What shapes tourists’ visit intention in different stages of public health crises? The influence of destination image, information-literacy self-efficacy, and motivations

This empirical study aims to identify the components of destination image and tourist motivation that help explain tourist visit intention during different stages of a major public health crisis. It also seeks to determine how tourists' information-literacy self-efficacy influences that image. The research focuses on two stages of the COVID-19 pandemic: 1) tourist behavior before the alleviating effect of a public vaccination program is felt among the general public and 2) tourist behavior after the alleviating effect has reached most individuals. The results show that, in stage 1, visit intention is shaped by a “safe and secure” destination image, affective image, and tourists’ stimulus-avoidance motivation. In stage 2, visit intention is influenced by both cognitive and affective image and by intellectual, social, competence, and stimulus-avoidance motivations. Information-literacy self-efficacy influences destination image in both stages. These findings enable tourism managers to develop mechanisms to lessen the adverse effects of health crises.