IMPACT OF COVID 19 ON TOURIST BEHAVIOR: A

PERSPECTIVE ON FUTURE TRAVEL

Project report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree
of
B.A TOURISM (HONOURS)

by

SHIVALI NAYNA VODELA

GCU0718BATH121

Under the guidance of

DR. SUMIT KUMAR SINGH

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
TRAVEL AND TOURISM
SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

BANGALORE – 560049

APRIL - 2021

1
 DECLARATION BY THE STUDENT

I, Shivali Nayna Vodela hereby declare that the project report, entitled “Impact of covid 19
on tourist behavior: A perspective on future travel”, submitted to Garden City University,
in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of B.A Tourism
(Honours) is a record of original and independent research work done by me during 2018-
2021 under the supervision and guidance of Dr. Sumit Kumar Singh Department of Tourism
and it has not formed the basis for the award of any degree/diploma/certificate or any similar
title to any candidate in any University.

(Shivali Nayna Vodela)

Signature of the Candidate

Bengaluru

23/04/2021

GCU0718BATH121

2
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project work entitled “Impact of covid 19 on tourist behavior: A
perspective on future travel” is a bonafide work of Ms. Shivali Nayna Vodela bearing
University Register Number GCU0718BATH121 and is being submitted in partial fulfilment
for the award of the B.A Tourism (Honors) at Garden City University.

23/04/2021
Signature of the Guide
Bengaluru
Dr. Sumit Kumar Singh

Assistant Professor

Ms. Ishrat N. Wahab

Signature of the Head of the Department

3
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank my university, Garden City University and my Chancellor Mr. Joseph
V.G for giving me the opportunity to be part of this prestigious university, thus allowing me to
be part of such an interesting program.

I would like to thank my Vice Chancellor Professor. G.R Naik.

I would also like to thank my registrar Ms. Sibi Shaji.

I would like to extend my gratitude to my HOD Ms. Ishart N. Wahab for supporting me in
my journey throughout this course.

I would also like to thank my Professor, Dr. Sumit Kumar Singh for guiding me through the
report and helping me make it valuable and interesting.

I would like to thank my family for their support and positive criticism which helped me build
the end product. I would also like to thank my aunt, Dr. Triparna de Vreede, Associate Chair,
School of Information Systems and Management Associate Director, MS in Management at
University of South Florida, MUMA college of Business for guiding me on how to formulate
a questionnaire for the research.

Lastly, I would like to thank Gainwell Travels for allowing me to use the information acquired
during the internship for this dissertation paper.

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 CONTENTS

SL NO TOPIC PAGE NO.

INTRODUCTION OF TRAVEL AND TOURISM

1. 7-8
IN INDIA
IMPACT OF COVID 19 ON TOURIST BEHAVIOUR:
2. 9-11
A PERSPECTIVE ON FUTURE TRAVEL

i) Introduction 9-10
ii) Literature Review 10-11

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 12
4 QUESTIONNAIRE METHOD 13-23
a) Introduction 13
b) Data Analysis and Interpretation 13-20
c) Findings 21-23

4. OBSERVATION METHOD 23-30

a) Introduction 23
b) Observations 23-28
c) Interpretations and Findings 29-30
5. SUGGESTIONS 31
6. CONCLUSION 32-33
7. REFERENCE 34-36
8. APPENDIX 36-39

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 GRAPHS AND SCREENSHOTS TABLE

FIG NO TOPIC PAGE NO.

1.1 Finding the age 13

1.2 Finding the gender identity 14

Number of times participants travel per year for

1.3 14
pleasure
1.4 Travel preference pre covid in the past 5 years 15
1.5 Travel preference post covid in the next 2 years 15
1.6 Locations travelled most pre covid in the past 5 years 16
Locations most likely to travel post covid in the next 2
1.7 16
years
1.8 Favorite destination pre covid in the last 5 years 17
1.9 Favorite destination post covid in the next 2 years. 17
1.10 Favorite types of vacation pre covid in the past 5 years 18
Favorite types of vacation post covid in the next 2
1.11 18
years
1.12 Preferred booking pre covid 19

1.13 Preferred booking post covid 19

Likeliness to travel to destinations requiring PCR tests

1.14 20
and covid vaccinations
1.15 Likeliness to travel to new destinations. 20
Screenshot 1 Sample A 24
Screenshot 2 Sample A 24
Screenshot 3 Sample B 26
Screenshot 4 Sample B 26
Screenshot 5 Sample C 27
Screenshot 6 Sample D 28

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 1. INTRODUCTION OF TRAVEL AND TOURISM IN INDIA

Travel and tourism is regarded as one of the world's most diverse industries. It aids in the
integration of numerous other fields, such as lodging and transportation, as well as supporting
industries. The industry began to flourish in the twentieth century, and it did not take long for
it to become the biggest at the time. It was also predicted to expand rapidly in the twenty-first
century, but the pandemic brought the sector to a screeching halt.

Following the pandemic, the atmosphere was blissful, encouraging people to fly without
anxiety or inhibitions. Many countries that depend on tourism as a source of income benefited
greatly from it. India is one such country that has a lot of potential in terms of supporting
inbound tourism. India had effectively developed itself in the market as a promoter of culture
and heritage, not merely as a place of diverse natural flora and wildlife.

