REVENGE travel: fact or myth?

'Revenge travel' is a popular buzzword that the media uses to describe the boom in tourism following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little empirical evidence has been presented to confirm the existence of revenge travel. In this study, we collected the monthly number of visitors to Hawaii from 49 states and Washington D.C. from January 1999 to August 2022 and compared the patterns of the data before and after the pandemic. Rigorous statistical models were implemented to prove that the phenomenon of 'revenge travel' was real. We also estimated when revenge travel started and ended.

Automated summary

'Revenge travel' is a term used by the media to describe the surge in tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is limited empirical evidence to support its existence. This study analyzed monthly visitor numbers to Hawaii from 49 states and Washington D.C. between January 1999 and August 2022, comparing pre-pandemic and post-pandemic patterns. Rigorous statistical models were utilized to confirm the reality of 'revenge travel' and estimate its duration.