Exploring tourist animosity and its influence on destination choices in the post-covid 19 eras: A study of Vietnamese independent travelers

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

Previous studies on consumer animosity have traditionally focused on the relationship between a single home country and a specific target country. This limited approach implies that animosity is contingent upon the unique dynamics between these two countries. However, this study seeks to broaden the conceptualization of consumer animosity by exploring its applicability to a pandemic health crisis, an area that has not been previously examined. While consumer animosity has been studied in economic, political, cultural, and religious contexts, its relevance within the context of a health crisis has not been thoroughly investigated. This study is to investigate tourist animosity towards different countries and its impact on the decision-making process for choosing a tourist destination, before and after a holiday. This study’s primary objectives were successfully accomplished through a comprehensive analysis, which entailed thoroughly examining and interpreting qualitative data procured from a total of seventeen semi-structured interviews conducted with meticulous care and attention to detail. The findings reveal that tourist animosities, including general animosity, war hartred, the threat of pandemics, and countries' policies regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, have a negative influence on tourists' intentions to visit, intentions to revisit, and their likelihood to spread positive word-of-mouth. The study also highlights that tourists frequently rely on online sources, such as government websites, to access tourism information and review countries' travel policies, even in the post-COVID-19 era. This research contributes to the understanding of the consumer animosity construct, which has been previously explored in the realms of economics, politics, culture, and religion but has not been applied to a pandemic health crisis before. Furthermore, the study investigates universal animosity, which encompasses animosity directed towards various countries and extends beyond country-specific causes, offering practical implications for the tourism industry in the post-pandemic era.