The Emotional Paradox of Travel: Exploring Adaptive and Maladaptive Coping in Post-Crisis Tourism
本研究通过认知评价理论分析危机后旅行中的情绪反应，发现旅行渴望通过非适应性应对促进旅行意愿，而旅行恐惧通过适应性抑制旅行意愿，对旅游从业者和研究者理解危机后消费者行为有参考价值。
Crises impact consumer travel behavior, yet research mainly focuses on cognitive responses, overlooking travelers’ emotional reactions. Therefore, we aim to address this gap by analyzing post-crisis proximal travel behavior through the lens of Cognitive Appraisal Theory. We utilize a dual-process model to understand the contrasting roles of positive (travel craving) and negative (travel fear) emotions in shaping an individual’s travel and coping behaviors. We follow a mixed-methods approach, wherein Study 1 quantitatively examines the relationships between goal congruence, cognitive appraisals, emotional responses, coping strategies (both adaptive and maladaptive), and travel intentions through a survey of 576 Indian travelers. Furthermore, Study 2 employs a qualitative methodology to strengthen the findings through in-depth interviews. The results indicate that travel fear suppresses travel intentions through adaptive coping, while simultaneously, travel craving promotes travel intentions through maladaptive coping. Hence, this study contributes to the travel research domain by integrating emotional appraisal and investigating the underexplored role of positive emotions in crisis contexts.