India's tourism industry employs about a quarter of the country's overall workforce. Millions
of workers in the hospitality and tourism industries have been affected by the dramatic decline
in foreign and domestic visitors. India ranked 22 in inbound tourism in 2019, with a share of
1.24 percent and a total of 1401 million visitors. Bangladesh accounts for the bulk of
international visitor arrivals, followed by the United States and the United Kingdom.

In comparison to previous years, the post-covid India has displayed entirely different figures.
According to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, international tourist arrivals in India will
not reach pre-covid peaks until 2023, as many tourists are hesitant to fly due to quarantine
regulations.

In terms of both foreign and domestic travel, India's tourism industry has exploded since the
1990s (Honnappa Ramakrishna,2006). The Ministry of Tourism has launched a programme
called "AtithiDevoBhava" that discusses Indian culture, which is an important part of the
Indian spirit. Tourism is one of the most important sectors for receiving foreign
currency.During the Chief Minister’s Conference held in October 2001, the then Prime
Minister of India, Shri. AtalBihari Vajpayee had stated that, “Tourism is a major phenomenon

7
of economic growth in major parts of the world. Many countries have transformed their
economies using the tourism potential the fullest. Tourism has the potential to create different
types of employment in various sectors – from the most specialized to the unskilled and what
India needs is the generation of massive productive employment opportunities.”

The Indian government has also aided tourism in a variety of ways. They enacted a number of
tourism policies, the first of which was enacted in 1986. Over time, these strategies evolved
and became much more difficult to implement. Many of the policy's aims were left unmet as a
result of the post-covid situation, but the government did not sit back; instead, they shaped
potential policies to address the needs of a wide range of citizens while retaining the degree of
discipline expected in today's environment.

As a result, a bird's eye view of the global tourism situation reveals that tourism has taken a
significant blow. The number of international tourists arriving in the United States remained
steady in 2019 before plummeting in 2020.It has recently begun to gain traction as a result of
relaxations in quarantine laws and the creation of air bubbles that cause flights to take off and
land in countries that fall within these particular air bubbles. Tourists have begun to choose
secluded locations over busy hubs when it comes to destinations. Nature tourism has grown in
popularity, encouraging people to become one with nature through camps and hikes. It is hoped
that tourism will return at a reasonable rate in the future, reuniting millions of people with jobs
that were once their primary source of income.

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 2. IMPACT OF COVID 19 ON TOURIST BEHAVIOR: A
PERSPECTIVE ON FUTURE TRAVEL

i. INTRODUCTION

Due to the start of the covid 19 pandemic in the year 2020, the tourism sector was the worst
affected. The virus's origin makes it easy to spread from one human to another, whether by
touch or not, making containment impossible. The virus's health risks were the primary reason
for the tourism halt. This resulted in a slew of bans, including flight cancellations, lockdowns,
and quarantine, and people's morale deteriorated over time, making it difficult for the industry
to recover.

The pandemic is said to have an effect on tourist activity, with some reactions being positive
and others being negative. The most important factor was if visitors were ready to fly after the
global decline in cases. The International Air Transport Association conducted a study to learn
more about visitors' travel mindset. According to the poll, prospective travellers are planning
to delay their air travel until the economy improves. This accounted for 56% of the total
population, with 66% believing that vaccinated travellers should fly without being quarantined.
According to the polls, 81 percent of passengers were able to fly after being vaccinated, while
84 percent said they would not travel if quarantine was placed.

People are still reluctant to fly, not only because of the virus, but because of all the restrictions,
especially the quarantine, as evidenced by the above results. The obligatory quarantine placed
on all travellers travelling has proven to be a roadblock to the tourism industry's expansion.
Tourists are increasingly dissatisfied with destinations, hotels, and modes of transportation,
and are searching for new ways to fly.

Thus, the following study will focus on understanding the impact of the COVID 19 on
destination selection which is an integral part of the tourism sector as well as the behaviour of
tourists in the present and the effect of the covid 19 pandemic on the decision making capacity
of those travelling. The following study would give the readers an insight on the attitude of
travellers towards traveling under various conditions and restrictions while giving a brief
understanding on the future travel patterns carried out by various age groups in the society.

9
The study will make use of observations obtained in the society to understand the travel patterns
of tourists. The way tourists perceive and carry out bookings for future trips can be understood
via this form of study and will give the readers a practical orientation towards the behavioural
patterns of future tourists.

ii. LITERATURE REVIEW

From the beginning of time, human mobility and interactions have been an important part of
human society. These trends have played a direct role in the emergence and spread of infectious
diseases that have resulted in pandemics (Funk et al., 2010; Belik et al., 2011; Rizzoet al., 2014;
Yan et al., 2018; Peixoto et al., 2020).

Many tourist destinations have experienced natural and man-made disasters (volcanic
eruptions, earthquakes, forest fires, etc.) during the last decade, but have recovered successfully.
A crisis is "a low-probability, high-frequency event that develops very rapidly and involves
ambiguous situations with unknown causes and effects" (Roberts, Madsen, & Desai, 2007).
While tourism has an unrivalled potential for resilience (Tejan & Safaa, 2018), unlike other
disasters, the pandemic has shattered the industry. The pandemic is unique in that it has no
borders and spreads quickly, mutating and becoming ever more lethal as time passes.According
to the UNWTO, foreign arrivals will decrease by 20 to 30 percent in 2020, resulting in a loss
of $300 to 450 billion in international tourism earnings. Destinations must create resilience in
order to survive these disasters; a destination's resilience is measured by the country's ability
to respond spontaneously to disruptions and restore stability (Reda, 2018).

