ABSTRACT
This research aims to grasp the evolution of consumer demand and improve the resilience of the hotel industry under the public health crisis (COVID-19). Online reviews of 7,679 hotels in 10 cities were collected from Ctrip, China's major online hotel platform. Then, we applied opinion mining and time evolution to mine the change in consumer demand before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings show that some consumer demands (e.g. epidemic safety) will change during the outbreak period. However, during the nonoutbreak period, users were more concerned about their own check-in experience (e.g. hotel facilities, front desk services). This article provides new ideas for identifying the dynamic value of online reviews. We suggest that businesses focus on ensuring hotel safety during the crisis period. The results contribute essential theoretical and practical significance to the hotel industry's crisis management during public health crises.
ABSTRACT
The various crises are having a significant impact on the entire food sector and are changing the attitudes of Europeans as well as policies on the importance of food security and sustainably produced quality and safe food for consumer health. The paper focuses on the consumer's fear of food security for the time of the first wave of COVID-19 and the associated concern for food security in the future and the changes in consumer behaviour. The online survey in Slovenia was conducted in June 2020 using a "snowball" method. The sample included 490 individuals. The results showed that both measured forms of fear (i) fear over food security during the first wave of COVID-19 crisis, and (ii) fear over food security in the future were statistically significant, moderately strong and positively associated with almost all forms of self-perceived behaviour change caused by the COVID-19 crisis. The respondents focused more on buying locally produced and processed food, food stockpiling and decreasing food waste. Only minor changes were expressed with regards to their food purchasing channels, with the elderly, the highly educated and those who classified themselves in a higher social class buying more often directly from farmers. In the future, the results of this research should be compared with other countries and the impact of an individual's economic situation and the impact of promotional campaigns on agricultural products on changing consumer behaviour should also be analysed in more detail.
ABSTRACT
The Covid-19 pandemic forced the world population to incorporate prevention activities into their daily lives to preserve people's physical health. In Colombia, the national government, through resolutions and decrees, regulated quarantine and preventive isolation in order not to saturate health services and intensive care units, which were not prepared to respond to the disease. In this sense, this article analyzed the habits of physical activity, well-being, and quality of life in preventive isolation - Covid-19 in Bogota, Colombia. A cross-sectional descriptive quantitative study was conducted on a sample of 1,775 people with an average age of 43.5+or-25.5 years, of which 50.9% (n=903) corresponded to women and 49.1% (n=872) to men. It was found that due to the confinement the consumption of coffee and alcoholic beverages increased, as well as a decrease in physical activity. In addition, manifestations of anxiety, depression and feelings of loneliness were identified, which directly affected people's well-being and quality of life. It is expected that this type of research will contribute to the understanding of the impact of the contingency measures taken by the different nations to curb Covid-19 infections on people's health.
ABSTRACT
Outdoor Recreation (OR) provides the benefits of physical activity and traditional leisure placed in an outdoor environment. Motivation, self-efficacy, and autonomy can increase depending on the physical and social environment. This study explored the relationship between self-efficacy and autonomy on OR behaviors and identified barriers and facilitators to OR during the COVID-19 pandemic. Survey information was collected from 995 U.S. adults (93.6% white, 64.0% female) regarding OR behaviors, changes in OR during COVID-19, and OR self-perceptions. Significant positive correlations existed between autonomy and self-efficacy (r = 0.138, p < 0.01), and self-efficacy and pre/post pandemic OR behaviors 2020 (r = 0.158, p < 0.01), (r = 0.129, p < 0.01) respectively. Qualitative data implied barriers and facilitators to OR as: social, mental health, and increased or changed OR/physical activity. Implications from this research are beneficial to OR and health professionals to promote overall physical and mental well-being for OR participants.
ABSTRACT
Understanding what factors play a role in people's decisions to travel during a pandemic is important to public health officials and to stakeholders in the travel and tourism industry in the United States (US) and worldwide. This study examines factors influencing people's decisions to cancel/postpone recreational travel within the US amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Our conceptual framework extends the Expected Utility model, commonly used in economics to model decisions under risk and uncertainty, to incorporate subjective norms and perceived behavioral control from the Theory of Planned Behavior. Our results suggest that risk perceptions, subjective norms, and concerns over transmitting COVID-19 to others play a significant role in the decision to cancel and postpone recreational travel. Results also suggest that perceived behavioral control may be less relevant to travel decisions when traveling involves elevated health risks.
