Exploring Travel Behaviour Post-COVID-19: Towards a More Responsible Tourism

Abstract

Worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the economy and seriously hit the travel and tourism industry. This will certainly impact destination image and travel behaviour in the future. This study aims to explore the changes in travel behaviour post-COVID-19. Specifically, it seeks to examine to what extent these changes could lead to responsible tourism post-COVID-19. Primary data was collected from 400 respondents through an online questionnaire and exploratory factor analysis was conducted. The study findings showed that many changes in travel behaviour will emerge following the COVID-19 pandemic. This will accelerate the shift towards more responsible travel. Moreover, the exploratory factor analysis revealed that responsible travellers post-COVID-19 will be determined by three main factors: travel preferences, health and hygiene considerations, and destination choices. Thus, the study concluded that the responsible traveller post-COVID-19 is the person whose travel behaviour, preferences, and choices will minimize the risk of spreading the pandemic before, during, and after the travel. This study ends with important implications for urgent cooperation between all tourism stakeholders such as DMOS, service providers, and health authorities in tourism destinations.