‘Still reluctant to go?’ Destination image formation in the post-global pandemic crisis: perspective from Japanese tourists to China

Abstract

ABSTRACT The impact of COVID-19 on our daily lives is gradually subsiding, but its significant effects on the tourism sector persist. As of this writing, international tourism has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. China is among the countries still experiencing a decline in international arrivals. To address this, two studies targeting Japanese tourists were conducted to (1) trace and compare changes in the perception of China’s destination image (DI) and (2) explore how media exposure, past experience, and age individually and jointly influence the formation of China’s post-COVID DI. The results indicate that perceptions of China’s DI have improved slightly but remain low overall. Additionally, in the post-pandemic context, perceptions of China’s DI vary significantly based on media exposure, past experience, and age. The implications for both theory and practice are also discussed.