Travel medicine in hospitality: an interdisciplinary perspective

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to introduce an under-researched concept, travel medicine, to the hospitality field and proposes future research directions. This paper also highlights the need to acknowledge the missing link between hospitality and medical science and encourages research on the health of hotel guests, especially those with mental disorders. Design/methodology/approach By synthesizing relevant literature, this study proposes a conceptual framework focused on identifying and filling knowledge gaps between hospitality and medical science. Pathways for empirical research on hotel guests’ travel health are suggested accordingly. Findings This paper reveals that the topic of travel medicine has been neglected in hospitality, especially in relation to vulnerable hotel guests. Additionally, this study suggests that researchers should move beyond the confines of social science and conduct interdisciplinary hospitality studies. In-depth analyses of hotel guests’ health and safety are also recommended. Research limitations/implications This conceptual piece serves as a “provocation” that is exploratory, thus laying a foundation for future interdisciplinary studies bridging hospitality and medical science. This paper offers practical significance for hospitality stakeholders (i.e. academics, practitioners, hotel guests and society) and also provides guidelines on how to create vulnerability-friendly hospitality environments. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study takes an important step toward interdisciplinary research between hospitality and medical science through the lens of travel medicine. This paper offers insight to bridge these disciplines and extend hospitality research into medical science. This paper further identifies an under-investigated topic and feasible research avenues that can offer timely solutions for hospitality academics and practitioners.

Trade-off between future travel avoidance and self-protectiveness post-COVID-19: the roles of adventurousness and safety-seeking tendency

“…Finally, safety-seeking tendency's moderator role suggests that potential tourists who look for safe and healthy options will probably feel less anxious about traveling and provide new insights into the travel literature. In contrast to previous tourism research, which was based on empirical data and post-pandemic visitor purchasing patterns (Hu et al , 2023), this paper creates a new theory by fusing empirical data with insightful knowledge that inspires tourists to embark on adventurous journeys and visit their preferred destinations post-COVID-19.…”

“…The important connection between travel anxiety and self-protective behaviors was also highlighted in this paper. Due to the hazards and concerns raised by the COVID-19 situation, several efforts have been made to help establish new conceptual knowledge of “ travel medicine ” and a new type of traveler with new wants and expectations (Hu et al , 2023; Zorlu et al ., 2022). The paper serves as a reminder of the potential adjustments in travel demand post-COVID-19 and its perpetual continuation.…”

“…A high sense of adventure and a strong desire to discover something new characterize the individual who is both interested and willing to take risks (Kim et al , 2022). It makes sense to assume that visitors with optimistic outlooks will choose activities with higher levels of risk and will have more bravery (Hu et al , 2023).…”

“…Lockdowns, online learning, work-from-home programs and the closing of hotels and restaurants were just a few of the policy-level measures it enforced (Zenker et al , 2021). During the pandemic, survival anxiety, stress and other mental health disorders surged among visitors (Miao et al , 2022); as a result, fear of contracting the disease also caused problems for public transit (Hu et al , 2023). Hence, visits to tourist destinations with high tourist traffic were dramatically reduced (Kuščer et al ., 2022).…”

Family travel among people with autism: challenges and support needs

“…Perceptions of people with different disabilities (and thus travel constraints) may vary (Freund et al , 2019). Most studies have highlighted physical disabilities and disregarded other types (McKercher and Darcy, 2018; Hu et al , 2023), yet we need to understand the challenges facing specific disability communities. This study focused on the underexplored topic of people with autism and their families.…”