TOURISTS' PERCEPTION ABOUT TOUR DESTINATION POST COVID- 19 PANDEMIC IN BANGLADESH: AN INVESTIGATION OF KNOWLEDGE, TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES, SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEATHER IMPACTS

 

Dr. Meher Neger ¹

 

¹ Head of the Department of Marketing Comilla University Kotbari, Cumilla, Bangladesh

 

1. INTRODUCTION

Tourism is one of the best talkative words of today’s world. Tourists' perception means to the emotional and psychological evaluation that tourists form about a destination which is shaped by their knowledge, personal experiences, information gathered from various sources like social media and actual customers. It defines as opinion on what tourists actually faced during vacation. Tourist' perception has been influenced by the tourist's knowledge, tourist destination, social media, transportation facilities etc. when receiving the services, tourists compare the actual situation with their expectations. The evaluation process is highly dependent on their perception; service quality and performance. Robins & Coulter (2005), perception is a process by which individuals give meaning to their environment by organizing and interpreting their sensory impressions.

However, a tourist destination is a city, town, or other area that is significantly dependent on revenues from tourism, or a country, state, region, city, or town which is marketed or markets itself as a place for tourists to visit. It may contain one or more tourist attractions and possibly some "tourist traps”. The tourists who come to a destination and receive the same services perceive them differently. Some tourists may perceive the foods & beverages served by the hotel as testy, quality and cheap. In contrast, some other tourists may perceive them as tasteless (more spicy, oily, salty) of low quality and expensive.

The expansion and diversification of the tourism industry make it the fastest growing sector of the global economy. The annual report of the World Tourism Organization indicates that tourism increased in 2018 by 6% over 2017. Despite this, the novel coronavirus (COVID- 19) has introduced some global challenges in 2020, during which over 90% of the world population was affected by international travel bans. However, due to the highly competitive market, managers of tourist attractions must face the growing requirements of tourists and visitors.

Recently many research projects have been conducted on tourists' perception towards tourist destination in developing countries. But there is a noticeable absence of research in Bangladesh. Therefore, the research question of this study was postulated as "which factors are more influential that effect tourists' perception towards tourist destination post COVID-19 in the context of Bangladesh Thus, the objective of this study was to fill up the research gap by identifying some determinants to effect on tourists’ perception towards tourist destination post COVID-19 in Bangladesh.

 

2. Literature Review

2.1. Theoretical Background

2.1.1.  Tourists' Perception

Customers' perception refers to customers' awareness, impressions, and opinions about the objects. Customers' perception is the main factor that influences customers' reaction. According to Maria et. al. (2014), perception is the process by which people select, organize, and interpret stimuli into a meaningful and coherent picture. Consumers' perception is shaped by multiple variables, including direct and indirect interactions with offerings. Many factors influence the customer about their purchasing decision.

Solomon (2002) defines perception; as the process by which physical sensations such as sights, sounds and smells are selected, organized and interested. The eventual interpretation of stimulus allows it to be assigned a meaning. There are many studies that have been found by different researchers in different contexts to identify the factors that affect tourists' perception and satisfaction. According to Alegre & Garau (2010), the negative attributes of the destination considerably cause dissatisfaction among tourists.

 

 

 

2.1.2.  Tourists' Destination

 Defining the image of the destination is problematic, and a variety of different interpretations has issued one of the most comprehensive definition issues Echtner & Ritchie (1991). They concluded that the image of the destination contains qualities, attributes, holistic, functional, psychological and unique components. The scenery of a nation involves a country's tourist destinations, covering political, economic, historical and cultural aspects. The concept is at the national, multidimensional level, and dependent on the context. The brand adds value to the product or service and differentiates it from the competition. In the industry of hospitality, branding is fundamental in obtaining a competitive advantage. An interesting finding is that tourists who perceived the destination to be expensive tend to spend more money than those who did not. Then, Agarwal and Yochum (2000) used two qualitative variables; lodging and weekend accommodation, to capture the effect of differences in accommodation prices. After that Ross (1994) pointed out, demand is a function of characteristics and attributes of the tourism destinations, their attraction, prices, and the effectiveness of the tourist destination.

