Thai tourists’ attitude towards Germany’s COVID-19 crisis management and their intention to travel to Germany

Abstract

The objective of this research was to study whether there is a difference in Thai tourists’ intention to travel to Germany before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also aimed to investigate the relationship between their intention to travel after the pandemic as well as their attitude towards Germany’s crisis management. Two hundred Thai tourists were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire survey online. The findings of this research reveal a significant statistical difference in travel intention before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings suggested a lower travel intention to Germany after the COVID-19 pandemic, but an overall positive attitude towards Germany’s crisis management. The findings also indicated a positive correlation between Germany’s crisis management and Thai tourists’ intention to travel after the pandemic. In conclusion, despite the positive attitude towards Germany’s crisis management in the first half of 2020, it was found that Thai tourists demonstrate a lower intention to travel to Germany after the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though the crisis was perceived as well-managed, the pandemic and its consequences have a bigger impact on Thai tourists than the crisis management itself.