The Degree of Environmental Risk and Attractiveness as a Criterion for Visiting a Tourist Destination

Abstract

In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the behavior of tourists and their intention to choose a destination based on various factors. The goal of this research was to determine to what extent environmental risks and the attractiveness of the destination influence the choice of destination and the behavior of tourists. Furthermore, the goal was to determine the influence of psychological groups of tourists on their decision to choose a tourist destination using three psychographic techniques: BFI-10 (Big Five Inventories), AIO (Activities, Interests, and Opinions), and VALS 2 (Values and Lifestyle), and a freely determined six-level scale of risk and tourist attractiveness of imagined destinations. Analyzing the results obtained through the structural modeling-path analysis model, it was determined that tourists grouped in almost all psychographic orientations, resulting from lifestyles, negatively perceive destinations with a high degree of risk and attractiveness, while, with the VALS 2 technique, only members of the action orientation tend to accept ecologically risky destinations. Despite the fact that many studies have looked at how tourists perceive various risks and behave, it is still uncommon to use an integrated approach that considers the simultaneous application of several psychological tests and a unique method of gathering responses from travelers by presenting them with descriptively imagined destinations that differ in their levels of environmental risk and tourist appeal. As a result, this study can provide a conceptual framework for theoretical and practical implications for improved risk management strategies in a specific travel destination and in areas vulnerable to environmental hazards, as well as for completing knowledge about traveler behavior in risky destinations.