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Abstract
PurposeThis exploratory paper examined consumers' use of information sources and intentions to book future travel in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Authors expected that general news and travel information accessed on the Internet would impact travel intentions.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 547 US online consumer panelists when all states were under “stay-at-home orders” in April 2020.FindingsDifferences existed in the impact of three stressors (health, personal and financial) on the use of information sources (general news and travel sources) and ultimately on booking intentions.Practical implicationsThe lack of influence health stressors had on travel research activity raises a question for the travel industry as to critical choice of messages to be imparted during pandemic environments.Originality/valueA three-factor model was used to assess the determinants of booking intentions during uncertain times. Authors applied the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework to explore information searching for travel during the pandemic.
Highlights
This paper examines key factors related to information search and intentions to book future travel in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic
A review of Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis and corresponding hypothesis tests will highlight the drivers of booking intentions for future travel
This study has demonstrated the continued usefulness of theory on S-O-R relationships (Mehrabian and Russell, 1974) by demonstrating that concern with crisis stressors partially explains the use of information searches, and indirectly, travel booking intentions
Summary
This paper examines key factors related to information search and intentions to book future travel in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Incorporating COVID-19-related stressors, information sources and perceived trust in the travel industry, the authors developed a three-factor model to assess the determinants of booking intentions during uncertain times. It has been applied to the tourism industry (Kim et al, 2020) and consumer behavior during COVID-19 (Laato et al, 2020); this study addresses the knowledge gap on consumer information seeking as a response to perceived stress generated by pandemics. This study views the coronavirus as the operant stimulus that generates health, financial and personal stress. It prompts reactive information searching about the pandemic and travel. Since intention can lead to consumption, this study treats intention to book travel services as an appropriate measure of COVID-19’s impact on travel
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