The 2019 pandemic has instilled a great deal of fear in people. This fear has influenced people's
actions, especially in terms of "transit usage," with the effect varying depending on the infected
area and demographic characteristics of the people (Kim et al., 2017; Cahyanto et al., 2016).
During times of crisis, people prefer to avoid travelling to places where they perceive a medium
to high level of danger (Hotle et al., 2020). Nonetheless, the need for travel will still exist, and
future trips will likely vary significantly from previous trips.

Different governments impose different controls to deter and monitor the transmission of
viruses during pandemics. As a result of these constraints, people's lifestyles and the country's

10
economic situation shift (de Haas et al.,2020; Mogaji, 2020). Previous research has shown that
using air transportation will hasten the spread of respiratory viruses.(Browne et al.,
2016)However, it was also reported that a ban on international travel would not help contain
the diseases by itself, although it could help to flatten the curve (Epstein et al. 2007).

Tourist behaviour is the product of a complex mix of external and internal influences.
Motivation, behaviours, and values are examples of external influences, while economic
climate, socio-cultural environment, and stability are examples of internal factors (Andrades,
Dimanche, & Ilkevich, 2015). External factors also influence attitudes and judgments.In other
words, visitor behaviour can be influenced by the external world. Owing to safety concerns,
tourists in difficult conditions are often unsure whether or not to visit. For a traveller, wellbeing
is paramount (Maslow, 1943).A traveller or customer considers the risks and drawbacks of a
product before deciding if it is appropriate for him or her. Consumers' perceptions of risk are
critical, and designing methods to choose low-risk alternatives is critical in the tourism
decision-making phase (Sönmez & Graefe, 1998; Floyd, Gibson, Pennington-Gray, & Thapa,
2004).Visitors would only flock to destinations that are low-risk or risk-free (Yousaf, Amin, &
Santos, 2018). Tourists compare a destination with the amount of danger it entails, and then
decide whether or not to visit. As a result, risk perception is present during the purchase of a
commodity.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the way people perceive danger while travel has changed.
Consumers will adopt revised practises such as more trip cancellations (Huang & Min, 2002),
more car trips (Fall & Massey, 2005) preventing intense contact with people and favouring
outdoor activities (Wen, Huimin, & Kavanaugh, 2005), more last-minute reservations (Hystad
& Keller, 2008) and more concern for hygiene, more attention to ecotourism (Higgins-
Desbiolles, 2020).

As a result, predicting tourist merchandise buying behaviour after the pandemic is extremely
difficult (Vo Thanh, 2006). Many studies have been conducted in the past to better explain the
changes in visitor behaviour and tourism after disasters.

11
 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The research carried out is both quantitative research and qualitative research. Two types of
research oriented methods were used to achieve results. The first method used was
questionnaire survey which is a quantitative method and the second was observational method
which is a qualitative method.

A quantitative method of research is a systematic method of gathering quantifiable data and

carrying out statistical, mathematical or computational techniques. On the other hand,
qualitative research involves collecting and analysing non-numerical data to understand
concepts, opinions or experiences. It can be used to gather deep insights into a problem or
generate new ideas for research purpose.

The first part of the research paper uses questionnaire survey as a research method. A self-
made questionnaire was used as the tool to carry out the survey. This choice made it possible
to collect data from a big group of people covering a wide geographical area. The questionnaire
was made with the help of an online survey tool called Qualtrics and was distributed via a
survey link through various platforms like Emails, Whatsapp and Facebook. The questionnaire
consists of 15 objective questions which captures the tourists behaviour during Pre-Covid and
Post-Covid scenario with respect to destination planning.

The second part of the report uses naturalistic observational method. The sample size for the
observation was 4 married couples between the age group of 30-50. According to the stated
method, the observation was carried out by observing the behaviour of the subjects from the
time they decided on their destination till the last day of their holiday. The observation was
journalized and inferences were made through the whatsapp conversations also. The names of
the clients and personal information have not been disclosed to protect their privacy due to the
research being naturalistic observation.

12
 4. QUESTIONNAIRE METHOD

a) Introduction

According to the questionnaire method of research, a questionnaire containing 15 questions

was created on an online survey platform. The questions were related to the travel interest of
the participant. A total of 155 people from all walks of life responded to the survey. The data
was then analysed and interpreted to gather the end results.

b) Data analysis and interpretation

1.1 Finding the age

The following graph shows that maximum participants who filled the questionnaire are
between the age group of 30-50 (46.45%) followed by 18-30 (27.10%) and 50-70 (25.16%).
Only (1.29%) are below 18 years of age and (0.00%) are above 70. Every participant disclosed
their age range.

AGE
Don't want to say

Above 70

50- 70

30-50

18-30

Below 18

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00%

Fig : 1.1

13
1.2 Finding the gender identity
The below graph shows that the maximum number of participants were males (54.19%)
followed by females (45.81%). (0.00%) belonged to the non-binary/third gender. Every
participant disclosed their gender identity.

Gender Indentity

Prefer not to say

Non-binary / third gender

Female

Male

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00%

Fig: 1.2

1.3 Number of times participants travel per year for pleasure

The graph shows that (66.23%) of the participants travel 1-2 times a year followed by (15.58%)
who travel less than once a year. (12.99%) travel 3-6 times a year and (3.25%) travel 6-9 times.
(1.30%) like to travel more than 12 times while (0.65%) travel 9-12 times a year.

