Delineating the South African domestic tourist's behaviour amid a crisis: A psychographic segmentation approach

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic forced transformational thinking regarding resilience and sustainability strategies to ensure the future of the tourism industry. Domestic tourism is predicted to recover first, emphasising the importance of profiling crisis-induced domestic tourist behaviour through market segmentation. Purpose: The research was conducted from a developing country perspective focusing on South African domestic tourists. A multi-psychographic segmentation approach was applied. Based on South Africa's marketing and media profile, perceived risk factors induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the perceived safety of domestic travel and tourism activity, domestic tourists were profiled. Methods: An online questionnaire was employed from 2020 to 2021, and 427 responses were included in the analysis. Exploratory Factor analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were performed to identify the segments based on the identified factors. Results: Four discernible domestic tourist segments emerged: Psychocentric, Traditional idealist, Apprehensive and Despondent domestic tourists. Each segment differed significantly based on their rating of the segmentation bases;thus delineating the heterogeneity of domestic tourist behaviour amid a crisis. The results show that a generic marketing approach is not feasible for domestic tourism in South Africa. Conclusion: It is vital to understand domestic tourist behaviour during a crisis to project and manage it proactively. This research addresses this urgent need. Marketing the country to South Africans requires dynamic and distinguished marketing efforts based on the perceptions of domestic tourists.

The destination media profile and tourist travel intentions: the mediating effect of COVID-19 induced perceived risk

Information symmetry is a critical antecedent to tourists' consumptive decision-making and conative behaviour, especially in times of crisis and uncertainty. The present study is novel in its interrogation of whether COVID-19 induced perceived risk has an intervening effect in the destination media profile - travel intentions nexus of tourists. The quantitative study adopted a cross-sectional approach. Data was generated via an online survey of a purposive-convenient sample. The respondent-driven snowball sampling approach resulted in a final international sample of 323 potential tourists. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, linear regressions, and simple and parallel mediation analyses were employed. As it emerged from the study, a destination's media profile, directly and indirectly, influences the conative behaviour of tourists. At the same time, destination media profile has an apparent direct effect on perceived risk-oriented information symmetry. A partial diminishing intervening effect of COVID-19 induced risk is also established in the indirect relationship between destination media profile and tourists' post-crisis travel intentions.

Tourism reset: reimagining south african domestic tourism in the era of covid-19

Domestic tourism is increasingly being propagated as a primer for the global tourism industry’s resuscitation in the era of COVID-19. However, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenge for African tourism destinations such as South Africa is predicting domestic tourists’ behavioral and demand responses. The article explores the mediating effect of perceived risk on the nexus between South African domestic tourists’ push and pull travel motives. Data were generated via a self-administered online survey and analyzed primarily utilizing factor and mediation analyses. From the sample (n = 427), the study identifies the heterogeneity in the push–pull travel motives nexus. Moreover, the findings also establish the susceptibility of experiential escape-seeking tourists to the negative mediating influence of COVID-19-induced perceived physical risk on their likelihood of engaging in leisure-oriented domestic tourism activity. The results also point to potential cognitive bias and subjective preference towards domestic tourism, potentially signaling a crisis-induced shift in tourist behavior. The managerial implications are also discussed. © 2022 Cognizant, LLC.

Tourism is too dangerous! Perceived risk and the subjective safety of tourism activity in the era of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the risk associated with tourism and induced a paradigm shift in tourist behaviour. The study explores the nexus between COVID-19 induced perceived risk the subjective safety associated with tourism activity. A cross-sectional deductive study was conducted. Data were generated from a respondent-driven snowball sample of 323 potential tourists from all over the world. The key findings indicate perceived physical, psychological and social COVID-19 pandemic induced risk negatively influenced the overall subjective safety associated with tourism activity. Moreover, further analysis indicated heterogeneity in the influence of the perceived risk on specific tourism activity. Tourism practitioners are provided with timely empirical evidence-based insights that contribute to a better understanding of tourists' evolving behaviour.

Post-COVID-19 crisis travel behaviour: towards mitigating the effects of perceived risk

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the on-going COVID-19 pandemic and its potential influence on tourist behaviour in the short- to medium-term. While the influence of the pandemic on tourist’s perceived risk and its impact on their future travel behaviour is understandably yet to be established, the present paper discusses the potential nexus. Additionally, this paper provides tourism practitioners with some recommendations for mitigating the effect of potential heightened perceived risk on travel and tourism decision-making post the COVID-19 crisis. Design/methodology/approach: The present paper synthesises contemporary academic literature on perceived risk and post-crisis tourism with emerging information associated with the unfolding COVID-19 crisis. Findings: This paper draws empirical evidence from studies related to previous health crises and their impact on tourism, as well as tourist behaviour. By discussing previous studies within the context of the on-going COVID-19, it is possible to anticipate the influence that perceived risk associated with the pandemic may have on the post-crisis behaviour of tourists. Also, short-term measures to mitigate the effects of risk on tourism are posited to guide practitioners in the future recovery of the sector. Research limitations/implications: The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented and on-going crisis for the global tourism industry. Hence, the present paper serves as a primer to a broader discussion within the tourism discourse and provides theoretical direction for future tourism research. Practical implications: Key to the recovery of the global tourism industry will be encouraging both domestic and international tourism activity. However, while the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on tourist behaviour is yet to be substantiated, previous research predicts a situation of heightened perceived risk and the potential cognitive dissonance that may negatively influence tourist decision-making. To mitigate this potential effect, governance, augmented immigration policy, destination media profiling, recovery marketing and domestic tourism will be critical interventions. Originality/value: This paper is one of the first to discuss the potential influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the post-crisis decision-making process of tourists and their conative behaviour. As a primer to further empirical research, this paper sets a pertinent research agenda for academic inquiry within an evolving and increasingly uncertain global tourism market. © 2020, Tafadzwa Matiza.