Destination Safety Research Articles

The Mediating Role of Local People's Attitudes and Behaviours on the Impact of Destination Safety Climate on Risk Perception: A Study on Foreign Tourists in İstanbul and Antalya

Destination safety is one of the essential factors that tourists consider when making a travel decision, especially to a destination they are unfamiliar with. Many destinations' success depends on ensuring tourists feel safe and secure before and during their trips. The inherently risky nature of travel also affects tourists' pre-travel and post-travel perceptions of the destination they intend to visit. Accordingly, this study aims to measure the mediating role of local people's attitudes and behaviours toward visitors in the effect of destination safety climate elements on the general risk perception toward the destination. After reviewing existing research, we created a survey and administered it in Istanbul and Antalya, the top tourist destinations in Turkey. The survey was conducted in multiple languages, including Turkish, English, German, and Russian. After filtering out incorrect and incomplete responses, we analysed the dataset consisting of 1299 questionnaire forms. Initially, we used statistical analyses to ensure the scale's validity. We employed structural equation modelling with the AMOS software to examine the hypotheses based on the research objectives. The study found that how residents treat visitors plays a role in shaping tourists' overall perception of safety in a destination.

Strengthening Destination Safety Formation to Increase Tourist Loyalty After COVID-19 Pandemic

Strengthening Destination Safety Formation to Increase Tourist Loyalty After COVID-19 Pandemic

Beyond fear and safety: revenge travel and international tourists’ intentions in the post-crisis era

Purpose This study aims to investigate the evolving travel intentions of tourists in the aftermath of the relaxation of international mobility restrictions in 2022. It aims to understand how the concept of “revenge travel” – travelling with the intent to make up for lost time during crisis periods – impacts tourists' travel intentions in the post-crisis era. Design/methodology/approach Employing a quantitative approach, the study uses Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Data were collected through a survey of 320 respondents in 2022. This methodology enables a comprehensive understanding of travel intentions, including motivations, perceptions of destination safety and the influence of revenge travel. Findings The findings reveal that revenge travel is a significant predictor of travel intentions post-crisis. The results indicate that tourists are less concerned with health and safety and are more driven by the desire to compensate for lost travel opportunities. This shift suggests that travel intentions in the post-crisis era are not predominantly fear-induced. The study also offers insights into how these intentions can inform the recovery and sustainable planning of the tourism industry. Originality/value This paper recognises the impact of revenge travel on travel intentions following the lifting of crisis-related mobility restrictions. It provides novel insights into tourists' post-crisis travel behaviour, extending the understanding of travel motivations in extraordinary circumstances. The findings are valuable for tourism practitioners and researchers, offering guidance for future tourism development and marketing strategies within a post-crisis context.

Tourism in Times of Crisis and Post-Crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on tourists' travel plans. Whilst the relationship between perceived risk and tourists' decisions and behaviours concerning COVID-19 is already an established research area in tourism studies, the dynamics of post-pandemic travel intentions and how they are influenced by travel motivation, destination safety and the notion of revenge tourism received very little attention. Therefore, this study proposes a model linking revenge tourism, destination safety, and travel motivations, leading to post-pandemic travel intentions. Furthermore, this research note lays a foundation for future research that can guide towards understanding tourists' travel intentions in times of crisis, similar to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The influence of tourism destination safety reminder information frame on tourists' safety compliance behavior

Because of the unusual environmental attributes of tourism activities, how to effectively inform and remind tourists of the risk information of tourism destinations is of great significance to guide tourists' safety compliance behavior, which is critical in preventing safety accidents for destinations. Using emotion appraisal theory, framing effect theory, and identity theory, this study designs three experiments to explore the main effect of safety reminder information frame (gain-type vs. loss-type) on safety compliance behavior, the mediating effect of tourists' empathy, and the moderating effect of family identity by treating safety reminder information as stimulus material. We found that as compared with gain-type, loss-type safety reminder information frame is more effective in encouraging safety compliance behavior among tourists. Second, tourists' empathy serves as an important mediator between safety reminder information and safety compliance behavior. Third, this study not only finds that the impact of tourists' empathy on safety compliance behavior is greater for tourists with a stronger family identity but also that family identity does matter in the impact of tourism destination safety reminder on tourists’ empathy. To summarize, loss-type safety reminder information frames are more effective in activating tourists' empathy, thereby boosting safety compliance behavior among tourists with stronger family identity. In terms of the primary driver of safety compliance behavior, it is recommended that the destination adopt the loss-type frame to edit and publish the safety reminder information to induce safety compliance behavior. These findings have significant implications for the formulation and enforcement of safety reminders in tourist destinations.

