Exploring the Factors Affecting Travel Intention During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Structural Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify structural relationships between factors affecting domestic tourism intentions in Iran under COVID-19 conditions, taking into account the importance of behavioral intention in predicting behavior. Therefore, it adds to the emerging body of knowledge about travel intentions during the pandemic. Structural Equation Modelling was used to analyze 383 online questionnaires, which revealed a positive impact of “frequency of past travel” and a negative effect of “Covid-19 risk knowledge”, “perceived risk,” and “risk aversion attitudes” on “travel intentions.” Furthermore, “perceived risk” and “risk aversion attitudes” mediated the relationship between “frequency of past travel” and “Covid-19 risk knowledge” with “travel intentions.” Meanwhile, “socio-demographic variables” and “travel purposes” moderated the relationships between “risk aversion attitudes” and “travel intentions” and between “perceived risks” and “travel intentions.” The findings enable tourism policy-makers, marketers, and businesses to take purposeful measures to recover domestic tourism.