Does Your Post-COVID-19 Travel Dream Talk about Sustainability? Insights from Potential Tourists in India

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the tourism industry globally. It is essential to explore the post-COVID-19 travel intentions of potential tourists. The exploratory study is aimed to investigate the potential Indian tourists’ travel plans, tourism perceptions, and their behavioral intentions regarding the adoption of sustainable tourism practices post-COVID-19. Methodology: The study was based on primary data. Through an online survey, 225 responses were collected using convenient sampling. Data were analyzed with SPSS 20.0 software. Simple percentage, frequency, and mean were calculated to examine the post-COVID-19 travel plans and tourism perception of Indians. Factor analysis was used to analyze the adoption of sustainable practices. Findings: Since May 2020, with the unlocking process, travel has been resuming in India. People are obligating to their “right to travel” and foreseeing travel plans. The study found that potential tourists will prefer short-duration trips with family and friends and intend to avoid crowded destinations post the pandemic. Indian tourists are inclined to consider environment conservation and sustainability in future travels and are more willing to explore natural sites. Offbeat destinations are expected to gain popularity. People believed that tourists will adopt more sustainable and innovative practices post-COVID-19. Originality/Value: This study enhances the understanding of tourism policymakers, practitioners, and services providers concerning tourism behavior post-COVID-19. Implications: The study focused on potential tourists’ planning;the perceptions of service providers can also be studied for future research to gain profound insights regarding the tourism sector. © 2021 Emerald Publishing Limited.