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Do Tourists stand by the Tourism Industry?: Examining Solidarity During and After a Pandemic

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Published
  • Florian Kock
  • Albert George Assaf
  • Mike Tsionas
  • Alexander Josiassen
  • Marion Karl
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<mark>Journal publication date</mark>1/03/2024
<mark>Journal</mark>Journal of Travel Research
Issue number3
Volume63
Number of pages17
Pages (from-to)696-712
Publication StatusPublished
Early online date21/04/23
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

How does the suffering of a whole industry influence people’s attitudes toward that industry? This research is the first, across disciplines, to examine this question. The authors provide the first conceptual study and empirical test for the phenomenon called tourism solidarity. Based on seminal social psychology research, tourism solidarity is conceptualized and defined as an individual’s compassion with and support of an industry, resulting from an observation of suffering. The authors use a covariance-based structural equation model as well as a novel Bayesian estimation approach (i.e., non-parametric) to develop a reliable and easy-to-apply tourism solidarity scale and assess its role of solidarity in two consecutive empirical studies. By doing so, the authors are able to empirically demonstrate the importance of tourism solidarity for tourist behavior, and provide both tourism researchers and practitioners with a conceptual model and measurement tool to assess, quantify and actively manage solidarity toward the tourism industry.