According to Downward and Lumsdon (2000 & 2023), measured travelers' taste by the importance of the factors attracting them to the destination and the motives for visiting the destination. Tourists prefer to travel in secure locations. Therefore, when selecting the tourist destinations, the tourists prioritize the safety and security situation of the tourist destinations.

 

2.1.3.  Tourists' Knowledge

Tourists' knowledge is borrowed from customers' product knowledge and is a central building block in understanding customer habits such as information quest Wijesinghe et al., 2009 and Kogo et al. (2020), Rezai & Maihami 2019). Delbridge and Barnard (1998) defined knowledge as the whole of facts and values gathered by mankind about a specific area. In cognitive psychology, knowledge has been divided into declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge, Declarative knowledge includes accumulated knowledge about facts, theories, and interrelations that are possible to communicate verbally Artuger (2015) Peng & Chan, 2019; Zou & Meng (2020). Then the procedural knowledge is related to the skills required in the performance of any task Cohen & Squire (1980); Lee et al; 2011; Poles et al. (2020). In an attempt to define tourist knowledge, Tsaur et al. (2010) showed that travel related information and skills represent tourists' perception of the specific travel destination and procedural knowledge denotes the practical use the knowledge by tourists in the traveling period starting from planning to the end of the trip (Baink et al; Begum et al. (2020); Begum et al. (2020); Hanefeld et al. , Hasan et al. (2017).

 

2.1.4.  Transport Facilities

Transport facility is a direct indicator of consumers attraction. If a consumer thinks that it's not hygienic enough, then they try to avoid traveling or going outside from home. Though it's an independent variable, it must influence consumers' perception. Sometimes it improves consumer interest, and sometimes, it must have a negative influence on consumer psychology. Kanon & Kim (2003), examined the Hawaiian economy, which is dominated by tourism. In general, a tourist destination's accessibility can improve by developing the transportation infrastructure network or developing connectivity between the network or tourist facilities. While investigating the role of transport features Khadaroo & Seetnah (2007), transport infrastructure is a more sensitive factor when traveling to a relatively unknown destination and positively contributes to tourists from Europe, America, and Asia. The role of transport as a significant variable in tourism development, one area that has received little attention is the relationship transport has with tourist satisfaction. Transportation is a vital element in tourism development, and it helps to visit again at the destination for tourists.  Another way to measure the importance of transport for tourism is to analyze its performance, economic benefits that transportation can bring to a tourist destination.

 

2.1.5.  Social Media in Tourism

Social media has become one of the most influential marketing tools for firms that want to enhance better communication with customers Liant (2014), In fact in terms of communication media, social media is one of the important tools which influences on consumers’ perception. The majority of academic studies on social media have been conducted since 2008 Lu & Stepchenkova (2015), and those studies have defined social media in the following ways. Xiang and Gretzel (2010) defined social media as "Internet based applications that carry consumer generated content encompassing media impressions created by consumers." Then Chung & Koo (2015) summarized the definition of social media as " a group of internet-based applications that exist on the Web 2.0 platform and enable internet users from all over the world to share ideas, thoughts, experiences, perspectives, information, and forge relationship."

Accordingly, across various industries, social media has recently been used as an important consumer communication tool that influences various aspects of consumer behavior including information acquisition, attitudes, perception, purchase, post- purchase communication, and product/ service evaluation Kim et al. (2011) Mangold & Faulds (2009). In addition, as tourism related products and services are relatively expensive and are characterized as high involvement products Traylor (1981), travelers generally try to connect a review a lot of information related to their travel for their decision-making processes Leung et al. (2013). By analyzing comments on online Websites and social media, firms in the travel industry can better understand customers' and products provided by firms Leung et al. (2013). Further, social media is now changing the perception of tourism consumers Tham et al. (2013). After that Leung et al. (2013) published a literature review study on social media in the tourism industry by focusing on 44 studies published in academic journals (2011). The key findings of their study are that consumers usually use social media during the search phase of their travel planning process, so trustworthiness in social media as an information source is a crucial factor regarding their decision to use information Leung et al. (2013).  

