Understanding Tourists’ Behavioral Intention and Destination Support in Post-pandemic Recovery: The Case of the Vietnamese Domestic Market

Long Hai Duong, Quyet Dinh Phan (), Tung Thanh Nguyen, Da Van Huynh, Thong Tri Truong and Khanh Quoc Duong
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Long Hai Duong: Department of Global Hospitality and Tourism Management, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea
Quyet Dinh Phan: Department of External Affairs and Communication, Thuongmai University, Hanoi 122868, Vietnam
Tung Thanh Nguyen: School of Tourism, Kien Giang College, Rach Gia 920000, Vietnam
Da Van Huynh: School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Can Tho University, Can Tho 900000, Vietnam
Thong Tri Truong: School of Tourism, Kien Giang College, Rach Gia 920000, Vietnam
Khanh Quoc Duong: School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Royal Roads University, Victoria, BC V9B 5Y2, Canada

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 16, 1-17

Abstract: Many countries have recently strived to accelerate the tourism recovery process by restarting their tourism industry despite the unprecedented risks of the COVID-19 crisis. Noticeably, several tourism destinations have experienced an impressive revitalization of both domestic and international tourist arrivals right after lifting all social distance restrictions. However, little is known about how a tourist destination may revive from the pandemic and to what extent tourists are willing to support a destination recovery. This study, therefore, aims to examine factors influencing the travel demand of domestic tourism and tourists’ willingness to support a destination recovery in new normal conditions. The Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling was employed to predict the structural model derived from a sample size of 695 valid questionnaires. The results indicate that there is a significant improvement in domestic tourists’ travel intention and their willingness to support the post-pandemic destination revival. It is interesting to learn that the destination health risk image is no longer a critical determinant to tourists’ travel plans, while other factors including attitude, monetary promotion, and social media significantly influence their travel intention and support of tourism destination re-opening in new normal conditions. Theoretically, this study generates important contributions to post-disaster crisis management and predicting tourists’ behavioral intentions that may influence tourism destination recovery prospects. Practically, the study also provides several important implications to rebuild the domestic tourism industry in a more resilient way against future pandemic challenges.

Keywords: post-pandemic recovery; tourism reopening; behavioral intention; destination support (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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