ABSTRACT
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused tremendous fear and uncertainty and affected health, economy, and social life in an unprecedented form worldwide. Yet, the level of knowledge on its economic implications is very limited. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to explain the health, social, and economic impacts of COVID-19. Because the tourism is one of the most affected industries by the pandemic, this study aims to explain the effects of COVID-19 cases and deaths, global fear, and government responses on Turkey's tourism industry. Empirical findings show that the tourism industry reacts negatively to new cases, number of deaths, and global fear measures. Also, government containment and health measures and economic supports positively affect the tourism industry. Furthermore, government stringency policies drive down the tourism industry's performance. The findings of this study provide significant implications for tourism and travel firms, policy makers, and future research.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced various aspects of people's lives;for instance, restrictions during the pandemic have forced people to think about sports participation and physical activity in new ways. There has been growing interest in technological interventions to support exercise-related behavioural changes in daily life;in particular, exergames designed to induce full-body movement offer alternatives to physical activity. Since Taiwan has a high rate of ownership of exergame-related equipment, it is worth examining players' perceptions of using exergames for exercise. This study utilised a Means-End Chain analysis with in-depth laddering interviews to investigate Taiwanese perceptions of certain attributes of exergames as most likely to produce desired consequences in accordance with their values. The findings provide researchers and practitioners interested in the use of technology for exercise with valuable implications of Means-End Chain theory and structuration theory and suggestions for exergame design and promotion.
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Opportunities to participate in physical activities (PA) and fitness exercises in public and private facilities have been reduced or banned due to social distancing regulations during the height of the global pandemic. Though Korea has not experienced lockdown, several venues have been restricted to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Despite the limitations of PA engagement, people have found alternative activities by using online platforms to keep active and fit. Thus, this study focuses on analyzing fitness-related video titles from YouTube. By collecting data through text mining and conducting network analysis, it provides basic knowledge of the fitness trends from pre- and post-Covid-19. As a result, 'exercise' was found to have the highest tendency and had strong connections to keywords that indicated specific methods of working out to become fit, but it also had connections to trendy keywords such as 'hip-up' and 'body-profile' which reflect the fitness culture in Korea.
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The COVID-19 pandemic required changes in habits. Tourism was one of the most affected sectors. The objective of the article was to analyze the negative impacts resulting from the pandemic on conservation projects, with emphasis on the Hyacinth Macaw Institute (Instituto Arara Azul - ITA). The research was developed through a literature review and documents from the ITA. In the years 2018 and 2019 the Hyacinth Macaw Institute received an average of 299 tourists per year, in 2020 this average dropped by 60%. With the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, people stopped traveling and visiting the projects, with this, the collection structure was affected. However, ecotourism was one of the first activities to be resumed, after a prolonged period of isolation, people look for activities that provide physical and mental well-being.
ABSTRACT
Living conditions in today's metropolitan cities shorten the time it takes for individuals to do sports. With the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of the home office environment has increased, causing physical activities to be moved to the indoor environment. The home environment has brought people's desire for socialization, physical activity, reduction of anxiety levels, and psychological relaxation to the fore even more. The epidemic, which still continues after the closure of more than two years, has expanded the use of casual clothes in the field of formal wear. Employees at the global level have turned to the use of leisure clothing, which provides more comfort than in the past. Depending on this demand, production has also gained momentum in the global sports ready-to-wear industry. This study aims to determine the ready-made clothing products preferred by individuals who regularly do sports and compare them with global data. The data of the research, in which the descriptive method was selected, was collected from structured questionnaires and literature data. The study group consisted of 208 people who volunteered to participate in the research and whose answers were accepted as valid, among the people who regularly do sports in the four big cities of Turkey (Bursa, Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir). Some of the data were collected over the internet due to the epidemic, and some of the data were collected through face-to-face interviews in gyms. Descriptive statistics applied data show similarities with global-based apparel market data. Individuals do sports to stay physically and mentally healthy and socialize. Indoor sports halls and houses are the most preferred places for sports activities, and the most preferred clothing products are t-shirts, tracksuits, and undershirt/singlet. The findings have been interpreted comparatively with the global data. It has been tried to reveal the future-oriented data for the product groups and market segments of the companies.
ABSTRACT
It is important to develop approaches to encourage physical activity so that people can lead a healthy life. This study was conducted to compare the physical activity status of students during the Covid-19 pandemic period when the curfew was applied and the restriction was not applied. The sample group of the study consisted of a total of 254 participants, 108 women and 146 men, studying at Tekirdag Namik Kemal University Faculty of Sport Sciences. In the study, the International Physical Activity-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) was used to determine the physical activity status of individuals. Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Paired Sample T Test were applied to compare the analysis of the variables of individuals by gender, before and during the curfew. In this study, the level of significance was accepted as p<0.05. According to the results obtained, students' vigorous physical activities before and during restraint (p<0.05;2:494), walking (p<0.05;2:354) and total physical activity (p <0.05;2: 541) parameters were found to be significantly different. It was determined that there was a significant difference between the parameters of walking (p<0.05;2:411) and total physical activity (p<0.05;2:377) of female students before and during the restraint. Between the parameters of vigorous physical activities before and during restraint (p<0.05;2:13.499), walking (p <0.05;2:312) and total physical activity (p<0.05;2:669) of male students was found to be a significant difference. As a result, it was determined that the total physical activity levels of the students decreased significantly when the curfew was applied.
