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Introduction: Mosquito-borne diseases have historically affected communities, especially in tropical areas where mosquitoes and illnesses are endemic. Globalization, climate change, and increased travel have created ideal conditions for outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases that could threaten the American health system and place a burden on the national economy, especially in southern states. Methods: The study adopts a quantitative cross-sectional design with a retrospective survey carried out using the Pollfish platform in June 2022. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and hierarchical multiple regression to assess the three hypotheses: (H1) Chikungunya awareness is related to sociodemographic factors;(H2) Wearing long sleeves and pants is related to (a) Chikungunya awareness and (b) information-seeking behaviors, when controlling for sociodemographic variables;(H3) Use of insect repellents is related to (a) Chikungunya awareness and (b) information-seeking behaviors when controlling for sociodemographic variables. Results: The results highlight the relationships between chikungunya's awareness, information-seeking behavior, and willingness to engage in protective behaviors. 45.91% of the participants mentioned not having heard about chikungunya, and 67.07% of respondents had sought information about mosquito-borne illnesses in the past, 55.9% have looked at the U.S. State Department's website for mosquito-borne diseases, 38.32% have visited the U.S. CDC website for information specifically about chikungunya. Conclusions: The results of this study show that most American travelers are unaware of chikungunya and its mode of transmission. Travel could likely introduce the chikungunya virus to the United States. Despite increased health information-seeking behavior among U.S. residents after the Covid19 pandemic, Chikungunya awareness is low.
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Purpose: This study attempts to answer how values and holiday preferences were shaped by the pandemic, how travellers view the future of tourism and how they are willing to contribute to potential changes. Furthermore, it examines the impact of socio-structural background factors, basic values and holiday preferences, and pandemic-related factors on the views of post-pandemic tourism. Design/methodology/approach: A longitudinal online survey was conducted in which 155 frequent travellers were interviewed both before and during the pandemic about their values and holiday preferences, attitudes towards travelling during the pandemic, and their prospective views regarding tourism. Findings: The findings revealed that values remained rather stable, but nature experiences, heritage tourism and beach offers gained more relevance when it came to holiday preferences. Concerning travellers' expectations of future tourism, environmental concern was ranked higher than economic profit. However, those striving for self-direction, stimulation and city tourism offers stated to be less willing to restrict their travel behaviour in the future. Research limitations/implications: Although our study is just based on a convenience sample, the authors were still able to address notable research gaps. First, because a longitudinal design was selected, it was possible to investigate any potential transitions in basic values and travel style and trace these changes back to the pandemic. Second, thanks to a sophisticated online survey, all concepts could be measured with well-developed scales, which increased the quality of the measurements and led to stable results. Third, young travellers can be considered proponents of future travel styles. Their way of acting and thinking about future tourism could significantly impact the prospective direction of tourism. Practical implications: This study makes a valuable contribution to changing holiday preferences and provides useful insights for the tourism industry about travellers' willingness to change their travel behaviour. Social implications: Since this study primarily considers human values and socio-structural factors, the findings are of particular interest from a sociological perspective and are also interpreted from this viewpoint. Originality/value: This study is one of only a few longitudinal studies focusing on holiday preferences and shifting values during COVID-19 and attempting to detect crucial drivers of potential tourism transformations in terms of perceptions from the demand side. © 2023, Wolfgang Aschauer and Roman Egger.
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Travellers' mobility decisions are fraught with uncertainty and instability during public health crises. However, existing studies have not revealed the internal mechanism of travellers' mobility changes in a public health crisis. This paper established and trained a Bayesian network model from multiple data to analyse Chinese travellers' mobility decision-making processes under COVID-19 and simulated the changes in mobility decisions in different scenarios. The results show that travellers reformulate mobility decisions in response to various information and negotiate between social customs and personal needs. Mobility can be modified through risk communication and habits adaptation. Bayesian network models provide a methodological contribution to causal exploration and scenario prediction.
