Exploring the Journey of Tourism Through the Dark Age of COVID-19 and the Changed Travel Intentions of Tourists During the Post-Pandemic Period

• Published in: Future Tourism Trends Volume 1 pp. 207 - 223
• Main Authors: Radhika, P.C., Johnson, Johney
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Emerald Publishing Limited 22.01.2024
• Subjects: International tourism & hospitality; Tourism & hospitality; Trends in tourism & hospitality; bio-bubble model; Kerevan Kerala; virtual tourism; service innovation in travel; Post-COVID travel intentions; travel bubble
• ISBN: 9781837532452; 1837532451
• DOI: 10.1108/978-1-83753-244-520241014

Abstract Tourism is considered one of the globe's most prominent sectors, generating considerable forex revenues and employment generation, contributing to world peace and solidarity among many nations. However, it is negatively influenced by different factors like the spread of diseases, terrorist attacks, outbreaks of war, etc. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered unforeseen upheavals, resulting in demand and supply uncertainties in nearly every area of the economy (El-Erian, 2020). Thus, it is relevant to study the impact of the pandemic on the tourism industry. This chapter explains the journey of tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic by portraying the status of global tourism, how it impacted the Indian economy and its revival strategies, with special mention to Kerala tourism. The pandemic also resulted in a considerable change in the travel intentions of tourists, their travel preferences and their attitude towards travel. Hence, this chapter also presents the changed travel intentions of tourists that will help the industry players modify their products per the tourist's expectations. Finally, this chapter presents how the tourism industry recovered from the pandemic from both the supplier and demand perspectives, which will be helpful for all tourism stakeholders.