Korean Domestic Tourists’ Decision-Making Process under Threat of COVID-19

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to build a theoretical framework to explain Korean domestic tourists’ decision-making process under COVID-19 by applying an extended model of goal-directed behavior. The role of positive expectation of COVID-19, the effect of mass media, and perception of government policy were considered as new variables in the process of tourism decision-making. The results of this present study show that positive and negative anticipated emotion, positive expectation, and the frequency of past behavior positively influence the desire for travel domestically within the next three months, while the effect of mass media negatively affected the desire for travel domestically within the next three months. Two anticipated emotions and positive expectations were positive antecedents of the desire for travel domestically within this year. The anticipated emotions and the effect of mass media affected the desire to travel domestically next year. The results of this tourist’s decision-making research will offer government, the tourism sector, and policy decision-makers better insights for establishing tourism policy responses and create safe destinations to help an adequate recovery and development of the tourism industry.

Potential sport tourists’ decision-making during the pandemic

“…In contrast, envisioning unexpected failures of seemingly easy tasks triggers negative emotions (Perugini and Bagozzi, 2001). Wang et al. (2021) confirmed positive and negative anticipated emotions as critical antecedents of desire, which is also a gatekeeper that connects other antecedents with behavioral intention (Kim et al.…”

“…In contrast, envisioning unexpected failures of seemingly easy tasks triggers negative emotions (Perugini and Bagozzi, 2001). Wang et al (2021) confirmed positive and negative anticipated emotions as critical antecedents of desire, which is also a gatekeeper that connects other antecedents with behavioral intention (Kim et al, 2016;Bagozzi, 2001, 2004). In other words, both types of anticipated emotions are strong predictors of desire, leading to individuals' behavioral outcomes (Bagozzi et al, 1998;Perugini and Bagozzi, 2001).…”

Risk, Obligation, and Public Noncompliance with Mobility Directives in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…First, since public compliance behavior depends on the stage of the epidemic and dynamic psychological processes, destination management organizations and governments should use different approaches to provide sufficient information to meet people’s need for risk understanding [ 72 , 73 , 74 ], especially during the current phase of regular epidemic prevention and control, to properly remind travelers of their responsible behavior and prevent paralysis. On the one hand, the grading, zoning, and real-time disclosure of health prevention and travel and mobility control policies are essential, especially to raise awareness among travelers of risks that they think are unlikely to occur [ 75 ]; on the other hand, the review of information disseminated by social media in public places should be strengthened to prevent exaggerated safety levels in tourist attractions and exaggerated risk levels in the news and social media [ 72 , 73 , 74 ] and to ensure the accuracy and validity of mass communication information [ 76 ]. This could help prevent individuals from feeling uncertain about their responsibilities and help them avoid unknowingly traveling to risk-generating regions.…”

Identifying Tourist Spatial and Temporal Patterns Using GPS and Sequence Alignment Method

“…Korea has experienced a boom in domestic travel since COVID-19 brought a sudden halt to international travel, though Korea is one of the countries least seriously affected by the pandemic. Notably, the pandemic has reshaped Koreans’ spatial and temporal patterns, with the increasing number of tourists into natural areas, camp sites or stay in luxury hotels, take road trips, and travel alone (Wang, Choe, and Song 2021). Therefore, the results of this study warrant a cautious interpretation and should be adopted with a great care.…”