What affects Saudis’ intention to travel by air during the Covid-19 crisis? : the roles of anxiety, prevention-focus, self-efficacy, and airlines’ communication

الملخص EN

Civil aviation is one of the sectors most affected by the Covid 19 pandemic.

due to the lack of marketing research in the Arab world on this topic, this study examined the causal and moderating relationships between covid-19 anxiety, prevention focus, self-efficacy, information about covid-19, and intention to travel by air.

data were collected via an electronic survey from a convenience sample of 515 Saudis.

a structural equation modeling analysis showed that prevention focus had an influence on covid-19 anxiety, which in turn had a negative impact on intention to travel by air.

a multigroup analysis was also conducted.

the results confirmed that the effect of covid-19 anxiety on air travel intention is stronger when individuals have low levels of self-efficacy.

several theoretical implications and recommendations for management are discussed.