Understanding international and domestic travel intention of Indian travellers during COVID-19 using a Bayesian approach

ABSTRACT

This study investigated travel intentions of 484 international and 566 domestic travellers during COVID-19 pandemic using Bayesian structural equation modelling and the extended model of goal-directed behaviour. The variation in the perceived severity of COVID-19 and willingness to adopt personal non-pharmaceutical interventions (PNPIs) across different demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of travellers was also examined. It was revealed that attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and positive anticipated emotion positively and negative anticipated emotion negatively influenced travellers’ intention through their desire to travel during COVID-19. The perceived severity of COVID-19 indirectly influenced travel intention through willingness to adopt PNPIs. Female and older travellers perceived COVID-19 as more severe and showed more willingness to adopt PNPIs. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• model of goal-directed behaviour
• personal non-pharmaceutical interventions
• travel intention
• Bayesian SEM

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sitanshu Sekhar Das

Sitanshu Sekhar Das is an Assistant Professor at the Rajagiri Business School, Kochi, India. His research interests include organizational behaviour, subjective well-being, and tourism and has published in journal of internationals repute. He is also Editorial Board Member at Data in Brief.

Aviral Kumar Tiwari

Aviral Kumar Tiwari is an Associate Professor at the Rajagiri Business School, Kochi, India. Tiwari’s research interests focus on tourism and macroeconomy and his research featured in Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management, Tourism Economics, Current Issues in Tourism, Journal of Business Ethics, Energy Economics. He is also an active editorial board member of various regional, national and international journals.