FBA Distinguished Scholar Seminar (DSS) Series 001: “Re-conceptualisation of ‘distance’ in tourism demand analysis: A comparison before and after the emergence of COVID-19” was hosted by Prof. Yuansi, Associate Professor of the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management on March 2, 2023 and Prof. Gang Li, was invited to deliver the seminar.
Prof. Gang Li is a Professor of Tourism Economics and the Director of the Research Centre for Competitiveness of the Visitor Economy at the University of Surrey, UK. In the seminar, Prof. Gang Li shared his research that explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism demand, and how changing destination preferences have influenced the traditional understanding of “distance” in tourism research. Through an enriched dataset combining macro-level economic, transportation, cultural, and climate statistics with micro-level guest check-in records between 2019 and 2020, Prof. Li identified six key distance components that underpin tourism demand.
Attendees gained valuable insights into how the pandemic has affected tourism demand, including changes in tourists’ destination preferences and behavioral patterns. Prof. Li’s research has important implications for tourism practitioners, government officials, and tourism marketers seeking to effectively allocate resources and understand changing tourism trends.
Source: FBA Newsletter Issue 60