Causes of death among international travellers in Peru, 2017 to 2021.

The wellbeing and safety of international tourists is a paramount concern for governments and stakeholders. Mortality among travellers and the causes of death serve as a significant metric of destination safety. We describe the epidemiology and causes of death among international travellers in Peru. Data retrieved from the Peruvian government's deaths certificates registry included all non-residents who died between January 2017 and December 2021. We analysed the national incidence and causes of death among international travellers in Peru. Causes of death were classified into non-communicable diseases (NCD), communicable diseases and injuries. We classified fatalities according to the existence of preventive measures that could be provided during the travel medicine consultation to decrease the risk. We obtained records from 1514 deaths among international travellers (973 males, 64%). The incidence increased from 0.2 deaths per 10 000 travellers in 2017 to 9.9 in 2021. NCDs were the most common causes of death (n = 560, 37%), followed by communicable diseases (n=487, 32%), and injuries (n=321, 21%). Causes of death were unknown in 9.7% of the records. The leading causes of death in these categories were cancer, cardiovascular disease, COVID-19 and trauma. We found similar sex distribution of NCDs in travellers aged >50years and higher rates of communicable diseases among males across all ages. Injury-associated deaths were significantly higher among males aged 18-29years (P < 0.001) compared with other sex-age groups. We estimated that for 57.7% of deaths risk could have been decreased through pre-travel advice. Rates of deaths among travellers to Peru increased over time. Most deaths were due to NCDs, followed by communicable diseases and injuries. Pre-travel medical optimization and effective advice focused on age-sex and destination specific risks could reduce risk among travellers. Increased awareness among travel medicine practitioners and improvement of emergency medical response systems in Peru could decrease mortality.

Research on Marketing Strategy of Indonesian Tourism Facing Chinese Tourist Source Market 印尼旅游业面向中国客源市场的营销策略研究

&lt;p&gt;How to grasp the development opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative and further expand China's tourist source market is an issue worthy of the attention of the Indonesian government. In tourism development, Indonesia should give priority to the promoting role of tourism development in the growth of economic aggregate, attach great importance to the marketing and promotion of Chinese tourist source market, and pay special attention to the large scale of Chinese tourist source market, large number of tourists and high level of expenditure, as well as the characteristics of outbound tourism consumption behavior featuring large number of independent tourists, long stay, emphasis on destination safety and tourism experience. In order to further expand the Chinese tourist market, price strategies, scenic strategies, information strategies and visa strategies can be targeted in tourism marketing promotion, so as to better promote the healthy development of Indonesian tourism and promote the sustainable growth of Indonesian national economy.&lt;/p&gt;

The relationship between destination image and destination safety during technological and social changes COVID-19 pandemic

This study aimed to assess the relationship between safety perceptions and destination image in the Central European region during the technological and social environment change brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study sample consisted of respondents from three Central European countries, namely, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. The quantile regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the image of the destination and its perceived safety. The results showed that concerns about the safety of the tourism environment could be negatively associated with the image of the infrastructure in Hungary and Slovakia, with value for money in the three countries, and with images of enjoyment in Slovakia. Higher levels of destination safety may be associated with a more positive destination image, with health, facilities and services being the most important dimensions of perceived safety, because of the pandemic. This study contributes to the knowledge of the concept of destination images and the development of tourism.

Destination competitiveness of a tourist region: A case of Kerala, India

The concept of tourism destination competitiveness (TDC) is very complex, and so is developing a model for different destination contexts. The study aims to identify variables to measure the overall TDC of destination brand Kerala (India). A quantitative research design is followed based on a self-administered questionnaire survey strategy. A comprehensive study of various indices and published literature on TDC is conducted to arrive at a detailed list of variables for measuring competitiveness. Through content analysis and screening based on expert opinion surveys and interviews, variables are tailored to the natural and cultural destination region, Kerala. The perceptions of expert supply stakeholder groups regarding the relevance of variables are recorded. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is conducted to find underlying factors. The result is used to build a multiple linear regression model. Though the destination is celebrated for its 'Inherited and created resources', the study identifies that 'Destination safety and quality' has the highest impact on the TDC of Kerala. 'Absence of general strike', 'Methods of work/technique', and 'Navigation within the destination' are new significant variables that distinctly pertain to Kerala. The research is expected to help the destination management team evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the destination, assess TDC, and develop policies and guidelines to improve competitiveness.

