The factors which influenced the Hungarian traveller decisions and tourism organisations during the coronavirus crisis and beyond

Economic Annals-XXI: Volume 202, Issue (3-4), Pages: 52-60

Citation information:
Karácsony, P., Vasa, L., & Pásztóová, V. (2023). The factors which influenced the Hungarian traveller decisions and tourism organisations during the coronavirus crisis and beyond. Economic Annals-XXI, 202(3-4), 52-60. doi: https://doi.org/10.21003/ea.V202-05


Peter Karácsony
PhD (Economics),
Professor,
Keleti Karoly Faculty of Business and Management,
Institute of Management and Quantitative Methods,
Obuda University
96/b Bécsi Str., Budapest, 1034, Hungary
karacsony.peter@uni-obuda.hu
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7559-0488

László Vasa
D.Sc. (Economics), Professor,
Research Center for Sustainability and Competitiveness,
Budapest Metropolitan University
1-9 Nagy Lajos király Str., 1148, Budapest, Hungary
laszlo.vasa@ifat.hu
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3805-0244

Vivien Pásztóová
MA (Economics),
PhD Student (Economics),
Faculty of Economics, and Informatics,
J. Selye University
3322 Bratislavská cesta Str., Komárno, 94501, Slovakia
vivien.pasztoova97@gmail.com
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0600-2384

The factors which influenced the Hungarian traveller decisions and tourism organisations during the coronavirus crisis and beyond

Abstract. In the 21st century, tourism and hospitality are highly profitable industries. Thousands of people enjoy visiting popular tourist resorts, and historical and natural sites or trying out the most exciting attractions, which give tourists the experience of a lifetime. In the aftermath of the 2019 coronavirus crisis, the way tourism organisations operate has changed dramatically. The coronavirus outbreak caused huge liquidity problems for companies, which also affected the tourism sector. We examine the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis on tourism organisations operating through primary research. The literature review is based on a synthesis of domestic and international research findings. For the primary research, an online questionnaire survey was conducted among the 312 selected respondents – active tourists – in the all regions of Hungary in 2022.

We analysed the decisions of Hungarians who travelled domestically and abroad and whether such factors as media coverage of coronavirus crisis and financial situation fears influence them.

The research is based on the testing of three hypotheses. Through correlation analysis and chi-square quantification, the research results showed that media coverage of the coronavirus crisis, fear of illness, and financial factors influenced respondents’ travel behaviour and thus the performance and operations of tourism organisations in Hungary.

Keywords: Travel; Tourism; Consumer Behaviour; Crisis; Hungary; Fear; Media Influence; Coronavirus

JEL Classifications: H12; J24; L83; Z32

Acknowledgements and Funding: The authors received funding for this research from Obuda University, Budapest, Hungary.

Contribution: The authors contributed equally to this work.

Data Availability Statement: The dataset is available from the authors upon request.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21003/ea.V202-05