Number of times participants travel

per year for pleasure
More than 12 times
9-12 times
6-9 times
3-6 times
1-2 times
Less than once a year

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00%

Fig: 1.3

14
1.4 Travel preference pre covid in the past 5 years
The graph shows that (76.13%) of the participants travelled with their family while (12.90%)
travelled in a group. (6.45%) preferred to travel solo and (4.52%) chose other.

Travel preference pre covid

other

group

family

solo

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00%

Fig: 1.4

1.5 Travel preference post covid in the next 2 years

The graph below shows that (67.53%) of the participants would prefer to travel with family
while (16.23%) would like to travel solo. (12.99%) would prefer to travel in a group and
(3.25%) chose other.

Travel preference post covid

other

group

family

solo

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00%

Fig: 1.5

15
1.6 Locations travelled most pre covid in the past 5 years
The graph shows that (39.15%) travelled nationally while (19.38%) preferred to travel within
the state. (17.44%) travelled internationally – outside Asia and (14.34%) liked to travel
internationally in Asia. (8.14%) travelled locally and (1.55%) chose other.

Locations travelled most pre covid

other

International- outside asia

international- Asia

national

within the state

Local

0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00% 40.00% 45.00%

Fig : 1.6

1.7 Locations most likely to travel post covid in the next 2 years
The graph shows that (37.05%) of the participants would like to travel nationally while
(20.72%) would like to travel within the state. (16.73%) would prefer to travel internationally-
outside Asia and (13.15%) would prefer to travel internationally within Asia. (11.95%) would
like to travel local (0.40%) chose other.

Locations most likely to travel post covid

other

international-outside asia

international-asia

national

within the state

Local

0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00% 40.00%

Fig: 1.7

16
1.8 Favorite pre covid destination in the last 5 years
(38.06%) of the participants chose nature based destinations while (23.23%) and (21.29%)
preferred to travel to beaches and mountains respectively. (11.61%) travelled to different cities
while (5.81%) chose other.

Favorite pre covid destination

other

nature based

cities

beaches

Mountains

0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00% 40.00%

Fig: 1.8

1.9 Favorite destination post covid in the next 2 years.

The below graph shows that (46.41%) of the participants would choose nature based
destinations while ( 24.84%) and (18.95%) would choose mountains and beached respectively.
(5.88%) would prefer to travel to cities. (3.92%) chose other.

Favorite post covid destination

other

nature based

cities

beaches

mountains

0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00% 40.00% 45.00% 50.00%

Fig: 1.9

17
1.10 Favorite types of vacation pre covid in the past 5 years
The given graph shows that (39.09%) of the participants like leisure tourism while (24.55%)
like nature tourism. (16.82%) and (13.18%) have shown interest in Cultural &heritage tourism
and adventure tourism respectively. Educational tourism is at (2.73%) and others is at (3.64%).

Favorite type of vacation pre covid

other
educational tourism
nature tourism
cultural and heritage tourism
adventure tourism
Leisure tourism

0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00% 40.00% 45.00%

Fig: 1.10

1.11 Favorite types of vacation post covid in the next 2 years

The given graph shows that the percentage of participants who like leisure tourism is (32.75%)
while nature tourism holds (28.82%). (16.59%) would prefer adventure tourism and (14.41%)
would prefer cultural & heritage tourism. Educational tourism holds (3.93%) and other holds
(3.49%).

Favorite type of vacation post covid

other

educational tourism

nature tourism

cultural and heritage tourism

adventure tourism

leisure tourism

0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00%

Fig: 1.11

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1.12 Preferred booking pre covid
(47.74%) of the participants preferred to book their travel through online travel portals while
(41.94%) preferred to do it themselves. (7.74%) chose physical travel agencies and (2.58%)
chose others.

Preferred booking pre covid

other

physical travel agencies

online travel portals

yourself

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00%

Fig: 1.12

1.13 Preferred booking post covid

(49.35%) of the participants opted for online travel agencies while (42.21%) of the participants
chose to do their bookings themselves. (8.44%) chose physical travel agencies.

Preferred booking post covid

other

physical travel agencies

online travel portals

yourself

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00%

Fig 1.13

19
1.14 Likeliness to travel to destinations requiring PCR tests and covid vaccinations
The below graph shows that (38.96%) of the people would travel but to only a few destinations
(20.78%) would absolutely travel while another (20.78%) would not travel at all. (19.48%) are
unlikely to travel due to the nature of the virus.

Travelling to destination requiring PCR and

Vaccine
4- absolutely

3- yes but only in few destinations

2- unlikely due to the nature of the virus

1- not at all

0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00% 40.00% 45.00%

Fig: 1.14

1.15 Likeliness to travel to new destinations.

(40.91%) of the participants are likely to travel to new destinations. (27.92%) of the
participants will definitely choose to travel while (21.43%) of the participants are unlikely to
travel. (9.74%) of the people would not travel at all.

Likeliness to travel to new destinations

4- definitely will travel

3- likely

2- unlikely

1- not at all

0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00% 40.00% 45.00%

Fig:1.15

20
 c) Findings

Based on the first question, I could infer that from the 155 participants who filled the form
46.45% were between the age of 30-50 followed by 18-30 and then 50-70 indicating that
majority of the people are from the middle age range.

The sample mostly consisted of men as males constituted 54.19% of the survey while females
constituted of 45.81% of the survey.

The 3rd question focuses on the number of times these participants travel for pleasure and the
result was that 66.23% of the people travel 1-2 times a year followed by less than once a year.
Since maximum number of participants were between 30-50 and 50-70 the likeliness of
reduced number of travels is obvious due to busy work schedules and other commitments.
Some participants indicated that they travel 3-6 times a year which might include most of the
youth who are between 18-30 years of age.

