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Despite occasional shocks, tourism, as one of the world’s largest industries, has undergone rapid evolution in the last decades. Nonetheless, the industry has been shocked by the recent COVID-19 outbreak, and it is still unclear how the tourist psyche has changed and what the aftermath will be. This study presents an innovative explicit-implicit approach to examine how the pandemic-induced (re)connection with nature influences travel and destination choices. Based on the findings, respondents explicitly and implicitly reported a favourable perception of natural destinations amid the pandemic. Consequently, the author can observe an increase in the popularity of natural sites, along with a corresponding surge in the frequency of nature visits, particularly among women and individuals with less committed or no relationships. Key values were identified as the driving forces behind this trend, including serenity, uniqueness, safety, closeness, and discovery, which can be considered crucial factors in shaping the future of sustainable tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 21st century, sport plays an integral part of our lives. Through the promise of a once-in-a-lifetime experience, megaevents such as the Olympics, World Championships or European Championships are capable of enhancing the appeal, awareness and thus the profitability of a tourism destination. The role of event volunteers has received little attention so far in terms of academic research; however, their enthusiasm and the free workforce they represent have proved to be invaluable in the ever-growing event industry. The aim of this study is to examine the possible connection between volunteers’ performance and the unique visitor experience using implicit and explicit measures. The authors’ findings suggest that the impressions gained through the interactions with frontline employees like volunteers have a strong impact on the stadium experience. Additionally, the performance of event volunteers (appearance, passion, problem solving) is crucial in ensuring that the event visitors are receiving adequate value propositions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]