Destination Crisis Management Communications During Uncertainty: The Case of Athens

ABSTRACT During periods of high uncertainty and volatility it is important for tourism destinations to have the ability to employ effective crisis management communications. The study concerns the examination of the derived chaordic (chaos vs order) systems formulating the tourism crisis communications in metropolitan areas, with special reference to the city of Athens. The research uses a sample of 400 adult permanent residents of Athens, and investigates the simple conditions of government trust, security, destination image, competition, information technology, and destination safety by using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis. The findings reveal five sufficient configurations (destination characteristics; destination safety; destination competitiveness; state information management; IT and ICT destination dependency) that can lead the destination to the efficient employment of crisis management communications. The study contributes to the theoretical and methodological domains, whilst it offers several managerial implications.

Empirical evidence of tourist satisfaction and loyalty in the case of Bucharest—A partial least squares structural equation modelling approach

AbstractTourist satisfaction (TS), tourist loyalty (TL), the decision to revisit a destination and the choice to recommend it to acquaintances can have a decisive influence on inbound tourist flows. These influencing factors are closely related to tourist behaviour. The main objective of this study was to investigate TS and loyalty of both foreign and Romanian tourists in Bucharest, by testing under‐examined and new variables. The hypotheses and conceptual research model were based on the following antecedents and consequences of TS: tourists' expectations and travel motivations (TEM), destination authenticity and infrastructure quality, destination safety (DS), tourists' emotions (TE) and TL. The analysis was unique in testing the effect of novelty‐seeking tourists' desire to extend their stay on their expectations and motivations. The mediating effect of TE on the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty was also tested for the first time. Data were collected using a 24‐item online questionnaire. The data were modelled with partial least squares structural equation modelling. Based on 122 valid responses processed with SmartPLS software, the results confirm most of the research hypotheses. The findings reveal that tourists' desire to extend the length of stay on their expectations and motivations has the highest statistical contribution to TEM. Furthermore, a statistically insignificant relationship between DS and TS was identified. The findings are useful for all stakeholders of tourism development in Bucharest.

Domestic and European leisure travel intentions: assessing the role of push motivations, destination safety, travel risk, safety concerns and social risk

Risk is fundamental in the choice, evaluation, and behaviour of tourists, consequently understanding tourists’ shifting preferences toward a destination is imperative in the post-COVID era. Thus, this study aims to examine the impact of push motivations on the intention to travel to a European and domestic destination, analyse the interrelated effects between components of risk perception, test the moderating effect of risk perception and investigate the influence of gender and educational level. Based on 1315 tourists and using structural equation modelling, it was possible to find that (1) the motivation to relax and acquire knowledge, and the perception of the destination as safe are predictors of domestic travel; (2) the motivation to acquire knowledge and the risk perception as similar between European and domestic trips positively influence the intention to travel to European destination; (3) travel risk and, indirectly, safety concerns and social risk are deterrent factors of travel intentions; (4) risk perception doesn’t affect the reason why people travel; and (5) gender doesn’t affect travel motivation, intentions or risk perception, but education level enhances the negative effect of social risk. Mostly, this study adds to the literature by detailing how different motivations and risk perceptions affect travel intentions.

분석적 계층화(AHP) 기법을 활용한 스포츠 셀러브리티 동반 관광상품 참여요인 도출 및 우선순위 분석

Purpose: This study derives the factors of consumer participation in tourism products accompanied by sports celebrities, and analyzes which factors consumers prefer to select among the factors involved in the tourism products.BR Method: This study consisted of a total of three stages: literature study, preliminary questionnaire, expert evaluation, and AHP analysis. Twenty research participants from academia, tourism field, and travel participated in the AHP analysis, and the AHP analysis was performed using social science research automation.BR Results: The results of this study are as follows. 1) 2 high level factors and 10 low level factors were derived as participation factors for tourism products accompanied by sports celebrities. 2) As a result of the AHP analysis, the relative importance and priority of the high level factors were in the order of celebrity(.698) and tourism program (.302). 3) The relative importance and priority among the sub-factors of the celebrity factor were in the order of interaction with celebrities (.298), celebrity sports-related expertise(.297), celebrity attractiveness (.264), celebrity travel-related expertise (.141). 4) The priority among the sub-factors of the tourism program factor were the local program (.264), travel agency service (.165) , tourism destination (.164), destination safety (.159), transportation and accommodation (.131), and price(.117).BR Conclusion: This study is meaningful in that it confirms what factors should be focused on when producing tourism products that involve sports celebrities.

