Contactless habits in the all-new tourism due to COVID-19: a rapid assessment of the views of Russians and Uzbeks

Gudkov, A.; Alieva, D.

The aim of this pilot study is to develop academic work regarding the future behavior of tourists during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to determine the impact of technology and the wilderness on safe contactless travel. A total of 162 respondents from Russia and Uzbekistan were selected and analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 23 at the end of 2020. Descriptive statistical indicators were calculated, and correlations between participants' characteristics and their openness to new experiences in the tourism industry were analyzed. The findings suggest that tourists consciously prefer contactless interaction, and this behavior pattern is becoming a new social norm, which is likely to persist even when normalcy returns. The pandemic has caused major changes in the perception and use of technology, as well as in the intention of tourists to travel to the wilderness.