COVID-19 has accelerated an economic financial crisis since 2008, affecting seriously not only the tourism industry but the global commerce. Governments have adopted different positions and programs to mitigate the economic aftermath of COVID-19. As never before in its history, tourism has been placed between the wall and the deep blue sea. Although the interests and studies evaluating the impact of COVID-19 have captivated the attention of countless scholars, less attention was given to the rent-a-car industry, which occupies a central position in the tourist system. As substitute competitors of train, bus, and airplanes, the rent-a-car organizations seem to be a quintessential actor of the tourist system. Of course, because we live in a world without tourists, empirical-based studies do not abound. To fill such a gap, the present chapter describes the economic downturn of a rent-a-car organization giving a firm empirical case. Although illustrative to some extent, the obtained outcome cannot be extrapolated to other universes or samples.