References

  1. Addo, P. C., Jiaming, F., Bakabbey Kulbo, N., & Liangqiang, L. (2020). COVID-19: fear appeal favoring purchase behavior towards personal protective equipment. The Service Industries Journal, 40(7-8), 471-490.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2020.1751823
  2. Almeida, F., & Silva, O. (2021). The Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism Sustainability: Evidence from Portugal. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (AHTR), 8(2), 440-446.
    https://doi.org/10.30519/ahtr.775340
  3. Bak, G., & Pásztor, J. (2020). A COVID-19-pandémia hatása az általános biztonságérzetre és a külföldi tervekre – Az első és második hullám összehasonlító elemzése (Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on overall security and for foreign plans – Comparative analysis of the first and second wave). In XXIV Apáczai-napok Tudományos Konferencia tanulmánykötet (pp. 16-25). Győr.
    https://lib.sze.hu/images/Apaczai/kiadv%C3%A1ny/2020/01_02.pdf (in Hungarian)
  4. Bakar, N. A., & Rosbi, S. (2020). Effect of Corona virus disease (COVID-19) to tourism industry. International Journal of Advanced Engineering Research and Science (IJAERS), 7(4), 189-193.
    https://doi.org/10.22161/ijaers.74.23
  5. Benjamin, S., Dillette, A., & Alderman, D. H. (2020). We can’t return to normal: committing to tourism equity in the post-pandemic age. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 476-483.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1759130
  6. Boros, L., & Kovalcsik, T. (2021). A COVID-19-járvány hatása a budapesti Airbnb-piacra (Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Airbnb market in Budapest). Területi Statisztika (Territorial Statistics), 61(3), 380-402.
    https://doi.org/10.15196/TS610306 (in Hungarian)
  7. Canhoto, A. I., & Wei, L. (2021). Stakeholders of the World, Unite! Hospitality in the time of COVID-19. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 95, 102922.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.102922
  8. Chemli, S., Toanoglou, M., & Valeri, M. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 media coverage on tourist’s awareness for future travelling. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(2), 179-186.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1846502
  9. Csapó, J., & Lőrincz, K. (2020). A turizmus gazdaságban betöltött szerepe és irányai Magyarországon a COVID-19 előtt és után (Introduction to the role and trends of tourism in the economy of Hungary before and after the COVID-19), GeoMetodika, 4(3), 5-16.
    https://doi.org/10.26888/GEOMET.2020.4.3.1 (in Hungarian)
  10. Csiszárik-Kocsir, Á., Garai-Fodor, M., & Varga, J. (2021). What has Become Important during the Pandemic? – Reassessing Preferences and Purchasing Habits as an Aftermath of the Coronavirus Epidemic through the Eyes of Different Generations. Acta Polytechnica Hungarica, 18(11), 49-74.
    https://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/global-literature-on-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov/resource/pt/covidwho-1590107
  11. Demirdağ, Ş. A., Koruçuk, S., & Karamaşa, Ç. (2021). Evaluation of innovative management success criteria in hotel establishments: Case study in Giresun-Turkey. Decision Making: Applications in Management and Engineering, 4(2), 26-46.
    https://doi.org/10.31181/dmame210402026d
  12. Ekinci, G. (2021). COVIDomics & COVIDocial impacts: The relation between consumers’ fear of COVID-19, panic spending and saving behavior. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science, 10(3), 1-23.
    https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v10i3.1147
  13. Everingham, Ph., & Chassagne, N. (2020). Post COVID-19 ecological and social reset: moving away from capitalist growth models towards tourism as Buen Vivir. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 555-566.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1762119
  14. Farzanegan, M. R., Gholipour, H. F., Feizi, M., Nunkoo, R., & Andargoli, A. E. (2020). International Tourism and Outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19): A Cross-Country Analysis. Journal of Travel Research, 60(3), 687-692.
    https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287520931593
    https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0047287520931593
  15. Fekete-Fábián, Zs., & Jánosi, D. (2022). A 2008. és a 2020. évi válság hatása a hazai munkaerőpiacra és turizmusra. (Impact of the 2008 and 2009 crises on the domestic labour market and tourism). Területi Statisztika (Territorial Statistics), 62(2), 135-165.
