Travel intentions and risk perception in times of Covid-19 : A study on the Millennial generation of Cologne, Germany

Abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the intentions to travel among the Millennials of Colognewhile considering their travel risk perception because of the corona pandemic. The target groupand population are the Millennials of Cologne, as they appeal as most suitable due to theirtechnological advancement, full age, and specific characteristics. After reviewing the literatureregarding travel intention and behaviour, health crises and travel risk perception, a quantitativequestionnaire was conducted for data collection. The outcomes were tested on Cronbach’salpha, chi-square goodness-of-fit and the two qualitative questions of the questionnaire weresubjected to a content analysis. The results show that the prospected behaviour tends to changedue to the coronavirus and although people are worried about the Corona virus situation, theyare not worried about the circumstances at their travel destination. The transport mode of theirnext trip is expected to change to predominantly individual transport, such as cars. Tourists willavoid mass tourism destinations and focus on more individual and natural places. Quality ofhealthcare, a previously obtained insurance and good hygiene standards will be importantfactors for their next trip, as well. By basing on and comparing this thesis to Chebli and BenSaid (2020), a different viewpoint on people’s travel intentions to travel during/after Covid-19is shown, depending on their next travel period. The findings indicate that there can be a shifttowards a more sustainable trend, but also with more precautions and individualism. Thevaccine is seen as the next aspiration towards a more normal life as known before the pandemic.This thesis discloses new insights in terms of travel intentions and risk perception in the contextof the pandemic. Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and tourists’ businesses inCologne can promote destinations with the named desired characterises to its residents.Furthermore, close regions, which are reachable by car, as well as generally unique destinations,might consider shifting their image towards the desired destinations characteristics.