The Psychological Consequences of COVID-19 Pandemic in Tourism Sector: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic-induced changes have threatened the psychological wellbeing of travelling. This review aims to appraise a range of perceived psychological variables used to realize how the pandemic has influenced tourist behavior. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted to identify the mechanisms behind tourists’ behavioral change during the pandemic. The papers were extracted from four databases: PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and EMBASE, published since 2020 to 2021. The results are summarized narratively due to the heterogeneity of the studies. RESULTS: A total of 369 citations were identified through an electronic search of databases, of which nine publications met the inclusion criteria. The extracted information determines the significant factors contributing to the psychological changes of travelling behavior during the pandemic. CONCLUSION: The tourists’ perception of COVID-19 has influenced the intentions and motivation in the tourism sector and has changed travel behavior. The mental health outcome of travelling has been replaced by globally recognized fear and anxiety. Yet, there are several motivators to travel during the pandemic. At the same time, the socio-demographic characteristics contribute to all the identified changes.