Identifier: TFG:2806
Authors: Alsina Folch, Mar
Abstract:
The current research focuses on defining the travel profile of the middle-class population of Southern Catalonia. It also studies how this group constructs the image of destinations, and how the perception of risk influences them, conditioning their decision-making when travelling. This process varies depending on the socio-demographic characteristics of people and their usual way of travelling. Finally, the changes that the COVID-19 pandemic has produced in the perception of tourism risks are also investigated. The study analyses the 197 responses obtained through a self-developed online questionnaire and is completed with bibliographic and statistical research. The fact that the people surveyed are mostly students of the URV (Rovira I Virgili University), is what has allowed delimiting the territory of Southern Catalonia and their belonging to the middle class. The response time of the questionnaires allows to differentiate the perception of the risk before and after the pandemic, taking as a reference the date when the confinement in the territory began. The results of the research show that the middle-class population of Southern Catalonia travels regularly, with their partner, and has an interest in cultural tourism in Europe. Information obtained through prescribers is essential in shaping the image of a destination. Risk perception plays a secondary role, behind the cost, in decision making, especially for people with more education or more travelling habit. And finally, the COVID-19 has led to a change of priorities, placing safety (and therefore the absence of risks) as the main element in deciding the holiday destination.
Repositori URV