The 4th and 5th questions give us a comparative analysis on tourist travel preferences pre covid
in the last five years and post covid in the next two years. From Fig 1.4 we can make out that
76.13% of the participants like to travel with their family while Fig 1.5 shows that 67.53% of
the participants like to travel with family indicating that there has been a drop of nearly 8.6%
in this preference. On the other hand, it is seen that solo travelling was not so popular pre covid
6.45% but will take a huge leap in the future to about 16.23% which is growth rate of 9.78%.
Group travelling is static as the same percentage of people are willing to travel in groups.
Another 4.52% of the participants suggested that they would like to travel with family as well
as solo or with friends. They would rather not be selective with who they are travelling with.
The post covid scenario shows the same results.

The 6th and 7th questions deals with the locations the participants would prefer pre covid and
the locations they would like to cover post covid in the next two years. The participants were
free to check as many boxes as they liked. People chose to travel nationally pre covid but post
covid there is a slight drop in the number of participants who would like to travel nationally.
Local and state tourism did not seem to be much of an interest for many participants pre covid

21
according to Fig 1.6 but Fig 1.7 shows that the interest level for local and state tourism will
increase as the years pass. People will start flocking to destinations in and around due to better
safety and less scrutiny. Some participants showed interest in both domestic and international
tourism while some didn't have any specific preference before and after the pandemic.
International travel was not so popular among the participants both pre covid as well as post
covid .

Fig 1.8 and Fig 1.9 give an analysis on the destination preferences both pre and post covid. Pre
covid nature based destinations was clearly the favorite for the participants and this favoritism
is shown to even extend after the covid. The graphs clearly show that pre covid beaches were
the hot destinations compared to mountains but after the pandemic mountains would become
much more popular than beaches. People travelling to other cities have also shown to decrease
after the pandemic in the next two years. Some participants have stated that be it pre pandemic
or post pandemic, their preferences would be temples as well as spiritual centers like the Isha
Yoga center while some people would prefer mixed destination or have no specific preference
at all.

Fig 1.10 and Fig 1.11 shows the type of vacations the participants preferred before and after
covid. Data indicates that the participants preferred leisure tourism pre covid as well as post
covid but with a mild decline from 39.09% to 32.75%. A hike can be seen in nature based
tourism which was 24.55% pre covid and 28.82% post covid. Pre covid data reveals that
cultural and heritage tourism was more popular than adventure tourism but post the pandemic
the latter has seemed to become more popular than the former. A very few participants seemed
to fancy educational tourism which some participants chose yoga and spiritual tourism as their
favorite type of vacation.

Fig 1.12 and Fig 1.13 shows the readers a comparative graph of preferences made by the
participants pre and post covid regarding their choice of bookings. Pre covid 47.74% of the
participants prefer online travel portals while the post covid data remains the same with a slight
hike to 49.35%. 42..21% of the participants were shown to opt booking by themselves post
covid which is a slightly higher than pre covid scenarios. A few number of participants chose
to opt for physical travel agencies.
Question 14 discusses the likeliness of travelers to travel to destinations which require PCR
tests and covid vaccinations. 38.96% of the people agreed to travel but only to a few

22
destinations while 20.78% do not want to travel at all due to the procedures. But yet again
20.78% of the participants will absolutely travel even if they have to conduct PCR tests or get
covid vaccines. The rest of the participants are unlikely to travel due to the fear they have
developed due to the nature of the virus but at the same time they are willing to keep the option
of travelling open.

The final question in the questionnaire deals with the propensity of travelers to travel to new
destinations. 40.91% are likely to travel to new destinations while 27.92% will definitely travel.
21.43% are unlikely to travel due to various factors contributing to the virus but a very less
percentage of participants 9.74% will not travel indicating that tourism is an integral part of
mankind and is impossible to curb.

5. OBSERVATION METHOD

a) Introduction
According to the naturalistic observation method, a sample of 4 married couples were taken
into observation. The observation took place in a span of three months from February to April.
The age of each person was within the range of 30-50 years. In the following observation each
couple will be depicted as A, B, C, D respectively. Each person was observed throughout the
time period which was from the time they decided to book a particular destination till the last
day of their stay. The current report will focus on the destination, Maldives as all the 4 samples
travelled to this destination. Thus, I will be elaborating on the behavior shown by these 4
couples individually regarding the decisions taken by them, their reaction to different situations
and the reason for them to choose this particular destination. The data for the following
interpretation is based on journalized entries which was recorded after speaking to the client
and whatsapp text messages.

b) Observations
Sample A. The first sample was a married couple who had decided to go on a honeymoon to
the Maldives for 4 nights. The husband had texted the manager of the company indicating that
they would like to go to the said destination. The text included the word “short notice” in the
context that he was planning to travel early. A myriad option was given to the client after which

23
he selected a high range category hotel providing free PCR tests for 2 adults. The confirming
process was completed within a day and the vouching was left which was completed within a
span of 2-3 days. The client seemed to be in a hurry to complete the bookings. During a
telephonic conversation with the individual, explaining the invoice he seemed to be fine with
the quote but insisted on a discount. He then went ahead and looked up other agencies for the
best price and on comparing with others he found a better deal, but as he was an old client so
he accepted the final price we offered him which was not much far from the deals by other
agents. The individual was polite throughout the conversation that took place and was very
cooperative. The day prior to their departure, his wife had taken up coordination with me to
complete the final procedure. She was very thoughtful and polite making sure to follow
whatever instructions where given. She called me 2 times. The first conversation was about
whether I had received the documents she had sent and the 2nd conversation was about a mail
which her husband did not receive regarding the IMUGA form for which she was assured that
it would not have any negative consequences. On the day of their travel I wished them a safe
journey and she replied that they had reached without hassles and that the property was very
good. They enjoyed the activities and plans that came along with the package which included
a free PCR test which was the real deal. On returning back she even replied to my text about
how she reached home safely and thanked me.

