The Influence of Gender on Travel Risk Perceptions, Safety, and Travel Intentions

Abstract

This study replicates and extends the work of Reisinger and Mavondo, who explored the influence of national culture on travel risk and safety perceptions, anxiety, and travel intentions. The current study differs in that it adds gender as a key explanatory variable alone and in combination with national culture to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the influences on risk perceptions and future travel intent. Respondents (290 females and 239 males) from different nationalities (Asia, Australia, Europe, UK, US) were surveyed as to their cultural orientations, travel risk and safety perceptions, anxieties, and future intentions to travel. Female respondents perceived traveling internationally as involved higher risk, were more anxious, felt less safe, and intended to travel less internationally than male respondents regardless of their cultural orientation. However, in the male sample the long-/short-term cultural orientations of respondents were the most significant predictors of travel risk and safety perceptions. In both groups, terrorism and sociocultural risk emerged as the most significant determinants of travel anxieties and perceptions of safety. In the female group, intentions to travel internationally again were determined by anxiety, whereas in the male group they were determined by perceived safety. Implications of the study results are discussed.