Destination Management Organisation Managers’ Behavioural Intentions Towards Crisis Planning in Malaysia

Abstract

This study investigates the behavioural intentions of Destination Management Organisation (DMO) managers towards undertaking crisis planning. The study takes an explorative approach to identify several challenges in crisis planning and destination management. A literature review was conducted along with interviews with professionals in the travel industry before an actual survey. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was used to develop the framework underpinning the study based on three psychological factors, namely, Subjective Norms (SN) focusing on Social Influence (SI), Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC) and Past Crisis Experience (PE), and two external contextual environmental factors (i.e. the national culture of safety and security and operation in crisis-prone locations, and attitude as a mediating variable) were investigated to determine their relationship with behavioural intention (dependent variable) to undertake crisis planning. A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed to DMO managers, with a 68.8% response rate or 295 usable responses for data processing and analyses using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS for windows) PLS-SEM. The results show that all indicators used in the study have a high level of capability to capture the issue of interest. The findings show that perceived behaviour and location have significant effects on managers’ attitudes. On the other hand, managers’ experience, social influence and attitudes have strong effects on their behavioural intentions towards crisis planning. There was no effect of national culture and location on managers’ behavioural intentions to undertake crisis planning. As a strategy, it is important for DMO managers to be exposed to crisis training, related committees and tools so that they are more prepared and ready to take responsibility in crisis planning. A crisis can be managed effectively when crisis planning is in place, tested and ready to be executed by managers so that the impact of the crisis can be minimised and converted into new opportunities. This study has implications for crisis training, preparedness and overall crisis management strategies by way of crisis planning to safeguard destination resilience and positive image.