Sense of safety toward tourism destinations: A social constructivist perspective

Travel is inherently associated with risk. Scholars have examined the composition of destination safety perceptions, safety climate, and the role of safety as a sub-dimension of destination image. This study aims to address a research gap by revealing a more detailed construction process of tourists' sense of destination safety from a social constructivist perspective. By collecting data from a leading Chinese tourism social media platform, tourists' sense of safety is constructed based on key subjects and contents at different travel stages, that is, before, during, and after a trip. The findings of the study contribute to the literature on tourism safety by emphasizing the need to understand tourists' sense of safety under various space–time conditions. Based on multiple stages of tourists’ sense-of-safety construction, this study provides practical implications to help destination management organizations enhance local tourism safety and management. • Sense of safety is constructed under various space-time conditions. • Sense of safety is formed via the interaction and negotiation between key subjects. • Key subjects vary at three stages of travel, pre-, during- and post. • Content of sense of safety changes at each stage of the trip.

Understanding tourists' policing attitudes and travel intentions towards a destination during an ongoing social movement

PurposePolicing activities aim to provide a safe environment for tourists. With the recent major protests that have erupted around the world, and the novel use of excessive police force against protestors, people may wonder if the policing deployment is for destination safety or to deter tourists from visiting. This paper aims to investigate anti-police and pro-police attitudes and tourists' behavioural responses towards a popular destination experiencing an ongoing social movement.Design/methodology/approachData were collected between December 2019 and January 2020 (during the social movement). An online survey with a snowball sampling method was adopted to reach international tourists who were aware of the social movement in Hong Kong.FindingsThe results revealed that an individual with an anti-police attitude was found to be related to cognitive and affective destination images and perceived risks while those holding a pro-police attitude were more concerned with destination images only. No significant correlation was found between attitudes towards policing and travel intention.Originality/valueThis research presents a first attempt to investigate the relationship between tourists' policing attitudes and their behavioural responses during an ongoing social movement in a popular destination city.

Post-COVID-19 pandemic motivations and segmentation in coastal cities: a study in Lima, Peru

PurposeCoastal cities offer great ecological, cultural and economic benefits due to their tourism potential. The objective of this research is to (1) identify tourists' post-pandemic motivations, (2) establish a post-pandemic demand segmentation and (3) determine the relationship between post-pandemic segments and loyalty.Design/methodology/approachThis study was carried out in Lima, Peru, a tourist destination on the Pacific Ocean coast. The sample was collected between June and July 2020, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In total, 354 valid questionnaires represented the sample size of this quantitative study. For data analysis, factor analysis and K-means non-hierarchical clustering were used.FindingsThe results show four post-pandemic motivational dimensions in coastal cities: “novelty and escape,” “learning and culture,” “destination safety” and “service safety.” Likewise, there are two post-pandemic segments in coastal cities: “safety seekers” who want to feel safe at the destination and with its services, and “multiple motives,” motivated by several reasons simultaneously, such as safety, novelty and escape, and learning and culture. The multiple motives group shows higher return intentions, making it a crucial post-pandemic segment in coastal cities.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of the present study were the online sampling and the timing when collecting the data since the demand can vary due to seasonal reasons.Practical implicationsSince coastal cities have natural and cultural attractions appealing to many travelers, they should adopt the necessary biosecurity measures to attract the safety seekers’ segment, who wants to feel safe at the destination and with its services. Similarly, the multiple motives’ segment favors safety over other recreational activities in the coastal area, so it is necessary that activities such as sports on the beach, walks, observation of flora and fauna, navigation and interaction with the community, meet the required biosecurity standards.Social implicationsThe results will be used to plan the following actions in coastal destinations and meet the tourists’ demands when this health crisis ends.Originality/valueIn this context, up to date, demand segmentation by motivations in coastal cities during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been investigated. Such a study will help to obtain post-pandemic results regarding the tourism demand for these destinations. To date, there are no studies in coastal cities that analyze demand segmentation and its motivations for the post-COVID-2019 pandemic.

