New priorities influencing the travel decision: Can VFR travel get a leading role after the pandemic?

Year 2021, Volume: 8 Issue: 2, 299 - 309, 29.12.2021

Burcu Koç

Abstract

This study aims to reveal if individuals’ preferences of tourism type change after COVID-19. Its other purposes are to understand how participants position visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel in their previous and current travel priorities and to determine the most significant effects of the pandemic on life, tourism motivation and expectations from travelling. In 2021, interviews were conducted with 18 Turkish travelers who traveled regularly before the pandemic. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants and a structured interview technique was utilized. Content analysis was used in the interpretation of the wide-ranging qualitative data to identify the most frequently recurring themes. Findings show that demand in VFR travel and health tourism increased after the pandemic, while options such as sea-sand-sun tourism, cultural tourism and business travel lost the interest. Results such as longing for relatives and friends, escape from unknown destinations, disturbances such as anxiety caused by psychological turmoil, the lack of trust in COVID-19 measures in businesses, statements that the duration will be kept short even if plans are made to participate in different tourism types other than VFR travel, the desire to be safe in terms of health, and to hold cash against the outbreak of a new crisis in the future came to the fore under three main categories: (1) emotional turmoil, (2) involvement in tourism, (3) the family and friend effect. Consequently, the current paper recommends that comprehensive research examining the relationship between reunion travel and VFR travel in the future. Additionally, new studies supported by the psychology discipline are needed to interpret the risk perception and emotional ups and downs occurred during COVID-19.

Keywords

Visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel, COVID-19, travel decision, tourist behavior

References

• Alonso, A. D., Kok, S. K., Bressan, A., O’Shea, M., Sakellarios, N., Koresis, A., Buitrago Solis, M. A., & Santoni, L. J. (2020). COVID-19, aftermath, impacts, and hospitality firms: An international perspective. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 91, 102654.
• Bae, S. Y. & Chang, P. J. (2021). The effect of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) risk perception on behavioural intention towards ‘untact’ tourism in South Korea during the first wave of the pandemic (March 2020). Current Issues in Tourism, 24(7), 1017-1035.
• Cheung, C., Takashima, M., Choi, H., Yang, H., & Tung, V. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological needs of tourists: implications for the travel and tourism industry. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 38(2), 155-166.
• Crespí-Cladera, R., Martín-Oliver, A., & Pascual-Fuster, B. (2021). Financial distress in the hospitality industry during the Covid-19 disaster. Tourism Management, 85, 104301.
• Donaire, J. A., Galí, N., & Camprubi, R. (2021). Empty summer: International tourist behavior in Spain during COVID-19. Sustainability, 13(8), 4356.
• Godovykh, M., Pizam, A., & Bahja, F. (2021). Antecedents and outcomes of health risk perceptions in tourism, following the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism Review, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print.
• González-Torres, T., Rodríguez-Sánchez, J. L., & Pelechano-Barahona, E. (2021). Managing relationships in the tourism supply chain to overcome epidemic outbreaks: The case of COVID-19 and the hospitality industry in Spain. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 92, 102733.
• Hall, C. M., Scott, D., & Gössling, S. (2020). Pandemics, transformations and tourism: Be careful what you wish for. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 577-598.
• Hu, H., Yang, Y., & Zhang, J. (2021). Avoiding panic during pandemics: COVID-19 and tourism-related businesses. Tourism Management, 86, 104316.
• Issa, I. A. & Altinay, L. (2006). Impacts of political instability on tourism planning and development: The case of Lebanon. Tourism Economics, 12(3), 361-381.
• Joo, D., Xu, W., Lee, J., Lee, C. K., & Woosnam, K. M. (2021). Residents’ perceived risk, emotional solidarity, and support for tourism amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 19, 100553.
• Kock, F., Nørfelt, A., Josiassen, A., Assaf, A. G., & Tsionas, M. G. (2020). Understanding the COVID-19 tourist psyche: The evolutionary tourism paradigm. Annals of Tourism Research, 85, 103053.
• Li, Z., Zhang, S., Liu, X., Kozak, M., & Wen, J. (2020). Seeing the invisible hand: Underlying effects of COVID-19 on tourists’ behavioral patterns. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 18, 100502.
• Magno, F. & Cassia, F. (2021). Firms’ responses to the COVID-19 crisis in the tourism industry: Effects on customer loyalty and economic performance. Anatolia, 1-3.
• Matiza, T. (2020). Post-COVID-19 crisis travel behaviour: Towards mitigating the effects of perceived risk. Journal of Tourism Futures, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print.
• Miles, M. B. & Huberman, A. M. (1994). An expanded sourcebook: Qualitative data analysis (2nd ed.). California: Sage Publications.
• Neuburger, L. & Egger, R. (2021). Travel risk perception and travel behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic 2020: A case study of the DACH region. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(7), 1003-1016.
• Papatheodorou, A., Rosselló, J., & Xiao, H. (2010). Global economic crisis and tourism: Consequences and perspectives. Journal of Travel Research, 49(1), 39-45.
• Pappas, N. & Glyptou, K. (2021). Accommodation decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic: Complexity insights from Greece. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 93, 102767.
• Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
• Qiu, S. C., Jiang, J., Liu, X., Chen, M. H., & Yuan, X. (2021). Can corporate social responsibility protect firm value during the COVID-19 pandemic?. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 93, 102759.
• Rogerson, C. M. & Baum, T. (2020). COVID-19 and African tourism research agendas. Development Southern Africa, 37(5), 727-741.
• Sobaih, A. E. E., Elshaer, I., Hasanein, A. M., & Abdelaziz, A. S. (2021). Responses to COVID-19: The role of performance in the relationship between small hospitality enterprises’ resilience and sustainable tourism development. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 94, 102824.
• Sönmez, S. F. (1998). Tourism, terrorism, and political instability. Annals of Tourism Research, 25(2), 416-456.
• Sönmez, S. F. & Graefe, A. R. (1998). Influence of terrorism risk on foreign tourism decisions. Annals of Tourism Research, 25(1), 112-144.
• Turkish Statistical Institute (2020). Income and living conditions survey. https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Gelir-ve-Yasam-Kosullari-Arastirmasi-2019-33820. [Date of access: 11th of October, 2021]
• Uşaklı, A., Koç, B. & Sönmez, S. (2017). How 'social' are destinations? Examining European DMO social media usage. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 6(2), 136-149.
• Villacé-Molinero, T., Fernández-Muñoz, J. J., Orea-Giner, A., & Fuentes-Moraleda, L. (2021). Understanding the new post-COVID-19 risk scenario: Outlooks and challenges for a new era of tourism. Tourism Management, 86, 104324.
• Weber, R. P. (1990). Basic Content Analysis (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
• Wen, J., Wang, C. C., & Kozak, M. (2021a). Post-COVID-19 Chinese domestic tourism market recovery: Potential influence of traditional Chinese medicine on tourist behaviour. Anatolia, 32(1), 121-125.
• Wen, J., Kozak, M., Yang, S., & Liu, F. (2021b). COVID-19: potential effects on Chinese citizens’ lifestyle and travel. Tourism Review, 76(1), 74-87.
• Zenker, S., Braun, E., & Gyimóthy, S. (2021). Too afraid to travel? Development of a pandemic (COVID-19) anxiety travel scale (PATS). Tourism Management, 84, 104286.
• Zheng, D., Luo, Q., & Ritchie, B. W. (2021). Afraid to travel after COVID-19? Self-protection, coping and resilience against pandemic ‘travel fear’. Tourism Management, 83, 104261.