Understanding changing patterns in travel behaviour to support domestic tourism recovery and resilience

Urmilla Bob and Dinolen Gounden

Development Southern Africa, 2024, vol. 41, issue 4, 669-685

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the tourism sector, disrupting travel and centralising a shift towards domestic tourism. This study examines the changing preferences and demands of travellers to promote the recovery and sustainability of domestic tourism. The research conducted 1 034 online surveys with the general public to analyse their travel behaviours and preferences concerning domestic tourism activities willing to participate in. The findings indicate that despite limited disposable income, a significant portion of the South African population possesses discretionary income and is interested in participating in tourism activities. Travel preferences are influenced by various socio-economic and demographic factors. Changing patterns in destination choices and activities are also noted, which influence travel behaviour and related tourism consumption/ demand for products and experiences, marketing and impacts. Respondents are knowledgeable of and attracted to many domestic tourism products in South Africa, with social and nature-based tourism being prominent. Monitoring domestic tourism trends can inform marketing strategies and product development. Additionally, awareness and communication strategies should be improved, and incentives should be provided to encourage local travel.

Date: 2024
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/0376835X.2024.2376195 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:deveza:v:41:y:2024:i:4:p:669-685

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/CDSA20

DOI: 10.1080/0376835X.2024.2376195

Access Statistics for this article

Development Southern Africa is currently edited by Marie Kirsten

More articles in Development Southern Africa from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().