Abstract
Travel demand is driven by various motives, which can be subject to changes. Trend study data show, that some motivations shift over time based on age, birth cohort or time-period. It is expected that the external shock of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic affects travel motivations of an entire population across ages and cohorts. However, and interestingly, survey results show that there are hardly any period effects on travel motives during the pandemic. There are two possible explanations which require further investigation: Either motivations are much more stable than expected, or motivations are instantly adjusted according to the available options to avoid cognitive dissonance between increased desires and reduced opportunities as well as limited abilities to travel.
Zusammenfassung
Die Reisenachfrage wird von unterschiedlichen Motiven beeinflusst. Daten aus Trendstudien zeigen, dass sich gewisse Beweggründe im Laufe der Zeit je nach Alter, Geburtskohorte oder Zeitraum ändern. Es ist zu erwarten, dass der externe Schock der SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie die Reisemotive der gesamten Bevölkerung über alle Altersgruppen und Kohorten hinweg beeinflusst. Interessanterweise zeigen Umfrageergebnisse jedoch, dass die Reisemo+A+SWB369+E+tive während der Pandemie kaum Periodeneffekten unterliegen. Zwei Erklärungen sind denkbar, die weiter untersucht werden müssen: Entweder sind die Motive viel stabiler als erwartet, oder die Motive werden sofort an die verfügbaren Optionen angepasst, um eine kognitive Dissonanz zwischen erhöhten Wünschen und reduzierten Möglichkeiten des Reisens zu vermeiden.
Acknowledgment
We would like to thank Prof. Dr. Christian Laesser who provided valuable comments on an earlier version of this research note.
About the authors
Simon Kuster, M.A. HSG, is a research associate and PhD candidate at the Research Center for Tourism and Transport at the University of St. Gallen.
Thomas Bieger, Dr. rer. pol. is a full professor of business administration with special focus on tourism and director of the Institute for Systemic Management and Public Governance at the University of St. Gallen (IMP-HSG).
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