Travelling and discovering new destinations after the COVID-19's lockdown: the role of routines and habits

ABSTRACT

The paper identifies the level of importance determined by the consumer as far as traveling and discovering new destinations are concerned, after the lockdown caused by the health crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. A sample of 445 respondents is used, and an ordered logit econometric model is applied to estimate the importance level of travelling and enjoying a new destination considering the respondents' sociodemographic characteristics and the level of importance attributed to meeting new people, visiting their families, going back to work, meeting their friends, eating out in a restaurant and attending musical and other cultural events. The main conclusions are related to consumers who believe it is very important to travel for specific reasons, such as meeting new people and friends or visiting their families, eating out in a restaurant or attending musical or other cultural events. Family and friends play an important role, considering that to visit them is seen as a priority. This study provides a relevant assessment regarding the priorities defined by the consumers in the scope of the discovery of new destinations, thus providing inputs to the different stakeholders involved in the definition of strategies for the promotion of tourism destinations.