    https://doi.org/10.15196/TS620201 (in Hungarian)
  16. Felkai, P. (2021). Hogyan utazzunk a COVID járvány után? (How can we travel after the COVID-19 pandemic?). Turizmus bulletin, 21(1), 44-48.
    https://doi.org/10.14267/TURBULL.2021v21n1.5 (in Hungarian)
  17. Godovykh, M., Pizam, A., & Bahja, F. (2021). Antecedents and outcomes of health risk perceptions in tourism, following the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism Review, 74(6), 773-748.
    https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-06-2020-0257
  18. Gössling, S., Scott, D., & Hall, C. M. (2021). Pandemics, tourism and global change: a rapid assessment of COVID-19. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(1), 1-20.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1758708
  19. Gretzel, U., Fuchs, M., Baggio, R., Hoepken, W., Law, R., Neidhardt, J., Pesonen, J., Zanker, M., & Xiang, Zh. (2020). E-Tourism beyond COVID-19: a call for transformative research. Information Technology & Tourism, 22, 187-203.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-020-00181-3
  20. Haywood, K. M. (2020). A post COVID-19 future – tourism re-imagined and re-enabled. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 599-609.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1762120
  21. Higgins-Desbiolles, F. (2020). Socialising tourism for social and ecological justice after COVID-19. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 610-623.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1757748
  22. Hungarian Central Statistical Office (2022). Turizmus, vendéglátás (Tourism hospitality).
    https://www.ksh.hu/turizmus-vendeglatas (in Hungarian)
  23. Ioannides, D., & Gyimóthy, Sz. (2020). The COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity for escaping the unsustainable global tourism path. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 624-632.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1763445
  24. Keller, V., & Printz-Markó, E. (2021). Belföldi utazási kedv járványidőszakban a fiatalok körében (Domestic Travel Intentions among Youth in Times of Pandemic). Polgári Szemle (Civil Review), 17(1-3), 64-77.
    https://doi.org/10.24307/psz.2021.0706 (in Hungarian)
  25. Kusumaningrum, D. A., & Wachyuni, S. S. (2020). The Shifting Trends in Travelling After the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Tourism & Hospitality Review, 7(2), 31-40.
    https://doi.org/10.18510/ijthr.2020.724
  26. Lapointe, D. (2020). Reconnecting tourism after COVID-19: the paradox of alterity in tourism areas. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 633-638.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1762115
  27. Madani, A., Boutebal, S. E., Benhamida, H., & Bryant, Ch. R. (2020). The Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on the Tourism Needs of the Algerian Population. Sustainability, 12(21), 8856.
    https://doi.org/10.3390/su12218856
  28. Michalkó, G., Németh, J., & Birkner, Z. (2022). Lezárástól az újraindulásig: a COVID19 járvány hatása a magyar lakosság utazásaira és a turizmusbiztonsággal kapcsolatos percepcióira (From closure to reopening: the impact of the COVID19 crisis on the Hungarian population’s travel and perceptions of tourism safety) In Michalkó, G., Németh, J., & Birkner, Z. Turizmusbiztonság, járvány, geopolitika (Tourism security, epidemic, geopolitics) (pp. 115-127). Pátria Nyomda Zrt.
    http://real.mtak.hu/159845
  29. Neuburger, L., & Egger, R. (2021). Travel risk perception and travel behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic 2020: a case study of the DACH region. Current issues in Tourism, 24(7), 1003-1016.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1803807
  30. Okafor, L. E., Khalid, U., & Burzynska, K. (2021). Does the level of a country’s resilience moderate the link between the tourism industry and the economic policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic? Current Issues in Tourism, 25(2), 303-318.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1956441
  31. Pham, T. D., Dwyer, L., Su, J.-J., & Ngo, T. (2021). COVID-19 impacts of inbound tourism on Australian economy. Annals of Tourism Research, 88, 103179.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2021.103179
  32. Priatmoko, S., Kabil, M., Vasa, L., Pallás, E. I., & Dávid, L. D. (2021). Reviving an Unpopular Tourism Destination through the Placemaking Approach: Case Study of Ngawen Temple, Indonesia. Sustainability, 13(12), 6704.
