Abstract
Abstract Since the 9/11 attack in 2001, a number of major tragedies, including the SARS outbreak, the Bali bombings, and the Asian tsunami, have swept the tourism industry across the globe. The impact of these crises was unprecedented and thus, it raises the necessity to review the existing risk literature in tourism. This paper reviews the multi-dimensional concept of risk in tourism by analyzing 46 selected articles following the guidelines of content analysis. The findings are categorized into four broad meaning themes: (1) the concept of risk, safety and security; (2) the research trend of risk in tourism; (3) the definitions and antecedents of perceived risk; and (4) risk as a positive element. Based on the analysis, a framework is proposed for future research. The originality of this study lies in its attempt to conceptualize a comprehensive framework of risk perception in tourism as the existing literature tends to be empirically skewed, resulting in theoretical frameworks underused or applied in a fragmented way.
Highlights
Greater disposable income and the burgeoning of budget airlines have transformed tourism from what was once the privilege of the rich into something affordable by the masses
One of the foci of this study is to review the concept of risk in tourism
A preliminary review of the literature suggests that the definitions of safety, security, and risk are overlapping and confusing
Summary
Greater disposable income and the burgeoning of budget airlines have transformed tourism from what was once the privilege of the rich into something affordable by the masses. The 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 have demonstrated the impact of security risk on tourism which has resulted in a big slump in tourist flows and even regional stagnation (Kovari & Zimanyi, 2011; Shin, 2005). There has been an increasing number of tourism studies on risk and safety since 1970s (Maser & Weiermair, 1998; Milman, Jones, & Bach, 1999; Pizam, 1999; Sirakaya, Sheppard, & McLellan, 1997; Sönmez, Apostolopoulos, & Tarlow, 1999; Sönmez & Graefe, 1998a, 1998b; Tsaur, Tzeng, & Wang, 1997; Wilks & Atherton, 1994). The severity, frequency, and impact of these unprecedented tragedies have given rise to an increasing number of researches investigating the various aspects of risk in tourism
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