COVID-19 and Tourism, 2020

The present study provides a snapshot of Slovene perceptions in a historically unique point of time – the early days of the COVID-19 related lockdown. Based on an online survey performed in March and April 2020 the study provides first insights into Slovene perceived threats of COVID-19 on two dimensions: severity and susceptibility; how this depends on their demography and past travel experience and what, in this specific point in time, they think about future travel avoidance. Furthermore, the research follows the approaches to so-called fear appeals and analyses the mechanisms of response to the threat: avoiding thinking about the threat and denying the existence of a threat. Finally, the research includes demographic variables and information sources regarding the pandemic.