Exploring the psychological dynamics of the flow experience in tourism: a comparative study of the pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic periods.

As a positive psychological resource, the concept of the flow experience has attracted significant attention across various domains. However, there remain gaps in our understanding of the underlying psychological processes governing the flow experience as well as its relevance and potential applications within the tourism industry. This study aims to address these gaps by exploring the interrelationships among the different dimensions of the flow experience and providing empirical evidence for the psychological process thereof. Specifically, this study considers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as an external environmental variable by collecting data from tourists who visited the same destination before and after the pandemic. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed hypotheses. The results indicate that the pandemic exerted a significant influence on the factors initiating the flow experience, the degree of process control, and tourists' perceptions of time during their experience. In light of these findings, we recommend that tourism industry managers be vigilant regarding changes in tourists' psychological states during the post-pandemic recovery phase and consider offering high-quality services as a means to enhance tourist satisfaction and foster loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]