Fostering Sustainable Rural Tourism Post-COVID-19: Determinants of Revisit Intention Among Costa Rican Tourists

Marlen Treviño-Villalobos, Luis Felipe Sancho-Jiménez, Mauricio Carvache-Franco, Ana Gabriela Víquez-Paniagua, Orly Carvache-Franco and Wilmer Carvache-Franco ()
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Marlen Treviño-Villalobos: Escuela de Ingeniería en Computación, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Campus San Carlos, San Carlos 223-21001, Costa Rica
Luis Felipe Sancho-Jiménez: Escuela de Idiomas y Ciencias Sociales, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Campus San Carlos, San Carlos 223-21001, Costa Rica
Mauricio Carvache-Franco: Universidad Bolivariana del Ecuador, Campus Durán Km. 5.5 Vía Durán Yaguachi, Durán 092405, Ecuador
Ana Gabriela Víquez-Paniagua: Escuela de Administración de Empresas, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Campus San Carlos, San Carlos 223-21001, Costa Rica
Orly Carvache-Franco: Universidad Espíritu Santo, Km. 2.5 Vía a Samborondón, Samborondón 092301, Ecuador
Wilmer Carvache-Franco: Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanísticas, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo Km 30.5 Vía Perimetral, Guayaquil 090902, Ecuador

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-19

Abstract: This study aims to identify the factors that influence the behavior of Costa Rican tourists visiting rural destinations after the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby contributing to sustainable rural tourism development. The study applies data analysis using the partial least squares (PLS) regression technique to evaluate a reflective measurement model, based on data collected via a questionnaire. The evidence indicates that for the analyzed destination, the most significant factors influencing the behavior of Costa Rican tourists visiting rural destinations after the COVID-19 pandemic are learning, ICTs, and, in particular, relaxation. Although biosecurity and social influence do not affect the intention to return, these findings highlight the crucial role of learning and ICTs in the tourist experience and loyalty to the destination. This study contributes novel empirical insights to the still limited post-pandemic research on rural tourism, by providing current information on changes in tourist behavior in a specific post-pandemic context. Additionally, it focuses on a popular rural tourist destination in Costa Rica, offering a deeper understanding of a less explored tourism segment, as most previous studies have examined urban or international tourism. Specifically, this research addresses the gap regarding domestic tourist behavior in rural areas using a quantitative approach (PLS), revealing key drivers of return intention. The findings may also be relevant for rural destinations facing similar post-pandemic challenges in other countries.

Keywords: Costa Rica; tourist; intention to return; behavior; relaxation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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