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The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) pandemic spreads across borders with the frequent global population movement. To explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on China's domestic epidemic prevention and control, based on the classical infectious disease dynamics model this paper proposes an infectious disease model that considers oversea imported cases. The model can simulate three situations:national pandemic without imported cases, no domestic cases with only imported cases, and domestic cases with international travellers entering simultaneously. By calculating the peak case number and range of infection spread duration in these situations, as well as the amount of medical resources invested, the model has shown the different results of impact of entry type on the domestic pandemic and different pressures on medical resources. Finally, the paper suggests that testing measures should be taken according to the degree of pandemic risk and resource conditions, that strict prevention and control should be applied to the people not entering through customs, and closed-loop management to the people entering through customs, that entry quarantine measures and quarantine periods should be dynamically adjusted and international exchanges should be gradually resumed in the context of ensuring domestic and overseas epidemic prevention and control in advance, and that it is necessary to integrate medical resources, improve allocation efficiency, and relieve the pressure of resource occupation.
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The present study focuses on analysing the impact of website quality and content on leisure traveller's hotel selection. A structured questionnaire was developed and distributed to respondents through online platform using Google Forms. Chi square test has been used for checking the association between website quality, content and leisure travellers. The findings of the study revealed that out of ten identified features of websites quality: clear language, high resolution photographs, videos of hotel products and services, user friendly and easily accessible websites, 'influence more' to leisure travellers in the selection of star category hotels of Uttar Pradesh. The findings of the study also concluded that out of ten identified features of website content;information about cleanliness and hygiene standards especially followed in the COVID pandemic, places of tourists interest in city and discounts and offers 'influence more' to leisure travellers in the selection of star category hotels of Uttar Pradesh.
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Individuals were asked to play an active role in infection control in the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet while government messages emphasised taking responsibility for the public good (e.g. to protect the National Health Service), they appeared to overlook social, economic and political factors affecting the ways that people were able to respond. We co-produced participatory qualitative research with members of Gypsy and Traveller communities in England between October 2021 and February 2022 to explore how they had responded to COVID-19, its containment (test, trace, isolate) and the contextual factors affecting COVID-19 risks and responses within the communities. Gypsies and Travellers reported experiencing poor treatment from health services, police harassment, surveillance, and constrained living conditions. For these communities, claiming the right to health in an emergency required them to rely on community networks and resources. They organised collective actions to contain COVID-19 in the face of this ongoing marginalisation, such as using free government COVID-19 tests to support self-designed protective measures including community-facilitated testing and community-led contact tracing. This helped keep families and others safe while minimising engagement with formal institutions. In future emergencies, communities must be given better material, political and technical support to help them to design and implement effective community-led solutions, particularly where government institutions are untrusted or untrustworthy.
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Transit-oriented development (TOD) is an urban designed model aimed at attracting more sustainable travellers. However, not all TOD projects succeed in maintaining a high rate of sustainable travel behaviour. To examine the impacts of TOD on residents' travel behaviour, this paper applies binary logistic regression to analyse survey data for 1,298 residents living in the TOD areas in Hangzhou collected in 2020. The results show that socioeconomic characteristics, built environment factors, and travel attitudes play important roles in influencing their travel mode choices. Furthermore, the number of children in households and higher levels of car ownership significantly influence residents' sustainable travel behaviours. However, it appears that only a limited number of factors can convince car users to shift to sustainable modes of travel, such as their workplace being accessible by metro and attitudes towards changes in accessibility. This research study contributes to the existing literature in terms of enhancing the understanding of travel mode choice behaviours, particularly with regard to people who live near public transport infrastructure, as well as formulating evidence-based TOD policies to achieve more sustainable transport systems.
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Purpose: The intangible nature of tourism means that variables such as destination image (DIM) or intention to recommend (IR) are crucial for tourists, as they are reliable sources of information. However, since these are dynamic variables, they have been affected by Covid-19 and need to be updated. Based on the above, the purpose of this study is to examine how the unlearning (UL) process helps tourists to become aware of the new situation, relinquish old habits and relearn, thus, influencing DIM and the IR destinations. Furthermore, the relationship between DIM and IR is analysed. Design/methodology/approach: To analyse the proposed model, an empirical analysis was carried out through an online survey obtaining a valid sample of 457 Spanish domestic travellers. The data were analysed using partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings: Results show a positive effect between the UL outcomes and IR a destination, as well as a mediator effect of DIM on this relationship. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study analyses for the first time UL in the tourism sector as an individual process carried out by tourists and shows how it influences their decision-making process. © 2023, International Tourism Studies Association.