    https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126704
  33. Rasoolimanesh, S. M., Seyfi, S., Rastegar, R., & Hall, C. M. (2021). Destination image during the COVID-19 pandemic and future travel behavior: The moderating role of past experience. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 21, 100620.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2021.100620
  34. Remenyik, B., Horváth, D., & Vasa, L. (2020). Relationships between cycle theories, sustainable tourism, and the effects of the COVID-19 in Hungary. Economic Annals-XXI, 185(9-10), 79-90.
    https://doi.org/10.21003/ea.V185-08
  35. Renaud, L. (2020). Reconsidering global mobility – distancing from mass cruise tourism in the aftermath of COVID-19. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 679-689.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1762116
  36. Riadil, I. G. (2020). Tourism Industry Crisis and its Impacts: Investigating the Indonesian Tourism Employees Perspectives’s in the Pandemic of COVID-19. Jurnal Kepariwisataan: Destinasi, Hospitalitas, dan Perjalanan, 4(2), 98-108.
    https://doi.org/10.34013/jk.v4i2.54
  37. Rogerson, Ch. M., & Rogerson, J. M. (2020). COVID-19 Tourism Impacts in South Africa: Government and Industry Responses. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 31(3), 1083-1091.
    https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.31321-544
  38. Romagosa, F. (2020). The COVID-19 crisis: Opportunities for sustainable and proximity tourism. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 690-694.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1763447
  39. Rutynskyi, M., & Kushniruk, H. (2020). The impact of quarantine due to COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry in Lviv (Ukraine). Problems and Perspectives in Management, 18(2), 194-205.
    https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.18(2).2020.17
  40. Schmude, J., Filimon, S., Namberger, Ph., Lindner, E. Nam, J.-F., & Metzinger, P. (2021). COVID-19 and the Pandemic’s Spatio-Temporal Impact on Tourism Demand in Bavaria (Germany). Tourism: An International Interdisciplinary Journal, 69(2), 246-261.
    https://doi.org/10.37741/t.69.2.6
  41. Seyfi, S., Hall, C. M., & Shabani, B. (2020). COVID-19 and international travel restrictions: the geopolitics of health and tourism. Tourism Geographies, 25(1), 357-373.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1833972
  42. Shao, Y., Hu, Z., Luo, M., Huo, T., & Zhao, Q. (2021). What is the policy focus for tourism recovery after the outbreak of COVID-19? A co-word analysis. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(7), 899-904.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1806798
  43. Spenceley, A., McCool, S., Newsome, D., Báez, A., Barborak, J. R., Blye, C.-J., Bricker, K., Cahyadi, H. S., Corrigan, K., Halpenny, E., Hvenegaard, G., King, D. M., Leung, Y.-F., Mandić, A., Naidoo, R., Rüede, D., Sano, J., Sarhan, M., Santamaria, V., Sousa, Th. B., & Zschiegner, A.-K. (2021). Tourism in protected and conserved areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Parks, 17, 103-118.
    https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2021.PARKS-27-SIAS.en
  44. Stankov, U., Filimonau, V., & Vujičić, M. D. (2020). A mindful shift: an opportunity for mindfulness-driven tourism in a post-pandemic world. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 703-712.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1768432
  45. Tovmasyan, G. (2021). Capital investments, tourist tax and tourism development: The case study of Armenia. Economics and Sociology, 14(1), 199-213.
    https://doi.org/10.14254/2071-789X.2021/14-1/13
  46. Umukoro, G. M., Odey, V. E., & Yta, E. M. (2020). The effect of pandemic on homebased tourism: post COVID-19. International Journal of Humanities and Innovation (IJHI), 3(3), 103-108.
    https://doi.org/10.33750/ijhi.v3i3.87
  47. Villacé-Molinero, T., Fernández-Muñoz, J. J., Orea-Giner, A., & Fuentes-Moraleda, L.  (2021). Understanding the new post-COVID-19 risk scenario: Outlooks and challenges for a new era of tourism. Tourism Management, 86, 104324.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104324
  48. Yu, M., Li, Zh., Yu, Zh., He, J., & Zhou, J. (2020). Communication related health crisis on social media: a case of COVID-19 outbreaks. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(19), 2699-2705.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1752632

Received 27.02.2023
Received in revised form 16.03.2023
Accepted 19.03.2023
Available online 10.04.2023