Association of sightseeing tourists and COVID-19 outbreak: A case study of a resort island

Kurita, Junko; Yoshitaro Iwasaki

doi:10.51094/jxiv.318

##article.authors##

Kurita, Junko Department of Nursing, Faculty of Sport and Health Science, Daito Bunka University
Yoshitaro Iwasaki Iwasaki Industrial Corporation

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51094/jxiv.318

キーワード:

COVID-19、 airport users、 effective reproduction number、 hotel visitors、 resort island、 sightseeing tourists

抄録

Long-distance travel for sightseeing was believed to spread the COVID-19 outbreak. It was banned until 2022. However, details of travel effects on infectivity had never been examined. This study was conducted to assess long-distance travel effects on infectivity at a resort island, including a period when mutated strains were dominant. Unique daily data of Yakushima Airport users and visitors at a major hotel in Yakushima were used to evaluate sightseeing tourism effects on newly confirmed COVID-19 patients. During the study period of August 19, 2020 – August 10, 2022, the Omicron variant strain was dominant. Sightseeing tourists as represented by airport users were found to have no significant effect on infectivity. Hotel visitors might have had a significant positive effect, but the expected magnitude of the effect was one patient, at most. Results suggest that sightseeing tourists did not heavily affect the COVID-19 outbreak.

利益相反に関する開示

No author has any conflict of interest, financial or otherwise, to declare in relation to this study.

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