Interrupted dreams: memories and emotions of travel experiences during COVID-19 breakthrough

ABSTRACT

This work aims to understand the experiences of tourists who traveled during the Covid-19 breakthrough, exploring the emotions and memories of in a chronological context of the trip. The method is qualitative, based on 21 in-depth interviews with Brazilian tourists who started trips between January and March 2020, contemplating experiences in every continent of the world. The data analysis data was based on grounded theory, through open, axial and selective coding. The results demonstrate the particularities experienced in travel experiences during the pandemic, with emotions that permeate happiness, fear, frustration, tension and relief. Still, it discusses how tourists got involved with travel planning, were pressured socially and made risk assessments before traveling. During the trip, unexpected experiences generated the transfiguration of the trip previously planned, the precarious service and helplessness, as well as self-protection behavior (or not) were listed. Finally, tourists reflected on the trip and its consequences. The contributions involve the classification of studies on tourism and Covid-19, and the proposal of a theoretical framework which discusses the emotions and memories of travelers before, during and after the travel experience.