Screenshot 1 Screenshot 2

24
Sample B. The second sample chose Maldives as a destination to celebrate their wedding
anniversary. The couple approached the general manager for quotations which was then passed
onto me. The couple where given few options out of which they selected a high range category
hotel which offered a free PCR test for a 4 night stay. The client was given an invoice but he
insisted that the name be changed to his company’s name. Through the interaction that I had
with him on whatsapp I could make out that he was in a hurry to get the invoice so as to
complete the payments. His messages had a hint of agitation in it. He even sent a picture of
the prepared cheque. After the invoice was sent and payments were done it soon came to notice
that there was a miscommunication in the type of meal plan. The meal plan that was offered to
him and the plan that he had chosen were different, i.e, he was quoted a lesser price based on
a higher category All Inclusive meal plan that he had chosen and to avail the plan he had to
pay an extra $100 dollars per person. This caused a disruption in the business flow and it took
intensive explanation to make him understand the difference in costs. He showed great amount
of frustration during the process and was initially unwilling to understand the problem. Soon it
was fixed and he agreed to pay the extra $100 dollars per person. The client was very
worrisome in nature as he kept calling to clear doubts and kept emailing to company. His wife
was also equally active in communicating with the company. She would ask a lot of questions
regarding small things . For example, she would send a mail asking her to book the restaurant
for her and her husband. She would then follow up a number of times regarding the same query.
I then had to coordinate with the B2B agent to get an answer for her mail. Protocols suggest
that guests can book their choice of restaurant a day prior to arrival or on the day of arrival.
This was then communicated to her. Apart from that she also had a number of questions to ask
and kept mailing the company. Prior to their departure, during the time that I had to fill in the
IMUGA Health Declaration form for them, the husband kept insisting that I fill in the form for
them early. Since the form is valid for only 24 hours I filled it it half an hour after the landing
time and sent them a pdf but he was very worried regarding any delay in flight timings that I
had to fill the form again after 1 hour to give him the extra buffer time. Before they departed
to Maldives, the concerned individual flooded me with questions regarding immigration which
showed that he was nervous. On the day of travelling he sent me a text message regarding the
fact that they had reached their transit destination and were boarding for Male. According to
the general manager who was in contact with him, he and his wife had a lot of fun. One day
before their wedding anniversary, the client texted me asking if we could arrange for a cake or
some decorations on that day. I was prompt to mail the resort about it but didn't get in reply
from their behalf.

25
 Screenshot 3 Screenshot 4

Sample C. The client and his wife were going to Maldives for a getaway. The clients are old
customers of Gainwell and are thus priority guests. Their trip was planned well in advance
somewhere in the beginning of February. They were given quotes of few hotels out of which
they selected the lower range hotel in the high category list which offered free RT-PCR tests
for 2 adults for 4 nights. The client was keen on closing the deal but it seemed like he did not
want to invest on the trip at one go so he paid a certain percent of the total cost. He had planned
his trip for April mid week. He then didn't speak to me for a couple of days assuming that the
things would go as planned but towards the end of March he started having doubts whether he
would travel or not. Soon the plan changed after there were some problems in flights due to
Go Air becoming dysfunctional in the middle owing to Covid protocols. He then preponed his
is trip by agreeing to a fresh booking. We then cancelled his first trip and booked a new trip on
his wife’s name. We then freshly booked his flight tickets and room and gave him the new
invoice. He was very patient throughout the booking. He was also very helpful during the time
I filled his IMUGA form, providing me with information at every step. His wife did not play

26
any role in the communication. The client was not in contact with us after reaching the hotel
so data on his experiences could not be recorded.

Screenshot 5

Sample D. The clients were also going to Maldives for a getaway. They are relatives of the
clients who are part of sample C. They had chosen the same brand hotel as sample C but a
different property which also offered a free RT-PCR test. The lead client had confirmed his
trip in February and the hotel room had been confirmed. He was planning to travel during the
end of April. The client had even made 50% of his payment in February. After that he did not
get back for a long time but during mid march he called up to tell that he was doubtful whether
he would travel or not due to the surge in covid 19 cases in India. He then asked us if we could
prepone the travel date due to some personal engagement. I found new dates for him at the
same hotel and informed him that there would be a hike in prices due to the change. He said he
would get back and after one week of constant reminders he agreed to travel. Thus, the room

27
was up for vouching and the flight tickets were changed. The client was in constant touch with
us since then and kept asking if the hotels were confirmed or not. He even kept asking for his
vouchers which as was clearly told that the vouchers could only be generated once he made
the full payment. The client insisted that he could only pay on a date which was after the
vouching deadline and so I had to mail the B2B agent and ask them to postpone the deadline
which the graciously did. He made the payment on the first week of April. After the payment
was made he was insistent that I give him his vouchers and so I gave it to him. The client was
very meticulous and thus made me fill his IMUGA form two times because he was afraid that
if the flight got delayed the validity would expire. His wife who is the co client did not
participate in the conversation and thus not much could be observed about her. Similarly to the
above observation the client was not very responsive after reaching the hotel and thus no proper
observation could be recorded about this behavior towards the trip but at the same time he did
have a few queries regarding the return procedure which was clarified to him.

