The resilience of the lodging industry during the pandemic: Hotels vs. Airbnb.

The adverse impact of the recent pandemic on the lodging industry has largely been based on anecdotal evidence. The extent to which different parts of this broad industry were individually affected by the COVID-19 pandemic also remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the various sectors of the lodging industry to identify patterns that may not be consistent with the idea that the entire hospitality industry was negatively affected by the pandemic. The results show that while the COVID-19 pandemic did have a generally negative effect on lodging demand, hotel room and peer-to-peer accommodation property bookings were not affected equally. Importantly, it appears that these variations were attributable, at least in part, to state-level variations in policy that made travel and hospitality services relatively more (or less) difficult for consumers to obtain. Theoretical and managerial implications are extensively discussed.

Using the Health Belief Model to examine travelers' willingness to vaccinate and support for vaccination requirements prior to travel.

Data from a survey of 1478 travelers and multistep group structural equation model analysis revealed that the Health Belief Model constructs of cues to action (trust in third-party information sources), perceived severity of and susceptibility to COVID-19, and beliefs about the protection benefits of a COVID-19 vaccine, subsequently elicited willingness to vaccinate and beliefs that others should vaccinate prior to travel and enhanced support for pre-travel vaccination mandates. Also, significant differences in the perceived protection benefits of the vaccine and willingness to vaccinate were found across groups of travelers who travel more or less frequently and those with and without a prior positive test for COVID-19. The study provides a theoretically informed understanding of the dynamics that may enable the success of important health-related travel policy in the wake of COVID-19 and future pandemics and identifies the communication mechanisms that must be leveraged by governments and travel authorities in enforcing policy.

Influences of Outdoor Experiences During Childhood on Time Spent in Nature as an Adult.

Introduction: Time spent in nature provides myriad physical and mental health benefits for both adults and children. Despite these benefits, most people spend too little time in nature to realize the maximal effect. Different types of childhood experiences may have differential influence on adult time in nature. This study assessed the influences of different kinds of childhood outdoor experiences on time spent in nature as an adult. The first aim was to utilize 20 childhood nature experience items to construct summative scales. The second aim was to examine the influence of each scale and other factors on adult time in nature. Methods: A 2-factor scale measuring wild and domesticated childhood nature experiences was developed using principal and confirmatory factor analyses. An online study of 2,109 American adults was conducted. Multiple linear regression examined the influences of the 2 childhood nature experiences scales, attitude and self-efficacy scales, and sex and age covariates on adult time spent in nature. Results: Significant predictors of adult time in nature were wild childhood nature experiences (ß=0.279, p<0.001), positive attitudes about nature (ß=0.12, p<0.05), negative attitudes about nature (ß= -0.23, p<0.001), and self-efficacy (ß=0.71, p<0.001). Conclusions: Wild childhood nature experiences (e.g., camping, hiking, and fishing) that include skill building, that are immersive and engaging, and that involve opportunity for social interaction may translate better into adult nature activities. Programs that introduce and support wild experiences may increase lifelong time spent in nature.

Predicting preventive travel behaviors under the COVID-19 pandemic through an integration of Health Belief Model and Value-Belief-Norm.

This study developed a conceptual framework for a preventive travel decision-making process amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, combining the Health Belief Model (HBM) and Value-Belief-Norm (VBN). Analyzing 409 responses collected from an online survey, this study verified the integrated model as a salient theory addressing the importance of social components and health belief factors in affecting behavior. The model revealed that altruistic value influences the HBM variables, whereas personal norms mediate preventive behaviors and beliefs in both VBN and HBM. These findings offer new theoretical insights into decision-making process and provide practitioners with effective crisis management strategies concerning pro-social and health beliefs.

