Exposure to COVID-19 and travel intentions: Evidence from Spain

Abstract

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has disrupted the global economy. Since containment measures directly limit mobility and social interactions, the pandemic has substantially affected the tourism sector. This work explores the effect of COVID-19 exposure on people’s travel intentions during the summer of 2020 use representative survey data for 3873 individuals collected in Spain, one of the countries with the highest infection and mortality rates. We define exposure to COVID-19 at two levels: (i) zonal, according to the degree of limitations imposed in the zone where the respondent lives, and (ii) individual, according to whether the individual has personally suffered from COVID-19 symptoms. We perform regression analysis and propensity score matching and also consider potential treatment heterogeneity. The results consistently show that those who were more severely affected by the pandemic exhibit a relatively higher willingness to travel.