Screenshot 6

28
 c) Interpretation and Findings

Through the overall observations made during the internship, I could gauge the various
behavior patterns displayed by each client with the relation to Maldives. Each sample behaved
in a particular way and responded to a situation uniquely. There were some clients who were
not to verbal while others expressed themselves. The participation level of the spouse (female)
were different for each sample. Some common observations noticed were choice of destination,
requirement of high category hotels which were providing free RT-PCR tests. Most of the
clients did not indicate any fear for the pandemic directly through their conversation thus giving
glimpses on normalization. The interpretation below is given solely based on the observations
recorded.

Sample A provides us with an observation that both the husband and wife were equally
interested in participating during the planning and execution of the trip. Since it was a
honeymoon celebration their reason for taking up Maldives as a destination is justified as the
packages that were presented had honeymoon specials as well as exclusivity that intrigued the
guests. They were decisive and quick in making decisions as to what their next plan of action
should be. They also proved to be independent clients as they would not just bank upon the
prices given by one agency but would also search the market to get various competitive prices.
But they were compassionate enough to honor the work done by the company and so they
decided to stick with the plan after the company reduced the prices which was initially offered
before. They were also kind a courteous and didn't indulge in over conversations which showed
their confidence in travelling.

Sample B provides us with a different observation. In this both husband and wife take part in
the decision making processes but it's the husband who was in contact with us most of the time
over the phone. Unlike Sample A, sample B’s booking was a longer and tedious owing to the
fact that the client was not ready to understand certain facts quickly and needed constant
explanation. Analyzing the observation shows that he was worried about the trip and wanted
all sorts of confirmations before travelling. His wife was active on email suggesting that she
preferred written answers as proof for the discussions. Their constant questioning and refusal
to understand caused a lot of problem to the manager who was in contact with the clients due
to the error in the meal plans. Thus, the behavioral aspect of the observation is that the clients

29
were impatient and didn't show as much courteousness as the previous couple. But at the end
of the day they did show their gratitude as they enjoyed their holiday very much.

From the observations gathered from Sample C, we can infer that the clients had difficulty in
closing their holiday due to the Covid 19 pandemic which struck the country again. They had
made their plans early this year proving that they are people who know travelling as booking
early gives good offers and discounts. They even got the benefit of paying in installments due
to the dates they had selected giving them a good number of days to pay. But at the same time
the use of installments showed that they didn't want to pay all at once even though there was
an option for free cancellation before a given specific date. Towards the month March they
started having doubts on whether they would like to travel or not indicating that pandemic does
have an impact on the behavior of the tourist. But finally they gave in by changing their travel
dates indicating that people love to travel and will travel even during adversities. An overall
estimation of the client says that he was patient . . His wife on the other hand did not participate
in the interactions thus enough information could not be determined about her personality. The
clients did not interact with us during their stay and so their stay could also not be recorded.

Sample D which is the last of the four samples was quite a complex process due to the
enumerable number of queries from the client’s end. The couple were travelling to Maldives
for vacation. They had also confirmed his hotel quite in advance and paid only 50% of the total
in the beginning to seal the deal but as time of departure came closer he started having doubts
just like his relative who was the client from Sample C on whether to travel or not for two
reasons i) the surge in covid cases ii) a personal engagement. After much convincing they
were ready to travel with preponed dates. The client then took one week to decide indicating
that travel was not much on their mind. They needed several follow ups by the general manager
to confirm their trip. The client who handled the trip was mainly the husband. The wife did not
play much role in the interactions. The husband was also unwilling to share her number as he
didn't want her to get involved in the process. The client was very difficult and constantly
pestered for the documents even before making the full payment. Even after that the client
would call up multiple times to get things clarified. These actions may indicate that the client
was nervous before travelling. He did not report back on how his trip went thus not giving me
enough information to record.

30
 6. SUGGESTIONS

The report is made with destination consultancy as the primary focus. According to the findings
provided by both the questionnaire and observation it can be estimated that the travel industry
will not fade away due to the pandemic but there will be a difference in the way people perceive
tourism. Thus, based on the above data some suggestions can be made about the future of
destination consultancy.

 Destination consultants should try to find destinations which are not hotspots and
crowded.

 A consultant should understand the client thoroughly before giving suggestions. For
example, people who want to go abroad for leisure tourism can be suggested Maldives
instead of Dubai.

 During the current scenario, the destination consultant should encourage people to
travel within the state or locally initially and then to other states to get rid of the fear.

 People are not aware of many beautiful destinations in our country, so it is the main
responsibility of the consultant to make the clients see the beauty of their own nation.
For example, the island of Lakshadweep is equally as beautiful as Maldives but due to
poor advertising and lack of awareness people tend to skip such beautiful places.

 Destination consultants should focus on promoting nature based tourism at the moment.

 Homestays should be popularized among people so that they can enjoy nature tourism
to its fullest.

 People are likely to travel to only few destinations. These destinations would preferably
be the places the tourist think is safe or would like to re visit.