 

2.1.6.  Weather and Climate

Weather, climate change and tourism are highly influenced by weather and climate, since this impact destination selecting, trip timing and trip satisfaction Becken (2013). Additionally, many travel bloggers mention weather variables when recounting their trips Jeuring & Peters (2013). However, the effect of weather may be different depending on location and the type of tourists, as the study showed that urban tourists in Hong Kong were minimally impacted by weather McKercher et al.  (2015).

 

 

2.2. Relevant Literature Review and Hypothesis Development

To find out the research gap, it is essential to review the related research works. The review of literature can help a researcher for building up the conceptual frame work about certain topics. So, to assume the research problem and find out the specific research gap, literature reviews are considered as essential assignment. In order the above purpose, some selected reviews have been presented below:

According to Dolnicar (2007), the tourists’ knowledge of the risks and precise perceptions regarding safety has a strong impact on travel decisions. If alternatives available involve risk, the decision -makers tend to delay or quit taking decisions concerned (Dhar 1996; Tjiptono & Yang 2018; Uslu & Akay 2019, Cho et al. (2006) defined such a behavior involving delay in decision -making as hesitation by itself. Tourists have started to perceive traveling worldwide as unsafe due to the recent emergence of deadly contagious viruses like COVID-19 (Zhu et al; 2021; Zou & Meng (2020) we have assumed that this perception will be likely to last even the pandemic in over. Thus, we hypothesize the following,

H1 Tourists' knowledge has a significant influence on tourists' perception for their traveling after the pandemic situations.

The tourism industry would cease to function without an efficient and effective transportation, a historic city or city center needs to be easily accessible. Those off major rail or road transportation networks have been significantly losing out. For many, ease of access needs to be considered with adequate parking facilities that are convenient to the city center yet at the same time do not detract from the character of the historic environment. With retail becoming a leisure activity, studies show families visiting retail parks and the like on weekends can easily ignore an historic center or major historic attraction that is only a few kilometers away Kroshus (2003). Transport is the cause and the effect of the growth of tourism. To start with, the improved transportation facilities have stimulated tourism, and the expansion of tourism has stimulated transport. Accessibility is the main function behind the basics of tourism transport. In order to access the areas that are mainly aimed, tourists will use any transportation mode. However, air transport is the main mode for international tourism Kroshus (2003) Thus, we hypothesize the following,

H2 Transport facilities have a significant effect on tourists' perception on their trip.

According to Zeng & Gerritsen (2014) reviewed the literature on social media in tourism industry and suggested that more effort is needed to understand the economic contribution of social media to the tourism industry. Tham et al. (2013) argued that the important role of electronic WoM (WoM) in social media in terms of 13 strengthening the visibility of destination image by spreading multiple perspectives with regard to the destination. The role of social media is now important in the tourism sector as tourism is an information-intensive industry that strongly relies on electronic systems to distribute its services in the marketplace and communicate with customers Gretzel et al. (2010); Michopoulou & Buhalis, (2013) Munar & Jacobsen (2014); Wang et. al (2002). Technological innovation plays a crucial role in strengthening environmental resilience, particularly through the integration of advanced digital technologies and sustainable practices. The convergence of (AI), (SM), (IoT), and big data is key to the development of smart cities focused on environmental sustainability Neger, M., R. O. Abu & A. Mohammed (2025). Thus, we hypothesize the following,

H3 social media has a significant influence on tourist' perception for their traveling after COVID-19.

