Impacts of COVID-19 vaccination on intention to travel domestically: the case of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Public acceptance of vaccine use must have a significant role in any revival of the tourism sector after the four waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. Therefore, this study analyzes the impact of vaccine perception on the ability of tourism sector regulators to protect tourists during travel and examines tourist health protection behaviors related to the use of vaccines. The study explores issues affecting tourists' intentions to travel after vaccination. The survey findings were collected from 398 respondents. The findings reveal that susceptibility to illness and perceived severity of illness both affect the perception of vaccine protection. This means that the more respondents believe they are at risk of contracting COVID-19 and the more severe their symptoms if they do contract it, the more protective they believe the vaccine will be. This results in health-protective behaviors such as the willingness to get vaccinated before traveling and the belief that more people should do so; and in a correlated way, the greater this perception is among tourists, the greater their intention to travel after injection. Theoretical and practical implications for restoring tourism activities and increasing awareness about vaccines are discussed.