Healing the pain: does COVID-19 isolation drive intentions to seek travel and hospitality experiences?

ABSTRACT

This study examines the negative consequences of perceived isolation and its influence on intentions to travel and visit hospitality businesses. Drawing on compensatory control theory, we explore the multi-faceted effects of perceived isolation (e.g., functional, emotional, and social loss) on subsequent within-domain (e.g., functional loss – functional compensation) and cross-domain (e.g., functional loss – social/emotional compensation) compensatory needs, which eventually drive intentions to seek experiential consumptions. We conduct this research via a two-phase design, each of which involves a national consumer panel of U.S. adults (Phase 1 = 840; Phase 2 = 1087) who have participated in “shelter-in-place”/ “stay-at-home” ordinances during the national lockdown. Across two phases, we find that perceived isolation leads to compensatory needs and intentions for travel and hospitality consumption. Our study also reveals the dynamics between two-phase models regarding the within and cross-domain compensation pathways and the effect on experiential consumption intentions.

这项研究考察了感知隔离的负面后果及其对旅行和访问酒店企业的意图的影响. 借助补偿控制理论, 我们探索了感知隔离(如功能性、情感性和社会性损失)对后续领域内(如功能性损失-功能性补偿)和跨领域(如功能性损失-社会/情感补偿)补偿需求的多方面影响, 最终促使人们寻求体验性消费. 我们通过两个阶段的设计进行这项研究, 每个阶段都涉及一个由美国成年人组成的全国消费者小组(阶段1=840;阶段2=1087), 他们在全国封锁期间参与了“就地避难”/“呆在家里”条例. 在两个阶段中, 我们发现感知到的隔离会导致旅行和酒店消费的补偿需求和意图. 我们的研究还揭示了关于域内和跨域补偿途径的两阶段模型之间的动态关系, 以及对体验性消费意向的影响.

KEYWORDS:

• Perceived isolation
• compensatory behavior
• experiences
• COVID-19 pandemic

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management, and the U.S.-Asia Center for Tourism & Hospitality Research, Temple University.