Open AccessSUSTAINABILITY FACTORS INFLUENCING TOURISTS’ DESTINATION CHOICE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Author(s) -
Arthur Filipe de Araújo,
Maria Isabel Marques,
Maria Teresa Ribeiro Candeias,
Armando Luís Vieira
Publication year - 2021
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Conference proceedings
DOI - 10.46754/gtc.2021.11.055
Subject(s) - sustainability , context (archaeology) , business , tourism , confirmatory factor analysis , marketing , pandemic , portuguese , supply chain , willingness to pay , sustainable tourism , covid-19 , economics , geography , medicine , ecology , linguistics , philosophy , disease , archaeology , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , biology , microeconomics , service (business)
As recent studies show, tourists increasingly favour hotels and other tourism businesses that adopt more sustainable practices. This trend has arguably been intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, due to the restrictions regarding crowded places and closed spaces, a lot of tourists have (re)discovered nature. In this context, the present study aims to analyse tourists’ evaluation of sustainability criteria and willingness to pay for items when choosing a destination during the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, previously validated scales for sustainability criteria and willingness to pay (for a sustainable destination) were tested, through a confirmatory approach, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, data was collected through a survey questionnaire (n=567) with Portuguese tourists and subjected to a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The findings show that the factors hold their dimensionality, convergent validity, and reliability in the context of Portuguese tourists travelling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, a newly proposed item, related to the importance given to the inclusion of local producers in the tourism industry’s supply chain, was validated. The findings also show that, especially when it comes to willingness to pay, factors with a direct effect on tourists’ experience are significantly more valued. Additionally, the results point to a slightly different outlook on sustainability criteria by Portuguese tourists, which is likely related to the context of the pandemic. Finally, the findings provide useful insights for destination managers aiming to attract tourists with a more sustainable behaviour.