Weather affects tourism by influencing activities participated in travel and transportation and the length of visitor's stays W.G. Smith (1939); Denstadil et al. 2011). For example, average sunshine and temperature both positively impacted domestic overnight stays in different tourist destinations during the peak season, while average. Participation had a negative effect Freitas (2014). Many studies have concluded that wind has the last importance behind sunshine, rain and temperature Steiger et al. (2016); Moreno & Amelung (2009); Scott et al. (2008). Thus, we hypothesize the following,

H4 Weather and climate have a significant and positive impact on tourists' perception for their trip.

Many researchers have done lots of works on tourism industry characteristics, tourists' perception which focused on the impact of COVID-19. Here the researchers tried to show the tourists' perception of the tourist destination based on post COVDI-19 situations in Bangladesh. From the relevant literatures, we find out that those studies mainly concentrated on the foreign context, but this research has been tried to measure the tourists' perception towards tourist destination regarding Bangladesh perspective which remained as an unexplored field. Moreover, in Bangladesh, there is no depth research conducted yet so far in this regard. So, the study has been tried to fill up this gap by using some determinants (tourists' knowledge, transport facilities, social media, weather and climate) for measuring tourists' perception towards tourist destination post COVID- 19 in Bangladesh.

In this study, four independent variables and one dependent variable (tourists' perception) have been recognized. Based on the previous literature and discussions, the conceptual framework Figure 1.

Figure 1

Figure 1 Conceptual Framework

 

3. Research Problem

Tourists' perception is important to marketers because they theoretically summarize a tourist’s actual evaluation of their sensations towards the object and represent positive or negative feelings and behavioral tendencies. The utility attached to the service is derived from quality dimensions. When faces with a choice decision, consumers use information on the service dimensions of the alternatives to determine utilities for the alternatives.

The tourists perceive the quality of the services related with the other competitors’ services available in the market. Service quality depends on different trivial quality dimensions. The more quality dimensions of services are associated with the greater likelihood of the consumer will think and therefore consider the services to select tour destination. However, even though studies on tourists' perception about tour destination have seen conducted from various perspectives, the dynamic complex natures of the determinants which affect on tourists' perception and competitive strategies of post COVD-19 have not been clearly addressed in Bangladesh. In a broader context, some factors may influence the results of this current study. Hence, the findings of the study cannot be generalized for other countries. So, the study has empirically tested its relevant components which influence on tourists' perception towards tourists' perception post COVID-19 situations from the perspectives of Bangladeshi consumers.

Therefore, the information from this study can help policy - makers and planners to take right decisions about tourist industry. This paper aims at determining the tourists' perception towards tourist destination in the context of Bangladesh post COVID- 19.

 

4. Materials and Methods

4.1. Research Design

The study has been used descriptive research design. Descriptive research uses a set of procedures to collect raw data and create a data structure that describes the existing characteristics of a defined target population.

          

4.2. Participants

All the tourists of different destinations, residents in a few geographical areas of Bangladesh like Khulna, Jashore, Cox's Bazar, Chattagram, Cumilla and Sylhet were regarded as the population for this study. A structured questionnaire was employed to collect data from 210 respondents living those selected areas of Bangladesh.

Among 210 respondents participating in the study 114 (54.29%) were male and 96 (45.71%) were female. Only the responses were collected from those respondents most of them between 21-30 age and the percentage was 68.57% the monthly income ranges of 210 participants were; 114 (54.29%) less than 20,000 Tk, 64 (30.48%) from 30,000 Tk.to 40,000 TK;32 (15.23%) above 40,000 TK.

