Travel Intentions And Preferences Amid the Covid-19 Pandemic: the Case of Bulgaria

Abstract

The paper deals with travel intentions and preferences of Bulgarian residents amid the pandemic as identified in a survey conducted online with 350 participants in April-May 2021. The analysis covers (1) intended frequency of different types of travel, (2) general travel preferences, and (3) specific preferences regarding the choice of accommodation. It also explores which demographic and social factors determine travel intentions and preferences during the pandemic. Both expected and unexpected findings are presented, with some wide-spread anticipations being challenged in a specific country context. Results show that people have become more restrained towards all types of travel, especially abroad and for business. However, in the case of Bulgaria the shift toward domestic tourism seems forced by external constraints rather than due to internal factors such as health risk perceptions of strong patriotic feelings. Of paramount importance for the travel choices of Bulgarian customers is the combination of economic and sanitary factors providing both financial and health safety. In contrast to most studies around the world, ‘pure’ health-related preferences associated with the level of COVID-19 contamination or vaccination are of relatively low significance. Age stands out as a major determinant of travel intentions and preferences while other socio-demographic factors are not clearly related to intended frequency of travel but do matter in terms of various travel preferences.

Analysis of Staycation Preferences of Egyptian Travelers Post COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Thus, young Egyptian staycationers enjoyed more than their counterparts who are elder. This result is also reinforced by Dogramadjieva (2022) Further, Chi-Square test uncovered that the marital status of the respondents is significantly correlated with the travel companion (p<0.001***), transportation patterns (p=0.017***), type of accommodation used (p<0.003***), the most practiced activities (p<0.001***), and the type of preferred places during the staycation time (p=0.017***). Also, 75% of married respondents without children prefer to go for staycation with a couple/partner and 54.5% of married respondents with children prefer to go for staycation by personal cars.…”

Visitor preferences in rural gastronomic tourism environment and the related design implications

“…The overall sample contained data posted by 3484 visitors, including 954 men (27.4 %) and 2530 women (72.6 %), which may be related to the study that women are more eager to share on social media [ 51 ] and that women prefer shorter trips [ 52 ]. The ratio of the number of men and women who visited the rural areas by visitors dropped from 0.45 before the pandemic to 0.31 after the pandemic.…”