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The literature on cruise tourism is primarily Western-focused, which could differ compared to those in Asia Pacific. To address this gap, this study combines motivation and cruise preferences for a better understanding of repeated Chinese cruisers amid COVID-19 via the use of conjoint and cluster analysis. The findings revealed that shore activity is more important than cabin price and duration. Sight-seeing is the most strongly preferred shore excursion, followed by visiting natural scenery. This study contributes by providing insight into the current views of the Chinese travel market, and provides suggestions to cruise companies on target segments, product design, and marketing strategies in preparation for travel recovery.
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Purpose - the aim of this paper is to analyze the gastronomic tourism trends in the world and in Lithuania, to determine the opportunities and the potential of gastronomic tourism in Lithuania and to provide recommendations for its development. Design - the theoretical part gives the understanding of gastronomic tourism in the world and its potential in Lithuania. The research gives an understanding of gastronomic tourism situation in Lithuania. Methodology - the research was done using analysis of scientific literature, secondary data analysis method of analysis and synthesis, quantitative research. The quantitative method used in this paper is a survey conducted among the local travelers. The results of the research were statistically processed using the Excel. Approach - gastronomic tourism is becoming an increasingly popular area of tourism, generating billions in revenue for businesses worldwide. According to the Global Report on Food Tourism, 79 percent travelers travel itinerary consists of a pre-analyzed calendar of gastronomic events and local cuisine, one in three travelers consider national cuisine to be a motivating travel choice and spends about 30 percent on food of total travel expenses. Findings - in Lithuania, gastronomic travel is still a relatively new niche in tourism. In recent years, this area of tourism has attracted considerable interest from foreign tourists and local travelers, however, the Covid 19 pandemic halted travel. Due to the tense situation in Europe, Lithuania still does not receive a larger number of tourists from foreign countries. Hospitality businesses use variety of means to engage, attract, and encourage local people to travel. Gastronomic tourism is one of such measures, as Lithuania can offer travelers quality local food, interesting national dishes with deep traditions, various food festivals and events. Originality of the research - the article analyzes results of research, discusses ways of attracting local tourists introducing more variety in gastronomic tourism. Practical implications are based on research findings and could be used by local travel agencies creating new gastronomic tourism products.
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Background: The study focuses on the challenges faced by government officials in implementing public health interventions to control the spread of COVID-19 in the Lahore District, Pakistan. Material(s) and Method(s): This qualitative study used in-depth interviews to collect data from 45 government officials involved in implementing COVID-19 control measures in Lahore District. Result(s): The study identified several themes related to the challenges faced by government officials, including contact tracing and coordination, disease management and vaccination, public perception and engagement, international travellers management, and implementation strategies. Strategies implemented to address the challenges posed by the pandemic included the utilization of technology, provision of training to staff, coordination with other organizations, identification of high transmission areas, and targeting specific communities or populations at higher risk of infection. Conclusion(s): The effective management of the COVID-19 pandemic requires a coordinated and multi-faceted response that incorporates various strategies and practices aimed at controlling the spread of the disease and mitigating its impact on communities. The authors recommend prioritizing clear and consistent communication, community engagement, and capacity building in pandemic management strategies.Copyright © 2023 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.
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Vaccination is effective in preventing the increase of disease, especially emerging infectious diseases (EIDs), and it is particularly important for people in close contact with infected sources and susceptible populations who are at increased risk of getting infectious diseases due to behavior, occupation or health. Despite targeted vaccination guidelines, inadequate vaccination of the key populations fails to receive widespread attention, resulting in a high-risk transition of disease from key populations to general populations. Strengthening the vaccination of the susceptible groups can effectively block the spread of pathogens to general populations, and reduce the consumption of medical resources in universal vaccination, which has significant economic value. In this review, we describe the prevalence of EIDs, analyze the experience and lessons of infectious disease vaccination in key populations through several cases, and further explore the causes for the decline in vaccination rates of key populations. According to the trends of EIDs, a plan to strengthen the vaccination of key populations is proposed to effectively prevent the transition of EIDs from key populations to general populations.
