Unpacking motivations for travel amid the turbulence of the initial COVID-19 pandemic shock

Abstract This study offers a retrospective analysis of holiday travel motivations in Poland following the first wave of COVID-19. Despite the 2020 tourism downturn, travel persisted. Based on a nationwide survey (N = 388), the study explores how the perceived COVID-19 threat influenced actual travel behaviour after the first wave of the pandemic. Two tourist segments emerged: ‘risk-tolerantʼ individuals who continued travelling; and ‘risk-averseʼ tourists who remained cautious but did not fully abstain. Findings show that previous travel experience and low pandemic-related anxiety were key predictors of continued engagement. The desire to compensate for prolonged isolation often outweighed fear of infection. The results confirmed early signals of a swift domestic tourism recovery, later observed across post-pandemic phases. Visible and credible safety measures were essential to rebuild confidence. These findings provide valuable insights into Polish tourist behaviour during the early phase of the pandemic and offer a reference point for understanding crisis-induced behavioural dynamics in tourism. Highlights – Tourists demonstrated polar attitudes toward travel during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic – These attitudes resulted in specific travel patterns during COVID-19 in 2020 – ‘Risk-tolerantʼ tourists were prepared to travel despite the pandemic – ‘Risk-averseʼ tourists travelled if safety of travel and destination were guaranteed – Tourist attitudes to travel during COVID-19 may be explained by self-efficacy and be national-culture dependent