Perceived Risks, Mitigating Factors and Travel Intentions of Potential Tourists in a High-Risk Environment: Case Studies on the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

Abstract

PURPOSE This research establishes a reasonable research model to investigate the relationship between the perceived risks, mitigating factors, and travel intentions of potential visitors to the Olympic Games under the COVID-19 epidemic environment. And examine the mediating role of mitigating factors between perceived risk and travel intention. METHOD This study conducted two online surveys with Chinese athletes as the survey subject, divided into two samples for the Tokyo Olympics and the Beijing Olympics. The data analysis process is divided into two stages. In the first stage, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is used to test the reliability and validity of the scale. In the second stage, structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis is used to test the proposed hypothesis. Finally, the data test results of the two samples are compared. RESULT After the CFA test, the data fit well with the model, and the model had good combination reliability and convergence validity. On this basis, a structural equation model was established, and the mediation validity of the model was tested. CONCLUSION The results show that risk perception has a significant effect on mitigating factors, and mitigating factors have very significant positive effects on behavioral intentions. Mitigating factors mediate between risk perception and behavioral intentions.