The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted the global tourism industry, causing a drastic decrease in international tourist arrivals. While many countries saw tourism recovery by 2021, travel anxiety and behavioral shifts among travelers persisted, varying across cultures. The success of a country's tourism recovery depends heavily on its ability to adapt to the preferences of different international market segments. Korean travelers represent a significant outbound tourism market, and their post-pandemic travel patterns show a preference for closer, safer destinations, influenced by government policies related to COVID-19 prevention. China, once a major destination for Korean tourists, faced challenges attracting international visitors due to its initial image as a COVID-19 epicenter. This study aims to investigate the factors influencing Korean travelers' perceptions of China as a destination in the post-pandemic era, focusing on destination image and government policy responsiveness. Existing research often examines destination attractiveness based on functional and psychological image attributes or from a social exchange perspective, but lacks a holistic integration of these perspectives, especially in a post-pandemic context considering both destination and government policy. This study addresses this gap by building a comprehensive framework that explains Korean travelers' destination trust and behaviors toward China after the end of COVID-19 travel restrictions, specifically focusing on identifying the destination image dimensions perceived by Korean travelers, the influence of these image factors on destination trust, the impact of trust on travel and recommendation intentions, and the moderating role of perceived government policy responsiveness in shaping the overall framework.

The tourism relationship between South Korea and China has grown significantly since the restoration of diplomatic ties in the 1990s, especially after China's participation in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games and the 1988 Seoul Olympics. However, historical and contemporary geopolitical factors continue to influence this relationship. Research on Korean travelers' destination perception highlights the impact of nationality, cultural background, and cultural distance on their motivations and behaviors. The push-pull factor model explains their attraction to destinations based on internal motivations (e.g., relaxation, new experiences) and external attributes (e.g., resources, infrastructure, services). Korean travelers are known to be risk-averse and influenced by safety and perceived value, a trend amplified by COVID-19. The concept of destination image, encompassing beliefs, emotions, and expectations, is multi-dimensional and influenced by various factors including traveler demographics and past experiences. The cognitive-affective-conative hierarchy describes the image formation process, moving from cognitive evaluation to affective response and ultimately, conative behavior. Research on China's destination image highlights the importance of natural and cultural assets, tourism amenities, and soft factors (service quality, local interactions). However, the pandemic negatively impacted China's image due to negative media coverage, highlighting the importance of destination safety in the post-pandemic era. Destination trust, based on the social exchange theory, is a key factor influencing travel intentions. It is influenced by destination image, and high trust leads to higher intention to visit and recommend a destination. The study also considers government policy responsiveness, highlighting its significance in shaping destination trust and influencing travelers' perceptions of safety and preparedness in a post-pandemic context.

This study used a quantitative research design employing covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) to test the hypothesized relationships. A survey questionnaire was developed, including items validated in previous research, to measure seven dimensions of China's destination image (destination safety, natural environment, cultural richness, ecological richness, infrastructure, wallet friendliness, local products and services), destination trust, intention to travel, willingness to recommend, and perceived government policy responsiveness for tourism recovery. A 7-point Likert scale was used for responses. Data was collected in May 2023 from a sample of 293 Korean travelers aged 19 and older who had visited China after 2018. The sample was collected via an online survey using a South Korean company, Invite. The questionnaire, originally developed in English, underwent back-to-back translation (English-Korean-English) to ensure clarity and accuracy. Data quality was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), ensuring good model fit and validity. CB-SEM was used to test the proposed hypotheses and examine the direct and indirect effects of destination image on destination trust, and the subsequent impact on travel intentions. K-means cluster analysis was used to group respondents based on their perception of government policy responsiveness to assess the moderating effect of this variable.

Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated a satisfactory model fit and reliability of the measurement scales. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that destination safety, natural environment, infrastructure, and local products and services significantly and positively influenced destination trust. Cultural richness, ecological richness, and wallet friendliness showed no significant impact on destination trust. Destination trust significantly and positively influenced both intention to travel and willingness to recommend China as a vacation destination. Furthermore, the analysis showed significant indirect effects of destination safety, natural environment, infrastructure, and local products and services on travel and recommendation intentions, mediated by destination trust. The invariance test indicated that perceived government policy responsiveness significantly moderated the relationships between natural environment, ecological richness, and infrastructure, and destination trust. The overall variance explained in destination trust was 65.6%, while the explained variance in intention to travel and willingness to recommend were 71.6% and 80.7%, respectively.

The findings support the social exchange theory, demonstrating that positive perceptions of destination image attributes lead to increased destination trust, which drives positive travel behaviors. The results extend the social exchange theory by highlighting the significance of government policy responsiveness in shaping destination trust. The emphasis on destination safety, natural environment, infrastructure, and local products and services among Korean travelers suggests a shift toward prioritizing health, well-being, and practical considerations post-pandemic, potentially overshadowing the cultural and ecological aspects of destination choice. The mediating role of destination trust emphasizes the importance of building trust for tourism recovery, going beyond marketing efforts to include the development and implementation of sustainable strategies at both the destination and national levels. The moderating effect of perceived government policy responsiveness highlights the growing awareness and sophistication of Korean travelers in considering broader socio-political contexts when making travel decisions.

This study contributes to the literature on post-pandemic tourism recovery by providing a comprehensive framework that integrates destination image, government policy responsiveness, and destination trust to explain Korean travelers' behaviors toward China. The findings highlight the crucial role of destination safety, natural environment, infrastructure, and local products and services in building trust and fostering positive travel behaviors. The moderating influence of government policy underscores the necessity of collaborative efforts between the public and private sectors for successful tourism recovery. Future research could explore the affective dimension of destination image, regional variations within China, the roles of other stakeholders, and cross-cultural comparisons to further enhance our understanding of the dynamic factors shaping post-pandemic travel decisions.

The study is limited by its reliance on a cross-sectional survey design, which restricts the ability to establish causal relationships definitively. The focus on Korean travelers limits the generalizability of the findings to other tourist segments. The specific measurement items employed in the study were developed using the available validated scales in the previous studies, thus, there might be some biases involved in the assessment of the model. The sample was collected from one specific company's database, thus, the selection bias might affect the external validity. Future research could address these limitations through longitudinal studies, cross-cultural comparisons, and the exploration of alternative data collection methods.