Development and validation of self-efficacy and intention measures for spending time in nature.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the reliability and validity of self-efficacy and intentions measures for time spent in nature (TSN). TSN is related to improvement in psychological well-being and health, yet most American adults spend very little time in such settings. Theory-based interventions have been effective in increasing physical activity, a related behavior, and may be one mechanism to increase TSN. Self-efficacy and intentions have been shown to be strong predictors of health behaviors and are used across several theories. However, scales to measure these factors have not yet been developed and are needed to facilitate effective interventions. METHODS: TSN self-efficacy and intentions scales were developed using a sequential nine-step procedure: identification of the domain and item generation; content validity; pre-testing of questions; sampling and survey administration; item reduction; extraction of factors; tests of dimensionality; tests of reliability; and tests of validity. The 14-member multidisciplinary, researcher and practitioner investigative team generated 50 unique items for self-efficacy and 24 unique items for intentions. After subjecting items to content validity and pre-testing, item sets were reduced to 21 assessing self-efficacy and nine assessing intentions. A nationwide sample of 2109 adult participants (49.7% female, Mean Age = 58.1; 59.8% White, 18.4% Hispanic, 13.3% Black) answered these items via an on-line survey. RESULTS: Using split-half measures, principal components analysis indicated a one-factor solution for both scales. The factor structure was upheld in confirmatory factor analyses and had high internal consistency (α = .93 self-efficacy; .91 intentions). The scales were moderately correlated with each other (r = .56, p < .001) and were strongly related to TSN with large effect sizes (eta2 > .20). CONCLUSIONS: The study resulted in reliable and valid self-efficacy (14 items) and intentions (8 items) scales that can be used to develop future theory-based interventions to increase TSN and thereby improve population health.

A Cross-Sectional Survey of Risky Travel and Leisure Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PURPOSE: COVID-19 is largely spread through close contact with infected people in indoor spaces. Avoiding these spaces is one of the most effective ways to slow the spread. This study assessed who had engaged in risky travel and leisure behaviors before the availability of vaccines. DESIGN: National cross-sectional on-line survey collected in November and December 2020. Setting: United States; Participants: 2589 adults representative by gender and race/ethnicity to the US population; Measures: The survey assessed if people had resumed 11 risky behaviors during the pandemic, prior to vaccines. Independent variables included age, race/ethnicity, region of the country, education, income, preexisting conditions, perceived severity and susceptibility, positive COVID diagnosis, and political ideology. ANALYSIS: Univariate analysis and logistic regressions were used to assess demographic and psychological factors of those resuming these behaviors. Results: Most (60.3%) of people had resumed at least 1 behavior with eating inside of restaurants (33.2%) and visiting family and friends (37.5%) being the most prevalent. In the multivariate analyses, perceived susceptibility was significant across all behaviors. Young people, fiscal conservatives, and people with higher perceived severity were more likely to perform several of the behaviors. Preexisting conditions did not predict any of the behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Travel and leisure behaviors vary by type of risk and may need specific tailored, prevention messages to promote risk reduction during future pandemics.

Quantifying the economic impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. hotel industry: Examination of hotel segments and operational structures.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had substantial negative impacts on the global economy. While all sectors of the economy are expected to be adversely affected, the economic implications of this pandemic for the hotel industry have not yet been widely investigated. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the U.S. hotel industry. The results showed that daily room OCC, ADR and RevPAR have plunged about 74%, 47% and 86%, respectively. Although the impact is observed across all hotel segments, economy-scale hotels were more resilient, whereas luxury-scale hotels experienced the largest decline. Also, chain-managed hotels are the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to franchise and independent hotels. Quantifying the magnitude of this impact, we found that the U.S. hotel industry's revenue losses accumulated to over $30 billion between March-2020 and May-2020. Implications for practitioners, policy-makers, and researchers are discussed.

The nexus between tourism, economic growth, renewable energy consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions: contemporary evidence from OECD countries.

The relationship between tourism development, economic growth, renewable energy consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions has been examined in a variety of contexts; however, the extant studies report contradictory findings mainly due to utilizing arbitrary empirical techniques. We present a comprehensive literature review and the effects of tourism development, economic growth, and renewable energy consumption on the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. Specifically, the effects of gross domestic product, renewable energy consumption, and tourism receipts on carbon dioxide emissions in OECD countries are examined utilizing the bootstrap panel cointegration technique and the augmented mean group estimator. The results showed that tourism development has negative and significant effects on CO2 emission in Canada, Czechia, and Turkey, while tourism development has positive and significant effects on CO2 emission in Italy, Luxembourg, and the Slovak Republic. Also, Belgium, France, New Zealand, and the Slovak Republic have shifted towards sustainable tourism practices. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.