ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has had detrimental impacts on hospitality businesses. Drawing on protection motivation theory (PMT), this study investigated what determined customer hesitation to patronize restaurants and hotels and whether such hesitation underwent changes in the duration of the pandemic. The research model was tested using three sets of survey data collected in December 2020 (n = 826), February 2021 (n = 832) and April 2021 (n = 808). The study found that expected COVID-19 safety precautions, COVID-19 risk avoidance, and demographic factors predicted customers’ hesitation to visit restaurant/hotel. The analysis also showed significant shifts in how expectations about safety precautions, risk avoidance, and demographics affected customers’ visit hesitation over time. These findings provide critical insights to restaurant and hotel managers and destination marketers. To ensure that customers feel safe and confident in visiting hotels and restaurants, managers should implement the recommended safety measures and clearly communicate the implementation of these measures to customers.

摘要

COVID-19 大流行对酒店业产生了不利影响。本研究借鉴保护动机理论 (PMT)，调查了顾客犹豫是否光顾餐馆和酒店的原因，以及这种犹豫是否在大流行期间发生了变化。该研究模型使用 2020 年 12 月 (n = 826)、2021 年 2 月 (n = 832) 和 2021 年 4 月 (n = 808) 收集的三组调查数据进行了测试。研究发现，预期的 COVID-19 安全预防措施、COVID-19 风险规避和人口因素可预测顾客对去餐厅/酒店的犹豫。该分析还显示，随着时间的推移，对安全预防措施、风险规避和人口统计的期望如何影响客户的访问犹豫发生了重大变化。这些发现为餐厅和酒店经理以及目的地营销人员提供了重要的见解。为确保客户在访问酒店和餐厅时感到安全和自信，管理人员应实施推荐的安全措施，并向客户明确传达这些措施的实施情况。