Using factor analyses to understand the post-pandemic travel behavior in domestic tourism through a questionnaire survey

COVID-19 has restricted and halted tourism globally since the beginning of 2020. As the primary sector in Thailand, the tourism industry has been significantly affected by the pandemic. In this study, we aimed to investigate the differences in domestic travel behavior in Thailand's pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic periods. A total of 460 valid questionnaires were collected using an online survey. The valid datasets were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis modified with the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Essential behavior factors were considered, such as attitude toward travel (ATT), travel norms (TN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC). According to the research gap, we included the hygiene concern (HC) and destination knowledge (DK) factors to examine Thai tourists' intention to travel in the post-pandemic. The result showed that Thai tourists tended to travel more domestically post-COVID-19. The findings of this study will help understand the changes in tourists' behavior and the factors influencing travel intentions to help with domestic tourism management after the crisis, which can boost the struggling tourism industry.