The impact of Covid-19 on travel sentiment – The evidence from China

Analysing unstructured big data to elicit sentiments has been widely used in tourism studies but little in the context of crises and uncertainty. The Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted the tourism industry due to travel restrictions and high risks associated with mobility. The study aims to examine the causal relationship between travel sentiment and Covid-19 in China using difference-in-difference method and spatial econometrics to fully capture the impact of the pandemic on travel sentiment across provinces.

Findings show a strong causal relationship between travel sentiment and Covid-19 confirmed cases. Significant spillover effects of travel sentiment between neighbouring provinces were inferred, meaning that the change in travel sentiment in one province in response to Covid-19 affects the travel sentiment in neighbouring provinces.