Comparing tourist travel behaviour in crises and post-crises

Abstract

This chapter explores the shifts in tourist motivations, perceptions, and the determinants affecting post-pandemic travels compared to those during the COVID-19 crisis. This study analyses the significance of risk perception and other variables, particularly age, in influencing tourists’ decision-making in both periods. Additionally, it investigates how the different crisis and post-crisis marketing strategies were adapted to tourist behaviour by examining the crisis communication strategies of Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) in Spain. During the pandemic, Spanish DMOs designed their campaigns to influence consumer behaviour by considering the risk perceptions of different generational audiences. In the recovery stage of the pandemic, TourSpain, the National Tourism Organization (NTO), six local and regional Spanish DMOs, and TripAdvisor and Expedia developed an innovative co-op marketing campaign. It was tailored according to other factors aside from risk perception that influenced tourists’ travel behaviour in the post-crisis scenario.