31
 7. CONCLUSION

Therefore, based on combined analysis of the results found by the multi research method
(Questionnaire method and Observation method) we can conclude that tourism is one such
activity that will never stop even when the pandemic is in full swing. The below report analysis
will be based on the post covid scenario since the pre covid preferences of the clients from the
observation were not recorded. The given observation was recorded between February- April
and will be considered as a post covid period for this research due to decrease in cases and as
this period was near normalization.

The questionnaire survey gave good results as the people who filled it where equally distributed
in both gender identity as well as in age. The maximum travelling age was between the range
of 30-50 which was also the case of the clients who were the samples in the observation. This
shows that right now people with enough savings in hand would be likely to travel more.

The question on how many times the clients prefer to travel per year for pleasure could not be
determined as no data could be collected on that through the observation. But with regards to
the current scenario and type of trip undertaken an assumption can be made that the clients
would prefer to travel 1-2 times a year. The survey also shows that maximum number of times
people travel is between 1-2 times a year showing the hectic schedules/lack of disposable
income among the people.

The survey suggests that the travel preferences of most people post covid would be with family
and this was even true for the observation as all the samples where married couples. People
were likely to pick family because of the trust and safety issues. The virus is such that it can
spread very fast and can be deadly thus to travel with unknown groups will reduce.

All the clients in the observation had chosen Maldives which when coincides with the graph
shows that they would fall under the 13.15% of people who would like to travel internationally
but within Asia. National travel is the top most interest among the people in the future but
nevertheless, people are still interested in travelling abroad and thus would choose close by
destinations.

32
The clients in the observation had chosen Maldives which is a seaside destination. Though it
can only be assumed that beaches are their favorite post covid destination it can be suggested
that these destinations are priority places. One common reason for all of them to choose
Maldives was exclusivity as the pandemic had risen fear regarding gatherings.

Since the clients are in the range of 30-50 and chose high category hotels in Maldives it can be
inferred that their main motive to travel was for leisure, to enjoy the overwater bungalows and
villas. The graph also shows that post covid majority people would like to travel for leisure
followed by nature tourism. The main purpose is to limit human contact.

The observation showed that the clients who were also the sample, where loyal customers of
Gainwell as they are known to have booked from them earlier. Thus it can be said that their
booking preference post covid will be physical travel agencies.

The results show that maximum people would be likely to travel after the pandemic to new
destinations while also agreeing to the various tests. This was later again seen in the observation
when a total of 4 couples were interested in travelling to Maldives. They were even ready to
undergo the RT-PCR test which is mandatory for travelling to the destination. Not only
Maldives some clients even showed interest in destinations such as Dubai and Russia. This
shows that some people were loosing the fear that the pandemic had created and were ready to
live their normal life again.

Therefore, to sum up there will be a definite impact on the behavior of tourists due to the
pandemic which will directly have an effect on future tourism. The conclusion above gives a
comprehensive analysis of both the questionnaire survey and the observation. It gives the
readers an outlook on how people perceived tourism in the past and how they think tourism
will be in the future. Through the observation of the clients a practical and holistic roadmap
could be drawn regarding tourist psychology.

Thus, the above study proved useful to understand the cognitive mindset of the population as
well as understand the mind of the clients individually. The beginning of the year was a time
of quick recovery and thus not much fear was shown among the clients who went on the trips
but on a whole the general population of people were shown to have a change of heart regarding
tourism and would prefer to change their individual travel tactics to meet their own needs.

33
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9. APPENDIX

Research Questionnaire.
Understanding the changes in tourist behaviour post the pandemic (covid 19) from a
destination consultant’s point of view.

Q1 - What is your age?

Below 18
18-30
30-50
50- 70
Above 70
Don't want to say

Q2 - What gender do you identify with?

Male
Female
Non-binary / third gender
Prefer not to say

36
Q3 - How many times do you travel per year for pleasure?

Less than once a year

1-2 times
3-6 times
6-9 times
9-12 times
More than 12 times

Q4 - How have your travel preferences been, pre covid , in the past 5 years?

solo
family
group
other

Q5 - What do you expect your travel preferences to be like post covid in the next 2 years?

solo
family
group
other

Q6 - Pre-Covid which locations did you travel most to in the past 5 years (check more than
one if applicable)?

Local
within the state
national
international- Asia
International- outside asia
Other

Q7 - Post Covid which locations would you travel most to in the next 2 years (check more
than one if applicable)?

Local
within the state
national
international- Asia
International- outside Asia
other

37
Q8 - What was your favorite pre covid destination in the past 5 years?

Mountains
beaches
cities
nature based
other

Q9 - What do you expect to be your favorite post covid destination in the next 2 years?

Mountains
beaches
cities
nature based
other

Q10 - What were your favorite types of vacation pre covid in the past 5 years?

Leisure tourism
adventure tourism
cultural and heritage tourism
nature tourism
educational tourism
other

Q11 - What do you expect your favorite types of vacation post covid in the next 2 years?

Leisure tourism
adventure tourism
cultural and heritage tourism
nature tourism
educational tourism
other

Q12 - How did you prefer to book your travel pre covid?

yourself
online travel portals
physical travel agencies
other

38
Q13 - How would you prefer to book your travel post covid?

yourself
online travel portals
physical travel agencies
other

Q14 - How likely are you to travel to destinations which require PCR tests and covid
vaccination?

1- not at all
2- unlikely due to the nature of the virus
3- yes but only in few destinations
4- absolutely

Q15 - How likely are you to travel to new destinations?

1- not at all
2- unlikely
3- likely
4- definitely will travel

39