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Background: To control the imported risks brought by all international arrivals, China Customs has implemented strict closed-loop health management policy called "three checks, three screenings and one transfer". This study provides epidemiological evidence for prevention and control measures on imported cases of asymptomatic infections and describes the current COVID-19 prevention and control system on imported risks in China. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed an imported incident of three asymptomatic carriers. Serum SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies were detected by chemiluminescence and gold immnnochromatography(GICA). Results: Three cases were reported positive for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid on their arrival, total antibodies and IgG, but negative for IgM. The Ct values of cases A, B and C were 34/36/36, 32/33/32 and 25/31/29, respectively. There were 10726434 pair-end reads sequenced for case C, and approximate 80% reads were aligned to the hCoV-19/Wuhan/IVDC-HB-01/2019 genome (EPI_ISL_402119). The viruses of case A and C were homologous and came from the SARS-CoV-2 variant. Conclusion: Serum antibody IgM and IgG tests are recommended for international travelers from epidemic areas. The "three checks, three screenings and one transfer" policy implemented at custom's entry points was effective in COVID-19 prevention and control.
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This special issue includes six articles which examine COVID-related issues concerning tourism in the greater China region. Topics addressed include: the recovery strategies and organizational resilience of the hotel industry;tourists' responses toward using health QR codes in pandemic travel;domestic tourism customers' emotional responses to COVID-19;the influence of COVID-19 on vocational hospitality and tourism students' career choices;the motivations and preferences of Chinese cruise travellers amid COVID-19;and the just-in-time corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of casinos during the COVID-19 outbreak.
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The global health pandemic (COVID-19) has led to a significant decline in tourism activities and challenged existing norms and practices of the tourism sector. As international travel is restricted, the tourism sector is trying to promote domestic tourism by following health guidelines. This study aims to measure the relationships among social media travel content, perceived social risk of travel, attitude toward travel, and intention to travel during the pandemic time. The data were collected from young travellers in Bangladesh. The structural equation modelling (SEM) technique was used to estimate the relationships among the constructs. The results show that both social media travel content and perceived social risk of travel are significantly related to attitude toward travel and intention to travel. The association between attitude toward travel and intention to travel is also found significant. Destination managers are recommended to implement social media activation programs (e.g., a persuasive advertising campaign) and promote safe travel on their social media platforms (e.g., Facebook) to reduce perceived social risk of travel and create a positive attitude of travellers toward travel domestically during the global pandemic.
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Solidarity tourism provides tourists with the opportunity to help others who are suffering during crisis by offering shared resources and a sense of community. Although solidarity in times of crisis promises attention to tourists' desires and wellbeing, there is limited evidence of this. This paper aims to understand how solidarity occurs in times of crisis by applying value co-creation. A total of 21,719 traveller posts were thematically analysed to reveal that solidarity can be achieved in various contexts through tourists' co-created care practices, which have emotional and cognitive value. Practices include co-producing, connecting, co-advocating, co-suffering and consuming collaboratively. This paper conceptualises and illustrates solidarity as a relational practice, which is an effective means of support during crises.
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This special issue consists of eight articles addressing different aspects of motorcycle tourism, including: the role of the psychological construct of flow in shaping motorcycle tourism behaviour;the holiday preferences and travel behaviour of motorcyclists;the adventure character of motorcycle tourism;the influence of motorcycle group membership on travel motivators;and e-scooter usage and mobility behaviour during the COVID-19 crisis and their implication for tourism.
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China has reported a recent increase in the number of cases and emerging or known variants of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Shanghai municipality and Jilin province. While there is a risk of exposure to COVID-19 throughout mainland China, following a review of the public health risk assessment process, Shanghai municipality and Jilin province now carry a high risk of exposure to the disease.The China country page on the TRAVAX (for health professionals) and fitfortravel (for the general public) websites can be checked for regular updates or any changes to the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in China. This document provides current infectious disease guidance for travellers to endemic regions who are potentially at risk of the disease and should be aware of this infection. Prior to travel, all travellers should be advised to: (1) check the latest government guidance on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) foreign travel advice and country specific webpages for travel to China and the rules on entering the UK on return;(2) ensure they are up to date with UK recommendations on COVID-19 vaccination;(3) consider their risk of severe COVID-19 and the availability of medical facilities at the destination;(4) consider their ability to comply with COVID-19 prevention advice during travel and at their destination and (5) consult the fitfortravel COVID-19: health considerations for travel webpage.