Empty Summer: International Tourist Behavior in Spain during COVID-19

José Antonio Donaire, Núria Galí and Raquel Camprubi
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José Antonio Donaire: Department of Geography, Faculty of Tourism, University of Girona, 17004 Girona, Spain
Núria Galí: Department of History and Art History, Faculty of Tourism, University of Girona, 17004 Girona, Spain
Raquel Camprubi: Department of Business Organization and Management, Faculty of Tourism, University of Girona, 17004 Girona, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-14

Abstract: COVID-19 has led to the biggest tourism crisis in modern Spanish history. Although its borders were opened in June 2020, incoming international tourism to Spain was very low. Tourist behavior, however, has been very diverse between types of tourism. Data from credit card transactions showing tourist behavior in 33 destinations representative of various types of tourism were analyzed. Results show that differences in tourist behavior between destinations can be explained by risk perception and the proximity of the destination to home, which favors natural areas and charming coastal cities. This study contributes to the academic literature by studying the effective behavior of international tourists in the time of COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; international tourism; tourist behavior; Spain; risk perception; big data; tourist destinations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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