 Table 1

Table 1 Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents
Variables	Respondent (N=210)	Percentage (%)
Gender Male Female	114 96	54.29 45.71
Age (in Year) 46-20 21-30 31-40 40+	18 144 46 2	8.58 68.57 21.90 0.95
Monthly Income (In BDT) < 20.000 30,000-40,000 40,000+	144 64 32	54.29 30.18 15.23
Source: Field Investigation

 

4.3. Sampling and Data Collection

Primary data was collected from urban area using structured questionnaire. Respondents for this study were chosen using purposive sampling technique and non-probability sampling methods.   Non-probability sampling has been used because it is less time consuming and less costly to prepare a sample frame. Sample of size 210 has been selected from different areas (Khulna, Jashore, Cox's Bazar, Chattagram, Cumilla and Sylhet) in Bangladesh. Five-point Likert Scale (1=strongly disagree to 5= strongly agree) was incorporated to collect data about tourists' perception towards tourist destination. Open-ended questions were included to gather socio-demographic data from the respondents.

 

4.4. Measurement Instruments

As illustrated Table 2, the study used four constructs to examine tourists' perception towards tourist destination after COVID-19 pandemic. Tourists' Knowledge factor includes awareness about hygiene, aware of popular destinations, and offering package tours. The transport facility factor includes the safe traveling, highly comfortable & convenient, and smooth transportations. Social media factor includes relevancy, timeliness, and completeness. The weather & climate factor includes average temperature, rainy day & sunny day.

Table 2

Table 2 Origin of Determents and their Items
Constructs	Items measured variables	Adapted Form
Tourists' Knowledge	Tk1 Tourists are aware of hygiene Tk2 Tourists are aware of popular destinations Tk3 Package tours are offered now and that are trending	Zhu et al; (2021);
Transport Facility	TF1 Transport facilities are safe enough for traveling now TF2 Transports are highly comfortable and convenient for trips. TF3 Smooth transportations encourage tourists to visit there.	Cook et al; (2007);
Social media	SM1 Information obtained from social media about tourist destination is relevant to our travel. SM2 The travel information obtained from social media about tourist destination is continuously updated SM3 The travel information obtained from social media about tourist destination is sufficient. The integration of technological innovations in tourism management, such as the use of digital platforms to promote sustainable practices, is also crucial for enhancing the visitor experience while protecting the environment.	Luo & Zhong (2015); (Neger, M., R. O. Abu & A. Mohammed 2025).
Weather and Climate	WC1 Average temperature positively impact domestic overnight stays in tourist destinations WC2 Rainy season has negative effect on choosing a respective destination WC3 Average sunshine positively impact domestic overnight stays in tourist destinations.	Steiger et al; (2016)
Tourists’ Perception	TP1 People want to go on a trip with their family and friends after the post pandemic situation TP2 Friends, colleagues, and family influence tourists to travel TP3 Tourists are encouraged to visit by campaign	Maria et. al. (2014),
Source: Authors' Contribution

                                                  

4.5. Statistical Methods

The Descriptive statistic and inferential statistic were applied to achieve study objectives. Cronbach's Alpha is used to determine the reliability and validity of the measurement items Chen (2016). SPSS 25 version used to analysis demographic characteristics of the respondents. The smartPLS software version 3.0 was applied to examine the data collected via questionnaire. The conceptual model of the study was verified using structural equation modeling (SEM). For sample distribution, percentile measures and frequency distribution were primarily used in this study. Besides, the reliability of the data or scale items was ascertained using Cronbach's alpha coefficients, composite reliability (CR) and average variance extracted (AVE).                                      

 

5. Results and Interpretations

Table 3

Table 3 Construct Reliability and Validity
Constructs	Items	Outer loadings	Cronbach's alpha	Composite reliability	Average variance extracted (AVE)
Tourists' Knowledge	TK1	0.892	0.913	0.923	0.851
	TK2	0.943
	TK3	0.933
Transport Facility	TF1	0.888	0.83	0.833	0.748
	TF2	0.896
	TF3	0.808
Social media	SM1	0.72	0.706	0.716	0.631
	SM2	0.825
	SM3	0.833
Weather and Climate	WC1	0.833	0.72	0.73	0.64
	WC2	0.762
	WC3	0.803
Tourists’ Perception	TP1	0.679	0.819	0.897	0.737
	TP2	0.942
	TP3	0.928
Source: Output from SmartPLS (PLS Algorithm)

 

5.1. Results of Constructs Reliability and Validity

To ensure the validity of latent variables, we assessed both convergent and discriminant validities Trochim & Donnelly (2001). First, convergent validity was assessed by examining both the average variance extracted (AVE) scores and the factor loading of the indicators related to each construct. A confirmatory factor analysis was adopted to compute the factor loadings.

