Standing with our hometowns? The relationship between residents' perceived threat from COVID-19 and intention to support tourism recovery in their hometown

Abstract

A hometown is the place to which an individual has an affective bond resulting from either being born there or living there for lived for a long time. This article investigates people's intention to support the revival of tourism in their hometowns post-COVID-19. The research hypothesises that individuals are affected by the threat to ontological security, freedom of movement, and freedom of information, and this synthetic threat will affect their intention to support their hometown. Based on compensatory control theory and psychological reactance theory, the study investigates how the need to belong, combined with psychological reactance, reveals the underlying mechanisms of perceived threat on intention to support one's hometown. The survey responses from 658 residents in China were analysed using a structural equation model. The results showed that the perceived threat has a positive effect on intention to support one's hometown and need to belong mediates that relationship. Instead, despite perceived threat to their freedom, residents did not report psychological reactance when faced with hometown appeals. These results could help destinations to revive in the post-pandemic era; destination management organisations, especially in China, should be able to appeal to residents for promotional support without expecting psychological reactance. • Residents perceived threat to ontological security, freedom of movement, and information. • Residents' perceived threat impacts intention to support tourism recovery in their hometown. • Need to belong mediates perceived threat on intention to support hometown. • Faced with hometown appeals, residents did not report psychological reactance.