Assessing impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on Vietnamese tourists’ traveling intention

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic from the beginning of the year 2020 has caused savage damages to the tourism industry not only in Vietnam but also around the world. As being one of the spearhead industries with a fast-growing pace and huge potentials, this industry indeed calls for a deep understanding of on-going changes and current elements that can influence tourists’ intention for traveling so that service providers or tourism companies can launch suitable solutions to survive and progress during this recession. Therefore, this study aims at investigating factors that domestic travelers consider when they go traveling during and after the COVID-19 epidemic. The study uses primary data that is collected from the quantitative research method. To facilitate the survey and research procedure, a hypothesis model is presented based on previous studies and preferences. Then, an online survey is conducted and published in Facebook groups of Vietnamese tourists’ community to accumulate practical data from the population due to the face-to-face interactive restriction and the prevalence of Facebook in this nation. Besides, the survey is totally in Vietnamese to ensure the appropriate approach to Vietnamese travel enthusiasts only. The research findings ultimately answer research questions about factors that Vietnamese tourists concern about when deciding to travel or planning to take a trip during and after the pandemic which is Family’s matters, Traveling motivation, Traveling behavior, Attitude, and COVID-19 risk perception. On the other hand, the only change from tourists’ perspective defined in this study is destination characteristics. Moreover, it is also determined that Vietnamese tourists have the intention to travel if it is necessary or as soon as the situation is under control. From there, the author gives a conclusion and recommendations that tourism companies can accomplish to meet tourists’ satisfaction and motivate them to travel safely