Developing a Scale to Measure Tourist Perceived Safety

Abstract

Safety for tourists at places visited is essential to their enjoyment and experiences, as well as a determinant of destination success. Yet, little attention has been paid to the conceptualization and scale development for tourist perceived safety at destinations (TPSD). The primary purpose of this research was to identify the dimensions of TPSD and develop a scale for measuring it based on safety system theory. A three-stage study in a mixed-method design was conducted to develop and validate TPSD. Stage 1 identified the dimensions and initial items of TPSD through extensive literature reviewing and content analysis of travel blogs. In stage 2 (n = 300), an explanatory factor analysis was conducted to refine and validate the preliminary items. Stage 3 (n = 1,830) provided empirical support for a 20-item, five-dimension (human, facility and equipment, natural environment, social environment, management) TPSD scale through confirmatory factor analysis.

Tourists’ information literacy self-efficacy: its role in their adaptation to the “new normal” in the hotel context

“…There is broad scholarly consensus that information-search is among the most effective strategies used by individuals to reduce their uncertainty in the decision-making process and attain a sense of security prior to travel (Jonas and Mansfeld, 2017; Liu and Hu, 2021). As consumers form their perceptions of safety out of the information they obtain, their perceived safety depends on how they evaluate that information (Xie et al , 2021) and in this regard there are studies empirically demonstrating the effect of information on tourist perceived safety (Liu-Lastres et al , 2019; Liu et al , 2016a; Xie et al , 2021; Zou and Meng, 2020). It is for this reason that information is of exceptional value for tourism during times of crisis (Liu-Lastres et al , 2019) as a crucial factor that can influence consumers’ perceptions of the severity of the threat (Liu et al , 2016a).…”

“…Perceived safety in the tourism context refers to the traveler’s sense of being free from danger or physical or mental stress due to the interference of external forces (Xie et al , 2021). The safety perceived by a consumer prior to making a trip is a subjective impression that relies on their assessment of the information available to them, coupled with their past experiences (Seabra et al , 2013).…”

“…The literature recognizes that perceived safety is important for the success of firms associated with the tourism field, as it has been found to exert a major influence on the consumer decision-making process (Xie et al , 2021), their satisfaction (Tasci and Boylu, 2010), their loyalty (Patwardhan et al , 2020) and above all, their visit intention. More specifically, the literature has demonstrated the positive effect of consumer perceived safety on their visit or revisit intention in light of the possibility of terrorist attacks on the destination (Liu et al , 2016b; Reisinger and Mavondo, 2005) and other types of risk (Sönmez and Graefe, 1998).…”

“…Hotel managers, in particular, will need to understand the mechanisms that favor perceived safety (Shin and Kang, 2020; Zou and Meng, 2020). Among other mechanisms, consumers assess safety based on the different sources of information to which they are exposed (Seabra et al , 2013; Xie et al , 2021). Thus, news coverage plays a central role in times of crisis, where the public depends on the media to keep abreast of current events (Zheng et al , 2020).…”

Determining destination risk perceptions, their effects on satisfaction, revisit and recommendation intentions: Evidence from Sanliurfa/Turkey

“…It is almost certain that perceived risk factors that influence a person's decision to travel significantly affect their satisfaction, and willingness to return, i.e., tourists' behavioral intentions (Fourie, et al, 2020;Xie, Zhang, & Morrison, 2021). It is reported that the intention to revisit and recommend is significantly affected by perceived risk factors, similar to the concept of satisfaction.…”