Understanding the travel decision-making processes of COVID-19-vaccinated South Korean travelers

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries allowed only the vaccinated to travel abroad, and some still continue with these restrictions. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with the intention to travel abroad during this pandemic. An online survey was conducted with 270 vaccinated Korean participants. The theoretical framework of the extended goal-directed behavior model was used to predict the overseas travel intentions of tourists in the COVID-19 environment. The data were examined using frequency analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and path analysis using CB-SEM. The results show, first, that attitude, expected positive emotions, and expected negative emotions are positively correlated with desire. Second, desire and prior knowledge are positively correlated with behavioral intentions. Thus, attitude toward COVID-19 and expected emotions significantly influenced desire, and prior knowledge influenced travelers' behavioral intentions during the pandemic. The findings suggest that travelers’ attitudes and emotions during the pandemic reflect their desire to travel abroad and to do so with prior knowledge. Therefore, to help potential overseas tourists meet their basic needs for personal quarantine security during travel, travel industry staff should provide personalized security services. Airlines and the tourism industry should continue to provide hand sanitizers and personal hygiene products at airports and tourist attractions to make the travel experience relatively safer for tourists. In addition, the tourism industry should introduce a campaign on safe quarantine and health to give a positive impression to potential tourists, planning their next trip. The study identifies changing travel trends, provides a foundation for safe travel experiences, and can help develop policies to improve future international travel.