Destination Image in the COVID-19 Crisis: How to Mitigate the Effect of Negative Emotions, Developing Tourism Strategies for Ethnocentric and Cosmopolitan Consumers

Abstract

This paper analyses the role of destination image during the COVID-19 crisis in order to offer practical recom-mendations for destination managers in developing countries. It is argued that the negative emotions triggered during the pandemic will have a direct impact on destination image. Targeting ethnocentric and cosmopolitan consumers is suggested as a potential mitigation strategy, as these consumer’s predispositions might moderate the adverse effect. The paper opts for an argumentation and conceptual model based on a thorough literature review of destination image, negative emotions, consumer ethnocentrism and consumer cosmopolitanism. It is argued that the negative emotions triggered by the COVID-19 crisis have a direct influence on destination image. Furthermore, the consumer predispo-sitions of consumer ethnocentrism and consumer cosmopolitanism moderate the impact of destination image on tour-ism outcomes, such as, intentions to visit and willingness to recommend a destination. Managers must distinguish the affective and cognitive components of destination image in order to identify attributes relevant to the development of tourism strategies. This study provides a theoretical and conceptual foundation for differentiating between the cogni-tive and affective components of destination image, which allows for identifying the impact of negative emotions in a time of crisis. The study further enables managers to develop segmentation strategies based on consumer ethnocen-trism and cosmopolitanism.