Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on consumer mobility and recovery from a distance perspective: a mobile phone data application

Abstract

Purpose In this study, to investigate tourist mobility (i.e. hotel visits) during the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors developed three objectives with reference to protection motivation theory: (1) to examine changes in travel distances in the USA before and during the pandemic, (2) to identify distinct travel patterns across different regions during the pandemic; and (3) to explore threat- and coping-related factors influencing tourist mobility. Design/methodology/approach The authors used two primary sources of data. First, smartphone data from SafeGraph provided hotel-specific variables (e.g. location and visitor counts) and travel distances for 63,610 hotels in the USA. Second, state-level data representing various factors associated with travel distance were obtained from COVID-19 Data Hub and the US Census Bureau. The authors analyzed changes in travel distances over time at the state and regional levels and investigated clinical, policy and demographic factors associated with such changes. Findings The findings reveal actual travel movements and intraregional variances across different stages of the pandemic, as well as the roles of health-related policies and other externalities in shaping travel patterns amid public health risks. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to empirically examine changes in travel distances to hotels as destinations using smartphone data along with state-level data on COVID-19 and demographics. The findings suggest that tourism enterprises and stakeholders can proactively adapt their strategies by considering threat appraisals and coping mechanisms, both of which are influenced by externalities such as health-related policies.