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 the COVID-19 virus all over the world. In Bangladesh, compared with other business sectors, the 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 influences travelers' intention to travel to domestic tourist places in Bangladesh. It is a correlational study in a 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 was surveyed through a structured online questionnaire. Frequency distribution of the demographic factors is described here, along with a 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 is a relationship between Tourism Knowledge concerning Covid-19 Pandemic and travel intention, between Tourism Knowledge in relation to Covid-19 Pandemic and perception of threat and travel intention. Therefore, it can be stated that if proper knowledge or information regarding the crisis and threats associated with the crisis are provided to the people, they eventually form a willingness or intention to travel to local tourist spots.