Impact of COVID-19 on tourism image, commitment and ownership: a longitudinal comparison

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this research is to investigate the change in the relationship of cognitive destination image, affective destination image, destination psychological commitment and destination psychological ownership with intention to visit destination because of COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The research followed a longitudinal design with 424 samples collected in two phases (t1 – before COVID-19; t2 – during COVID-19). The hypotheses were analysed using structural equation modelling, and the difference between the models (before and during COVID-19) was estimated using multi-group analysis. Findings The results indicate that destination psychological ownership and affective destination image share higher significant relationships with intention to visit destination even during COVID-19. Practical implications The results have indicated the role of destination psychological ownership in building a sustainable campaign towards the visit intention even during a crisis. Originality/value The study contributes to understanding the difference of tourists intention to visit destination before and during COVID-19 from the lens of various theories such as psychological ownership, psychological commitment and destination image.