 In Table 3 shows that most of the AVE values ranged from 0.631 to 0.851, which are well above the threshold value of 0.5 Fornell & Larcker (1981). If AVE is less than 0.5, but composite reliability is higher than 0.6, convergent validity of the construct is acceptable. There are many studies that report that factor loadings should be greater than 0.5 for better results Truong & McColl (2011); Hulland (1999), whereas in tourism context Chen & Tsai (2007) were also considered 0.5 as cut-off for acceptable loadings. The factor loadings ranged from 0.679 to 0.943, and all of them were statistically significant at the p = 0.001 level, supporting the presence of convergent validity Bagozzi et al. (1991)

Table 4

Table 4 Results of Hypothesis Testing and Structural Relationships
Hypothesis		Path Coefficient (Original Sample)	t-value	Significance Level (p-value ≤ 0.05)	Result
H1	TK -> TP	0.889	26.06	0	Accepted
H2	TF -> TP	0.016	0.442	0.658	Not Accepted
H3	SM -> TP	0.071	2.079	0.038	Accepted
H4	WC -> TP	0.009	0.285	0.776	Not Accepted
Source: SmartPLS

 

5.2. Hypothesis Testing Result Based on Measurement Model

The researchers make an assessment which one accepts and rejects via significant and insignificant relationships that can be identified by structural model analysis. The testing results of structural model includes the paths, path coefficients, t values, and p values. A two-tailed t-test with a level of significance of 5% was used to test the hypotheses that had been developed. The coefficients are statistically significant if the measured t-value is greater than the critical value of 1.96. According to Table 4 and Figure 2, the path coefficients of two latent constructs, including tourists' knowledge, and social media had a positive and significant association with tourists’ perception at p <0.05. Here, the researchers mention that hypotheses H1, and H3 are accepted. However, hypotheses H2 and H4 have no significant and positive relationship with tourists’ perception. Accordingly, H2 transport facility, H4 weather and climate were rejected.

According to Table 4 and Figure 2, the tourists' knowledge perspective’s highest path coefficient ( =0.889) specifies that if knowledge perspective was to grow by one standard deviation unit, tourists’ perception could increase by 0.889 standard deviation units if all other independent perspectives continued constant.

 

 

  Table 5

Table 5 Structural Model Results
Construct	VIF	R-square	R-square adjusted	f-square	Q²predict
TK -> TP	3.673			2.933
TF -> TP	3.522			0.001
SM -> TP	2.96			0.023
WC -> TP	2.93			0
TP		0.927	0.925		0.923
Source: Output from Smart PLS

             

5.3. Structural Model Analysis

The structural model analysis includes explained variance (R2) of the dependent and mediating variables, (F2) is an effect size measure indicating the partial significance of the model.

 Figure 2

Figure 2 Structural Equation Model

 

According to Table 5, the f-square of two latent constructs, including transportation facilities, and weather had no effect on tourists’ perception at f-square is lower than .02 and another construct, including tourists’ knowledge had large effect on tourists’ perception. Here, the researchers mention that f-square (2.933) is higher than .35. Another construct, including social media had small effect at f-square is ranges within .02 to .15. According to Table 5, Q²predict assess the predictive performance of the model. The Table 5 reveals that Q²predict (0.923) is larger than zero for the model to have predictive relevance. 

