Traveling The World Freely? The Role of Pandemic Panic on Traveler Behavior in Global Destination Marketing: The Case of Turkey

Since destination activities hold a great importance in terms of the travel and touristic trips planned by individuals and travelers, they should be considered as a fact to be managed and planned. The difficulties faced by the destination marketers, who have been affected by some different effects in the past years and the adverse effects of today's pandemic, are growing. This paper describes the conceptual definitions of the subject and the general situation of the pandemic in the world. Afterwards, the current study evaluates the changing behaviors of consumers and travelers in terms of health anxiety in the context of destination activities in the case of Turkey. Furthermore, the economic dimensions of the pandemic, which make it impossible to travel at the national or international levels, and the psychological pressures on people inhibit destination activities. The data obtained from the study have revealed that travelers and consumers with health anxiety avoid destination consumption. The results have indicated that although individuals' health anxiety levels have increased due to the pandemic, their avoidance of international travel is more due to legal restrictions. Although the results have revealed that individuals have changed their living standards and perceptions of hygiene, legal restrictions have led to avoidance of travel more effectively than the fear of the pandemic. The results of the survey have determined that individuals have avoided destination activities during the pandemic due to both economic and health concerns. Furthermore, the negative impact of this process is related to the restrictions and measures taken by the government.