Abstract
COVID-19 has led to the biggest tourism crisis in modern Spanish history. Although its borders were opened in June 2020, incoming international tourism to Spain was very low. Tourist behavior, however, has been very diverse between types of tourism. Data from credit card transactions showing tourist behavior in 33 destinations representative of various types of tourism were analyzed. Results show that differences in tourist behavior between destinations can be explained by risk perception and the proximity of the destination to home, which favors natural areas and charming coastal cities. This study contributes to the academic literature by studying the effective behavior of international tourists in the time of COVID-19.
Highlights
IntroductionPolitical or economic situations in a destination can cause a sharp fall in the demand for tourism
Results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test (Table 6) show that the mean % of tourist spending among the various source markets is statistically different between types of tourist destination (p-value < 0.000)
The results show that in loser destinations (Cluster 1), international visitors spent between 18.2% and 28.3% of the previous year’s expenditure
Summary
Political or economic situations in a destination can cause a sharp fall in the demand for tourism. Throughout its history, tourism has never seen a global fear; a crisis that has not just affected tourism in one country or region, but the entire world. Restrictions imposed on travel and fear among potential tourists of infection from COVID-19 have paralyzed international tourism [1]. The effects are widespread, the countries with the highest tourist activity have felt it the most [1]. Tourism is extremely important to the country’s economy, more so than in many other OECD countries, and accounts for 12.4% of the Spanish GDP [2]. COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll on the country, causing a sharp fall in international tourism arrivals.
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