The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Business Performance in the Japanese Leisure Industry

Keisuke Kondo and Toshihiro Okubo

Discussion papers from Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI)

Abstract: This study focuses on the Japanese leisure industry, including golf, bowling, and amusement and theme parks, to empirically evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on business performance. Given the necessity for interpersonal interaction in the leisure industry, the restrictions on outings due to the COVID-19 outbreaks had a considerable impact on business operations. The novelty of this study lies in its integration of establishment-level microdata with geocoded location information and human mobility data collected as big data, to assess the impact of surrounding locations on business performance before and during the COVID-19 outbreak. Using establishment-level monthly panel data from January 2019 to December 2021, this study finds the direct negative effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on business performance. Interestingly, the COVID-19 pandemic led to structural changes in the relationship between business performance and weekday outings, suggesting behavioral changes in leisure activities.

Pages: 24 pages
Date: 2025-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ent and nep-sea
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eti:dpaper:25074

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