The Effect of Tourist Destination Image (TDI) on Intention to Visit through Tourism Risk Perception (TRP) of COVID-19 in the Tourism Industry in the New Normal Era in Indonesia: Case Study in East Java

Abstract

The travel industry was the first and most affected by the pandemic. Different countries took action to limit the spread of the coronavirus disease, including total or partial lockdowns and strict restrictions on gatherings of people in public. They closed public and private places, limited the free mobility of residents, and restricted the implementation of services. This study aims to identify and analyze tourists’ behavioral intentions due to COVID-19. It is very difficult to predict the behavior of tourism consumers after the crisis. Therefore, an empirical study was carried out to obtain information from tourists to identify potential changes in their tourism consumption due to COVID-19. This study proves that tourist destination image (TDI) through tourism risk perception (TRP) positively and significantly affects the intention to visit. Therefore, it is recommended that tourism destination managers pay attention to the risk factors perceived by potential tourists who were tested in this study. Future research is also advised to examine factors that cannot be controlled by tourism destination managers, namely government policies regarding the management of tourist destinations in the new normal era.