KNOWLEDGE OF TRAVEL PRECEDES INTENTION: A STUDY BASED ON THE LOCAL TOURISM INDUSTRY IN BANGLADESH IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

Economic activities of all types have been severely affected by COVID-19 virus in all over the world. In Bangladesh, compared with other business sector, tourism sector became damaged more rigorously. This study focuses on local or domestic tourism and tries to explain how information or knowledge about risks or threats associated with tourism in this pandemic influence travelers’ intention to travel domestic tourist places in Bangladesh. It is a correlational study in causal research design where the researcher investigates the relation between three variables namely Tourism Knowledge in relation to Covid-19 Pandemic, perception of threat and travel intention. A sample of 350 respondents from Dhaka Metropolitan City were surveyed through a structured online questionnaire. Frequency distribution of the demographic factors are described here along with reliability test to find the internal consistency of the items used and confirmatory factor analysis was employed to analyze the hypotheses. This research study finds that in the context of local tourism in Bangladesh, there exists relationship between Tourism Knowledge in relation to Covid-19 Pandemic and travel intention, between Tourism Knowledge in relation to Covid-19 Pandemic and perception of threat and between perception of threat and travel intention. Therefore, it can be stated that if proper knowledge or information regarding the crisis and threats associated with crisis are provided to the people, they eventually form willingness or intention to travel local tourist spots.