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This special issue on tourism in northeast Brazil includes five articles which deal with: the use of Instagram to promote proximity tourism in northeast Brazil;the visual language (images and colours) of tourism advertisements for the northeast region;the influence of time pressure on the intention to visit the destinations of Aracaju, Sergipe and Salvador, Bahia;community-based tourism in Prainha do Canto Verde, Beberibe, Ceara;and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of hotel housekeeping staff in Joao Pessoa, Paraiba.
ABSTRACT
This special issue includes 17 articles addressing knowledge gaps in the tourism and hospitality literature regarding the sharing economy and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The articles provide systematic literature syntheses, seminal theory-building efforts and creative endeavors that unveil novel findings related to the sharing economy's evolution in the post-pandemic era.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study aims to construct a scale for measuring the spa hotel experiencescape in wellness tourism, clarify the mechanism through which wellness tourism experiencescape influences revisit intention and investigate the mediation roles of authenticity, memorability and organizational identification. Design/methodology/approach: This study conducted content analysis of interviews, online reviews and relevant articles and used the concept of experiencescape to interpret spa hotels' experiential environment. The stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model was used as the basis for introducing authenticity, memorability, organizational identification and revisit intention to investigate how wellness tourism experiencescape affects tourists' behavior. In total, 488 valid questionnaires were collected at Taiwanese spa hotel clusters. Findings: Four factors of spa hotel experiencescape were identified: health promotion treats, mental learning, unique travel experience and healthy diet. Existential authenticity-memorability and existential authenticity-organizational identification exerted full positive mediation effects in the relationship between wellness tourism experiencescape and revisit intention. Practical implications: This study provides guidance on experience design for spa hotels. It promotes the consideration of existential authenticity in wellness tourism design. Originality/value: The COVID-19 pandemic has raised awareness of wellness, drastically increasing the potential of the wellness tourism market. This study investigated the construction of wellness tourism experiencescape and its influence, and the findings can facilitate post-pandemic restoration of the wellness tourism industry. On the basis of SOR model, a chain mediation model was proposed to reveal the influence of wellness tourism experiencescape on revisit intention. Existential authenticity was discovered to play a crucial role in the relationship between wellness tourism experiencescape and revisit intention, which suggests that existential authenticity should be considered during service design and in marketing strategies for wellness tourism.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: covid 19 has had an undeniable impact on various sectors of the economy and the tourism sector, including health tourism. Health tourism has had a significant impact on the prevalence of corona due to its direct relationship with people's health. The purpose of this study is was to identify related factors of health tourism on covid-19. Methods: he current research is a qualitative research and was done with the theme analysis method. Data collection has been done using semi-structured interviews with health tourism experts and health tourists. Targeted sampling continued until theoretical saturation was reached, and a total of 14 samples were selected. Results: The results showed that related factors of health tourism on covid 19 epidemic was in both micro and macro levvels. In the micro domain, three categories of factors, including factors related to health tourism services, factors related to tourism ancillary services, and factors related to health tourists, have been affected by covid 19. In the macro sector, the related factors of health tourism on covid 19 epidemic has been in 4 sectors: economic, technological, political-legal and cultural-social. Conclusion: Based on the results of the research, things like the lack of equipment due to its allocation to the corona sectors, the expansion of online services, and the lack of specialized human resources have affected health tourism. In the factors related to ancillary services, unused capacities have increased and this discussion has led to the closure of some sectors. This issue will reduce the capacity of ancillary services in the post-corona period and will be a threat to the development of health tourism. In the tourist sector, Corona has led to an increase in the general awareness of tourists as well as an increase in health concerns, and price sensitivity has decreased in relation to health issues.
