Between fearful homebodies and carefree travel lovers: identifying tourist segments during the Covid-19 pandemic in Finland, Germany, and Norway

ABSTRACT | While an increase in risk sensitivity for travel in times of crisis has been widely studied, attention to changes in the perception of travel motives as a possible counterpart have fallen short. Hence, the research submitted here explores the interplay of negative and positive psychological reactions towards travel during the Covid-19 pandemic, taking three Northern European countries as an example. Data was collected via online consumer panels in Finland, Germany, and Norway (n = 4,649) during the first lockdown in May 2020. We identify tourist segments based on their perceptions of travel risk and the importance of travel for their own well-being. K-means cluster analysis reveals five different pandemic-related clusters that exemplify individual travel plans for the near future, their personal affectedness and sociodemographic aspects, such as nationalities. Results show that a high level of perceived importance of travel for well-being can offset a simultaneous high perception of travel risk: ‘Fearful travel lovers’ make travel plans despite the pandemic. Moreover, we find significant differences regarding the size of the five segments in the three countries. Findings provide important strategic implications for tourism managers seeking how to address relevant tourist groups in times of pandemics.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; well-being; risk perception; cross-national study; cluster analysis

Köchling, A., Engeset, M. G., Reif, J., Yarar, N., Ritalahti, J., Holmberg, E., & Velvin, J. (2022). Between fearful homebodies and carefree travel lovers: identifying tourist segments during the Covid-19 pandemic in Finland, Germany, and Norway. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(7), 1074-1087. DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2022.2026304