ABSTRACT
The extant studies have attested to the effects of media experiences in shaping destination image and influencing the behavioral intentions of potential tourists. However, limited works have focused on the impact of holistic experiences during the interaction with destination-related short-form videos on potential tourists' negative emotional responses and post-COVID travel intention. This study aims to elucidate how cognitive absorption affects tourists' travel anxiety and post-pandemic travel intention in different travel settings (domestic versus international). The comparative results show that users' cognitive absorption when interacting with destination-related short-form videos can effectively influence the behavioral intentions of potential tourists. The result also identified that travel anxiety significantly contributes to higher post-COVID travel intention. This study expands cognitive absorption research in the contexts of tourism and short-form videos, offers an angle for future studies to positively interpret tourists' travel anxiety, and provides tourism practitioners with suggestions on the tourism industry's recovery in the post-COVID era. © 2023, The Author(s).