Measuring the Impact of Greece as a Safe Branding Tourist Destination: Evidence from Spain and Greece

After the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, many tourist destinations promoted a safe, COVID-free image to attract tourists. The main purpose of this paper is to examine and analyze the effect that the image of a place as a safe tourist destination (STD)—in our case, Greece—can have on the decision-making processes of tourists who were willing to take summer holidays in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the relationships between destination safety perceptions, trust, attractive attributes of destinations, travel intentions, and health-protective behavior for domestic and inbound tourists from Spain. This study confirms differences in destination safety perceptions among domestic and inbound tourists from countries that have suffered significant negative impacts due to the novel coronavirus.

Can Post-Vaccine ‘Vaxication’ Rejuvenate Global Tourism? Nexus between COVID-19 Branded Destination Safety, Travel Shaming, Incentives and the Rise of Vaxication Travel

Vaxication (i.e., post-vaccination travel) and branding destinations for COVID-19 safety have emerged as the cornerstones to fully rebound global tourism. Numerous destination brands are now stimulating tourism demand through realigned travel incentives specifically for fully vaccinated travelers. However, there is growing fear and incidents of travel shaming across destinations, especially due to the recent outbreaks of the highly contagious COVID-19 ‘delta and omicron’ variants. Addressing this critical research gap, the present study makes pioneering efforts to empirically examine the effects of COVID-19 branded destination safety (CBDS) on vaxication intentions, under the moderating influence of travel shaming and travel incentives. Drawing on study data from 560 fully-vaccinated residents from Hawaii, United States and structural equation modeling (SEM) with Mplus, the evidence suggests that the positive impact of CBDS on vaxication intention can be further strengthened by travel incentives, or weakened when travel shaming picks up more momentum. Besides the validation of newly developed scales, the study offers strategic insights based on dominant theories (e.g., theory of planned behavior and protection motivation theory) to interpret the changing tourism demand, and to transform the emerging challenges into opportunities through and beyond the pandemic.

Sustainable or a Butterfly Effect in Global Tourism? Nexus of Pandemic Fatigue, COVID-19-Branded Destination Safety, Travel Stimulus Incentives, and Post-Pandemic Revenge Travel

Revenge travel has globally emerged as a dominant touristic behavior, signaling a rapid return of global tourism, but with a greater temptation for spending more and staying longer. Despite the expanding focus on global sustainable tourism, there is a lack of empirical evidence on the potential factors that build momentum for revenge travel. The aim of the present study was to develop and test a conceptualized model of revenge travel under the influence of pandemic fatigue, COVID-19-branded destination safety, and travel stimulus incentives. Drawing on the study data of international expats (N = 422) and using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM), the findings provide new evidence that revenge travel is significantly and positively influenced by pandemic fatigue. Interestingly, the empirical findings also support two positive moderations, highlighting that COVID-19-branded destination safety (CBDS) and travel stimulus incentives (TI) can significantly increase the impact of pandemic fatigue (PF) on revenge travel (RT). Based on prominent theories (i.e., theory of planned behavior, protection motivation theory, and incentive theory of motivation) and newly developed scales (i.e., RT, CBDS, and TI), the study highlights the dynamics of revenge travel as it sets the stage for global tourism to rebound stronger than ever. The implications include new challenges and ways forward through revenge travel as a stepping stone for global sustainable tourism.

Do you dare to travel to China? An examination of China's destination image amid the COVID-19

The impact of COVID-19 on destination image is critical for international tourism recovery. This study is conducted focusing on China, the first epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, with mixed methods. Drawing on survey data collected from 500 US travelers, the study first examines China's destination image perceptions and travel intention. The results reveal that (1) US respondents have low travel intentions to China amid the pandemic; (2) Destination safety and security is the most influential image factor that leads to the low travel intentions to China. News media is proposed to have significant influence on China's image formation due to the COVID-19. A simple content analysis is conducted on CNN's news and China is found to be tied closely with COVID-19 and most news articles are emotionally negative. Those respondents who follow news outlet websites for COVID-19 view China more negatively and have lower travel intentions.