The organizational impact of Covid-19 crisis on travel perceived risk across four continents

Abstract

Purpose

It became a fact, and the world's countries went under confinement due to the pandemic of the Covid19. There are severe impacts on tourism with the supply chain experiencing a full pause. This research investigates the influence of governance, media coverage, crisis severity, former travel practice and Covid-19 incidences on the perceived risk related to travel and tourism during the pandemic and in cross-countries.

Design/methodology/approach

We collected the data from a sample of 1845 individuals from more than 12 countries and four continents representing quarantined and most impacted areas in the world in March and April 2020. A multilevel linear model was applied to predict the perceived risk across countries as a level 2 research unit.

Findings

The finding confirms the clustering in the data with media coverage, governance and crisis growth affecting the outcome. There are cross-level interaction effects, as the growth rate of the pandemic per country and media coverage impact tourists' perception of risk. Finally, there are lower-level direct effects, with lower-level variables affecting tourists' perceived risks.

Research limitations/implications

The survey is randomly administered online due to the nearly complete quarantine implemented in the studied areas. Besides, and considering the latter, the responses might have been subjective due to the non-containment of the crisis by the study's time, directing to possible alteration of feelings and responses from respondents. This leads to suggest a future extension of this research, similarly, post-crisis.

Originality/value

This research pinpointed the impacts of predictors, concerning the countries' level, during the crisis phase on the perceived risk. Therefore, it gives insights into professional bodies on future concerns to be considered during the recovery phase.

Citation

Toanoglou, M., Chemli, S. and Valeri, M. (2022), "The organizational impact of Covid-19 crisis on travel perceived risk across four continents", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 35 No. 2, pp. 293-307. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-12-2020-0369