Safety Concerns and Travel Behavior of Generation Z: Case Study from the Czech Republic

Abstract

Generation Z has been online since the beginning, the online space is an integral part of their lives and personalities, and they make up about 30% of the world’s population. It is claimed that this youngest cohort is already the most numerous generation on the Earth. The most important holiday parameters for them are price and location. They want to explore new places and be active while abroad. The study examines the impact of safety concerns on changes in travel behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. We focused on members of Generation Z who study the Tourism and the Recreation and Leisure Studies programs, so these students have a positive attitude towards traveling. Data were collected via internal university systems at two periods of time connected to different stages of the pandemic outbreak. The sample was chosen randomly. The sample of Period 1 (n = 150) was composed in 2020, after the lifting of restrictions at the end of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic. The sample of Period 2 (n = 126) was collected one year later, after the lifting of restrictions at the end of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic. Correspondence analysis was used for better understanding and representation. This is a unique research study on Generation Z in the Czech Republic and Central Europe. As a result of the contemporary demographic changes in the world, this generation will shape future travel demand. Hence, understanding these youngest travelers will be key to predicting how tourism trends could evolve in the next few years and how these could influence worldwide tourism. The respondents thought they would not change their travel habits in the next five years because of the pandemic. When Periods 1 and 2 were compared after one year of the pandemic, the respondents preferred individual trips to group trips and individual accommodation to group accommodation facilities. On the other hand, our findings revealed a significant increase in safety concerns related to changes in travel behavior when the above-mentioned periods were compared. The research contributes to mapping young people’s attitudes towards travel in the constrained and changing conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings help analyze the consumer behavior of the target group.

Health and safety protocols and guest satisfaction of resort hotels in Batangas province

“…As supported by the study of Rončák et al (2021), Generation Z grew up with technology and at a period of increased awareness of humanity's detrimental influence on the environment. Climate change, globalization, and new technological gadgets have influenced their ideas, motives, and attitudes, and hence their travel behavior.…”

Generation Z, tourism and hospitality: the legacy of COVID-19

“…Summarising it is possible to affirm that Gen Z is paying particular attention to sustainability, as one of the main features evaluated in the destination's choice (Ruspini, 2019;Seyfi et al, 2022) and to the relationship between the latter and digitalisation (Filipiak et al, 2020;Saseanu et al, 2020;Loureiro and Nascimento, 2021;Talwar et al, 2022;Moreno-Izquierdo et al, 2022). However, the condition created by the pandemic needs to be deeply evaluated to analyse possible influences, effects and changes, as there is no exhaustive reference literature to draw the prospects of the sector (Abbas et al, 2021;Ron c ak et al, 2021). Recent studies were also conducted in Italy, observing a resilience approach to the tourism experience where new habits due to COVID-19 seemed to remain for subsequent periods (Cavallo et al, 2020;Bozzato et al, 2020;Corbisiero and Monaco, 2021).…”

“…However, the condition created by the pandemic needs to be deeply evaluated to analyse possible influences, effects and changes, as there is no exhaustive reference literature to draw the prospects of the sector (Abbas et al. , 2021; Rončák et al. , 2021).…”

Virtual Tour as a Virtual Experience of Destination Management Organisations in Slovakia

“…The use of VR technology is one of the principal tools for Destination Management Organisations (DMOs), tour operators and tourism attractions. who prefer to use this technology to virtually select the destinations and accommodation providers they want to travel to directly from home ((Dávid et al, 2007;Rončák et al, 2021). These generations also appreciate the creation of content for comprehensive physical immersion (animating a 3D environment or creating a 3D environment with the integration of photos and videos).…”