Tourism and COVID-19: The Show Must Go On

Abstract

Tourism and hospitality actors face an unprecedented challenge in reigniting these industries through digital communication. All past knowledge regarding tourist behavior and preferences has been rendered irrelevant since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting enforced changes. Several reports have pointed to the existence of a travel sentiment that may be actionable by communication. This work attempts to reveal some of the elements that may compose this travel sentiment. To pursue this aim, an online pilot survey was conducted among those who were regular travelers before the COVID-19 outbreak. The data was used to validate the conceptual model through a partial least squares structural equation model estimation. The findings revealed that travel constraints are the most influential dimension, along with social media and technology usage, in affecting tourist behavior. Thus, in their communication strategy, tourism and hospitality players should reinforce the health- and hygiene-related measures taken, while simultaneously promoting the trustworthiness of the shared information.