DETERMINING THE TRAVEL RISK PERCEPTION AND TRAVEL BEHAVIOR OF SERBIAN RESIDENTS DURING THE POST-PANDEMIC PERIOD

Abstract

The tourism industry is very sensitive to the influence of various crisis situations which can have smaller or greater negative impact on its development. Many tourist destinations closed their borders due to the development of a global pandemic of COVID-19, which resulted in a dramatic reduction of tourist turnover as well as the temporary stop of normal functioning of the tourism industry. Moreover, the current health crisis influenced significantly the changes in decision-making process of tourists when choosing a holiday destination and the way of organizing their journey. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relations among travel risk perception, tourist behavior during travel and the frequency of travel among Serbian residents when the individual characteristics of the respondents are controlled. Results of the empirical research indicate that tourist’s behavior during travel is positively connected with the travel risk perception. Furthermore, age and education affect the travel risk perception.