Re-defining Domestic Tourism in the New Normal: A literature Review

Domestic tourism has suddenly become the preferable choice as countries around the world re-open their tourism. The disruption in the tourism industry due to COVID -19 is highly characterized by travel restrictions and lockdowns. As countries navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic era, it is crucial to understand how domestic tourism is conceptualized in the light of the ‘new normal’. This paper provides insights on re-defining domestic tourism in the ‘new normal’. Using a literature review approach and content analysis, the findings reveal that domestic tourism needs to be re-defined to incorporate the context of virtual world technologies as the ‘new normal’. The re-defined domestic tourism in the ‘new normal’ can assist Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) to envision a hybrid of physical and virtual visits to attractions in order to enhance the experiences of residents when engaging in domestic tourism activities within destinations.