Impacts of COVID-19 on tourists' destination preferences: Evidence from China

Using data of online ticket sales for attractions in the seven provinces of South Central China, this study focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on tourists' destination preferences after the end of lockdown. Empirical results reveal that tourists' destination preferences have changed significantly, which holds under a number of robustness checks. Specifically, we find that tour-ists avoid traveling to destinations with more confirmed cases of COVID-19 relative to their places of origin, especially Hubei Province, and prefer destinations close to home, especially local attractions. The empirical findings have significant implications for managers and policymakers in tourism and we provide potential mechanisms for these findings based on sig-naling, risk perception, and prospect theory . (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study found that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted tourists' destination preferences, with tourists preferring destinations close to home, especially local attractions. This has significant implications for managers and policymakers in the tourism industry.