Ковид-19 цар тахлын үеийн дотоодын аялагчдын зан төлөв – Аялал жуулчлалын бизнес эрхлэгчдээс авсан судалгаа

Understanding domestic tourism – An industry response and perception during COVID-19

Abstract

Tourism is one of the sectors most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, impacting economies, livelihoods, public services and opportunities on all continents. International tourism has collapsed due to travel restrictions, closure of public places including major tourist attractions, and travel warnings of governments against travel and movement of people. Due to the impact of pandemic on travel freedom and tourists’ confidence, many destinations and governments have paid more focuses on domestic tourism and short haul nearby markets to ensure a recovery of tourism This research aims to explore the potential of domestic tourism as a means to revitalize the tourism industry from the perspectives of local tourism stakeholders. Interview data were collected and focused on domestic travel behavior, motivation, places of interest, travel preferences, and willingness to travel within Mongolia. Data were collected using structured, open-ended interview questions through key-informant interviews to twelve respondents from tourism stakeholders, nine from the local tour operators, and two from the tourist ger camp operators, and one from online tour agency. Data collection was carried in December 2021. The findings reveal that domestic tourism has the potential to revive and stabilize the tourism industry. A high percentage of respondents indicated that Mongolians have desire to travel domestically and being motivated by attractive natural scenery and resources for example, river, lakes, springs, and forest, as well as tour packages at discounted prices. COVID-19 has impacted tourist behavior and attitudes towards travelling, and people prefer to travel domestically rather than overseas. Furthermore, tourism stakeholders acknowledged the potential to revive the tourism industry via domestic tourism. Despite this, declarations of health, safety issues, flight availability, marketing communication methods, variety of tour activities, travel planning, and decision-making behaviors of Mongolians are key barriers to conducting domestic tourism in Mongolia.