Healing the pain: does COVID-19 isolation drive intentions to seek travel and hospitality experiences?

This study examines the negative consequences of perceived isolation and its influence on intentions to travel and visit hospitality businesses. Drawing on compensatory control theory, we explore the multi-faceted effects of perceived isolation (e.g., functional, emotional, and social loss) on subsequent within-domain (e.g., functional loss – functional compensation) and cross-domain (e.g., functional loss – social/emotional compensation) compensatory needs, which eventually drive intentions to seek experiential consumptions. We conduct this research via a two-phase design, each of which involves a national consumer panel of U.S. adults (Phase 1 = 840; Phase 2 = 1087) who have participated in “shelter-in-place”/ “stay-at-home” ordinances during the national lockdown. Across two phases, we find that perceived isolation leads to compensatory needs and intentions for travel and hospitality consumption. Our study also reveals the dynamics between two-phase models regarding the within and cross-domain compensation pathways and the effect on experiential consumption intentions.