Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
SMARTJournal, cilt.6, sa.32, ss.1101-1113, 2020 (Hakemli Dergi)
This study aims to examine effects of COVID-19 outbreak on tourists’ travel intention. The study is an exploratory research that conducted in early April (2020) in Turkey. Purposive sampling was applied in the research. Research sample consists of 62 potantial tourists that live in Turkey and have habit of traveling at least once a year before COVID-19 outbreak. The research was adopted qualitative research method. A semistructured questionnaire was used in data collection. Findings showed that COVID-19 affects tourists both economically and psychologically negatively. Results indicated that COVID-19 outbreak changed tourists’ travel perspectives negatively based on feelings of fear, worry, risk, danger, insecurity and discomfort, and partially changed tourists’ trust to tourism businesses. Tourists mostly think traveling six months later after outbreak’ effects have ended. Tourists will be interest in special interest tourism such as nature-based tourism in post-COVID- 19, if their concerns about pandemic continue. In addition, this study revealed that potential tourists, who are both financially and temporally restricted, decide to cancel or delay their traveling plans in 2020.