 

6. Over all Findings

The research aimed at understanding the tourists' perception towards tour destination post COVID- 19 pandemic in Bangladesh. It has been found that most researchers explored some influential factors at the perspective of foreign customers perception towards tour destination before or during COVID- 19 pandemic. However, there was less focus and thus fewer studies into the tourists' perception towards tour destination post COVID- 19 pandemic in the context of Bangladeshi consumers. According to the findings of the above analysis, two independent variables have positive impact on tourists' perception post COVID- 19 pandemic from the perspective of Bangladeshi consumers. Tourists’ knowledge factor ( 1= 0.889, t=26.060), social media factor 3=0.071, t= 2.079) are significantly and positively related to tourists' perception about tourist destination after COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.

Based on the analysis, the researchers found that the independent variables transport facility, weather and climate have no significant positive relationship with the dependent variable tourists' perception. Here, transport facility, weather and climate were not supported at a significant value of 0.658 and 0.776 respectively, which are higher than the p value of 0.05. The study recommended that transport facility, weather and climate have no significant positive relationship with tourists' perception.

 

7. Conclusion and Implications

During the COVID- 19 pandemic, tourism was the most directly affected sector in all over the world. After the pandemic situations all of the tourist sports are opened by the authorities. Today the whole world is almost normal and they have come back to their past lifestyle. That's why they open their recreational sports like parks, museums, beaches and so on. Particularly, Bangladesh is also trying to recover the losses and by providing hospitality so that people come back from their boring life. They can enjoy all types of entertainment by maintaining hyzine. The study has been conducted with the objective of exploring the tourists' perception towards tour destination after COVID- 19 pandemic from the perspective of Bangladeshi consumers. Different determinants are important tools to influence tourists' perception toward tour destinations post coronavirus pandemic in Bangladesh. This research studies found that the impact of tourists’ knowledge, transportation facilities, social media and weather on tourists' perception post the coronavirus pandemic in the content of Bangladesh. The results of the research have revealed that two of the considerable factors had a positive significant impact and another rest of the considerable factors had no positive significant impact on tourists' perception towards tourist destinations in the perspectives of Bangladesh. 

The research paper provides practical guidelines for tourism industry on how to effectively provide better services to tourists. Tourists are positively perceived to tour destinations because of positive information, depth knowledge. The potential contributions of the study can be discussed from both theoretical and practical standpoints. Basically, the study contributed to theoretical enhancement of the current level of knowledge in the existing literature on tourists' perception towards tour destinations. This has been achieved by empirically testing the relationships among some influential factors to look for tourists' perception about specific destination.

 Thus, there are two aspects of this research. The first is to establish whether there is a quantitative relationship between tourists' perception with different types of factors (tourists' knowledge, transportation facilities, social media, weather & climate) towards the tourists’ destination post COVID- 19 in Bangladesh. The second is to see which, if any, of the determinants are more "strongly" associated with tourists' perception, such that the determinant could be considered more important to influence on tourists' perception post COVID- 19 pandemic in Bangladesh.

 

8. Limitations and Further Research

 The authors of this study acknowledge the following limitations. First, current research is based on quantitative information but may differ in results when applying qualitative information. Future research should apply a combination of quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Second, all data were drawn from 210 respondents. The results of the study may be improved if more respondents are drawn. So, future research should improve the generalizability of the sampling by expanding the sample size. Third, the author of this research work only with four determinants which effect on tourists’ perception towards tour destination. Future studies may utility other determinants such as changes in quality of services, maintaining hyzine, effective promotion system etc. Finally, further study should reexamine all the hypotheses in other age groups, income levels for better results.

 

9. Declaration

9.1.  Author’s Contribution Statement

   Professor Dr. Meher Neger: Conceived and designed the experiments; performed the experiments; contributed reagents, materials, analysis tools or data; wrote the paper; overall supervision of the study.                                

  

CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

None. 

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

None.

 

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