Prediction of tourists' intention toward domestic vs international destinations in post-COVID-19 recovery: the role of COVID-19, future anxiety and solidarity

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate, upon taking into consideration both symmetric and asymmetric effects, how the economic and psychological impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, solidarity and future anxiety affect travel intention and the willingness to support a destination (WSD). Furthermore, the study sheds light on whether these relationships vary between domestic and international destinations.

Design/methodology/approach

The data are collected from 379 potential tourists. To detect and analyze the symmetrical and asymmetric effects, the covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) and the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) are employed, respectively.

Findings

It is observed that, whereas only the effects of solidarity on travel intention and WSD differ in the CB-SEM, the fsQCA results include different recipes for the two groups.

Originality/value

There has not been much research done yet on the influence of future anxiety on tourists' decisions. Furthermore, it has not been thoroughly investigated whether solidarity has a different function for destinations within and outside of the country. In this respect, the study of both symmetric and asymmetric effects represents an important contribution to the literature.

Citation

Küçükergin, K.G., Özekici, Y.K. and Güzel Şahin, G. (2024), "Prediction of tourists' intention toward domestic vs international destinations in post-COVID-19 recovery: the role of COVID-19, future anxiety and solidarity", Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-07-2023-0444