Abstract
Against the backdrop of advancements in technology and its deployment by companies and governments to collect sensitive personal information, information privacy has become an issue of great interest for academics, practitioners, and the general public. The travel and tourism industry has been pioneering the collection and use of biometric data for identity verification. Yet, privacy research focusing on the travel context is scarce. This study developed a valid measurement of Travelers’ Online Privacy Concerns (TOPC) through a series of empirical studies: pilot ( n=277) and cross-validation ( n=287). TOPC was then assessed for its predictive validity in its relationships with trust, risk, and intention to disclose four types of personal data: biometric, identifiers, biographic, and behavioral data ( n=685). Results highlight the role of trust in mitigating the relationship between travelers’ privacy concerns and data disclosure. This study provides valuable contribution to research and practice on data privacy in travel.
Highlights
The year 2018 saw a total of 1.4 billion in international tourist arrivals, a 5% increase from the year prior, making it the ninth consecutive year of sustained expansion of travel and tourism worldwide (World Tourism Organization 2019)
It can be suggested that travelers are very protective of basic personal information, such as name, e-mail address, financial, and passport information, when they perceive the sharing of information is risky
This study addresses the gap by investigating privacy concerns in online travel environments
Summary
The year 2018 saw a total of 1.4 billion in international tourist arrivals, a 5% increase from the year prior, making it the ninth consecutive year of sustained expansion of travel and tourism worldwide (World Tourism Organization 2019). Various travel consortia introduced travelers’ digital identity, largely taking advantage of biometric verification, for secure and seamless border crossing (Sorrells 2019) These solutions offer frictionless end-to-end experience for travelers while at the same time contribute to geopolitical security worldwide (WEF 2018). For such technological implementation to be effective, companies and government agencies depend on the availability of travelers’ (personal) data and travelers’ willingness to disclose information. This presents a challenge because while the collection and use of personal data can lead to more attractive tourism offers and more efficient travel, it can create security risks, privacy concerns and so hinder data disclosure
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