ABSTRACT
While urban communities experienced high levels of infection at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, rural communities experienced an increase of confirmed cases during the fall months of 2020. Rural Americans were also among the most hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of [State] extension professionals related to the COVID-19 vaccines in rural communities. Qualitative methods were utilized to gather data from extension professionals in rural area of [State], where vaccine uptake was below average. Results revealed frustration with the vaccine process, vaccine norms, and skepticism and mistrust to all be contributing factors to vaccine hesitancy in rural communities. Extension professionals discussed not feeling comfortable discussing topics related to public health with their clientele, citing the topic being outside their expertise. Practical recommendations from this study included utilizing a grassroots approach rather than relying on mass media, providing messages related to the COVID-19 vaccine that focus on education, rather than promotion, and testing new messages before they are disseminated.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many fundamental changes. Especially in the tourism sector, where people are in constant communication and interaction, negative effects have been seen excessively. This situation also affected tourism employees economically, psychologically, and physically. Therefore, this paper aims to reveal the relationship among resilience, perceived vulnerability, and mental health perceptions within the scope of hotel employees. The study examines the effects of psychological and employee resilience on hotel employees' mental health perceptions. In this context, "psychological resilience has a significant positive influence on hotel employees' mental health perceptions" and "employee resilience has a significant positive influence on hotel employees' mental health perceptions" have been developed. The study also examines the mediating role of perceived vulnerability in the effect of individual-level resilience on hotel employees' mental health perceptions. In this context, "perceived vulnerability mediates the effect of individual-level resilience on mental health perceptions" has been developed. In total, 391 questionnaire forms were analyzed using a structural equations model to test the hypotheses. The results show that hotel employees' psychological and employee resilience make their mental health perceptions more positive. Perceived vulnerability partially mediates the effect of individual-level resilience on mental health perceptions.
ABSTRACT
The COVID -19 pandemic posed serious challenge for securing public health worldwide. Public health preparedness and restrictions put in place impacted many aspects of human life, including recreational activities and access to outdoor recreational destinations. Green spaces have become one of the few sources of resilience during the coronavirus crisis due to their restorative effects on psychophysical health and community well-being. The aim of this study is to analyse the impact of the COVID -19 pandemic on forest visitation. The results are based upon long-term visitor data acquired via pyroelectric sensors (Eco-Counter) in three forest districts located in Poland (Browsk, Gdansk & Kozienice Forest Districts). The analysis covers the period between January 01, 2019 and December 31, 2020 and the results confirm changes in recreational use in the studied forest areas during the pandemic compared to the preceding year. However, observed changes in forest visitation vary by pandemic period and study area. The ban on access to forest areas significantly reduced the number of forest visits in all studied areas. The number of visits to sub-urban forests (Gdansk Forest District) and to remote nature-based tourist destinations (Browsk Forest District) increased in the later pandemic periods, especially in the summer months of 2020, while it remained the same in a popular nearby recreation area: Kozienice Forest District. There were only minor temporal shifts in the distribution of weekly and daily visits. The results are important for public health preparedness planning in crisis situations and for provisioning conditions supporting societal health and well-being. Objective data on forest visits are necessary for successful management of forest areas and surrounding amenities. More cross-sector collaboration and public participation would be desirable to create sustainable, resilient, and liveable spaces for the society. Management Implications: Long-term visitation monitoring is crucial for successful management of outdoor recreation destinations and their catchment areas. Objective numbers concerning forest visitation from the pre-pandemic and COVID-19 pandemic period allow observing trends and making fact-based management decisions during period of crisis. Changes in the investigated three forest study areas in Poland were not homogenous, which implies the necessity of systematic visitor monitoring in multiple destinations, in order to cover different types of forest areas and also local diversity in recreational use. More intersectoral, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary exchange would be desirable to better integrate existing on-site visitor monitoring data into decision making processes related to forest management, urban planning, transportation, tourism and public health.
ABSTRACT
Spas were attracting visitors since ancient times. Study aims to monitor the changes in spa tourism statistics in the period of 2010-2020 for the selected countries of Central and Eastern Europe (Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia), with particular attention given to the average development rate (ADR) and average growth rate (AGR), and overnight stays and an average length of stay. The reference to the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on overnight stays and an average length of stay was discussed as well. Moreover, upon analysis of the existing tourism data for the period of 2010-2020, prediction of the post-pandemic period (until 2023-2025) was also implemented with the use of a linear model. In addition, using the broad criteria of a four-night stay as a minimum stay for medical treatments, Serbia has shown the characteristics of a medical spa, while Slovenia and Croatia could be characterized as "wellness medical", and finally Hungary was considered as a wellness spa destination.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the mobility, accessibility, and behaviors of visitors dramatically. Under the impact of COVID-19, the social carrying capacity and emotion dynamics in parks and recreation areas are expected to change due to the uncertainty of health risks associated with visitors' behaviors. This study conducted an on-site visitor survey at Leiqiong Global Geological Park, a national park located in urban-proximate areas in Haikou, China. This study aims to examine factors impacting visitors' perceived crowding and emotions under varying levels of visitor use in urban national parks in the context of COVID-19. Study results suggest that visitors have the highest level of motivation for scenery and culture viewing and are generally satisfied with the environmental quality and design and COVID-19 prevention strategies and implementation efforts within the park. Moreover, this study suggests that the level of crowding and COVID-19 prevention strategies and implementation can affect visitors' emotions in urban natioanl parks significantly. These findings highlight the importance of enforcing the social carrying capacity limits and COVID-19 prevention strategies for urban parks and protected areas to mitigate physical and mental health risks during the COVID-19 pandemic.