“Revenge Travelling” and COVID-19 – Reality or Myth? Empirical Findings from Students at a German University Regarding Their Travel Behavior

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism sector was sometimes completely shut down. However, the strict measures were relaxed in periods characterized by lower infection rates. In this context, “revenge travelling”, an assumption that people would travel excessively to relieve their pandemic fatigue and compensate for missed holiday trips, was discussed amongst the tourism industry and media. This paper aims to unravel whether “revenge travelling” concerning COVID-19 is a reality or myth. It examines six indicators that constitute the phenomenon amongst students at a German university. Four out of the six indicators did not provide any proof of “revenge travelling” behavior. Tertiary students did not travel more frequently in 2021 than in 2020; they did not spend more on vacations, and COVID-19-related considerations did not change their travel planning. Additionally, only a minority of the students who travelled more often linked this to compensating for missed vacations. Nonetheless, the indicators “travel durations” and “travel destinations” revealed some evidence of travel behavior associated with the phenomenon. In sum, this study argues that COVID-19-related “revenge travelling” is a myth rather than reality.