Travel intention and behavioural changes during COVID-19 pandemic: Empirical implication for the travel and tourism industry

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak has miserably disrupted the tourism industry and the travelling life style of people. Since the outbreak is still ongoing, it is presumed that the intention and behaviour of people towards travelling will change. Thus, in this context, the study employs empirical research to examine the travel intentions of travellers during the COVID-19 pandemic and identifies the behavioural changes that travellers may have experienced while visiting any destination during the pandemic. For this purpose, primary data was collected from 121 travellers randomly and analyzed using descriptive statistics, regression analysis, independent sample t-tests, and ANOVA, The result indicates that the travel intentions of the respondents are influenced by perceived behavioural control. It is also revealed that the respondents will only choose such destinations that have taken all the precautionary measures. The study concludes that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly influenced the travel behaviour of travellers.