COVID-19 and repeat visitation: Assessing the role of destination social responsibility, destination reputation, holidaymakers’ trust and fear arousal

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the influence of destination social responsibility (DSR) on destination reputation, holidaymakers' perceived trust and their revisit intention. It also tested the direct paths between destination reputation, tourists' perceived trust and revisit intention. Moreover, it investigated the moderation impact of fear arousal due to COVID-19 on the relations between visitors' revisit intention and its associated antecedents. PLS-SEM was employed to analyze the data gathered from 543 domestic holidaymakers who have recently visited tourism destinations in Egypt. The findings indicated that tourists' revisit intention is positively and significantly influenced by DSR, destination reputation and their perceived trust. Additionally, DSR is positively linked to destination reputation and visitors' trust, which in turn is positively affected by destination reputation. The results also revealed that fear arousal negatively moderates the link between destination reputation, holidaymakers’ trust and their intention to revisit. Academic and managerial implications, limitations, and directions for future studies were also presented.