Influence of terrorism risk on foreign tourism decisions

Abstract

Abstract:This study explored relationships between selected factors and several key stages of the international vacation tourism decision-making process. A theoretical framework of vacation decisions involving terrorism risk served as the foundation for the analysis. Eight independent variables were examined, including international travel experience, risk perception level, international travel attitude, age, gender, education, income and presence of children in household. Dependent variables were three key stages of the decision-making process, including the general decision to travel internationally versus domestically, the extent of information search and concern for safety in evaluating destination alternatives. A mail survey of international tourists achieved a 48% response rate. Non-response bias was tested with telephone interviews. Data were analyzed using multiple and simple regression. International attitude, risk perception level and income were found to directly influence international vacation destination choice. Touristic experience and education were indirect influences.

Tourism at Risk: A Review of Risk and Perceived Risk in Tourism

“…A substantial number of past studies adopted Hofstede's (2001) five cultural dimensions to examine the causal linkages between risk attitudes and social norms in different countries (George, 2010;Korstanje, 2009;Kozak et al, 2007;Quintal et al, 2010;Reisinger & Mavondo, 2005;Seabra, Dolnicar, Abrantes, & Kastenholz, 2013). Socio-demographic factor is another popular dimension in examining the underlying factors of tourists' risk perception (Aschauer, 2010;Chang, 2010;Sönmez & Graefe, 1998b;Williams & Baláž, 2013). It is reasonable to postulate that even from the same nation or age group, tourists are heterogeneous in terms of their risk perception (Seabra et al, 2013).…”

“…The need for novelty was found to be related to the individual lifestyle (Bello & Etzel, 1985) as well as personality (Plog, 1974). One of the most cited works associated with tourists' risk perception would be the classical work of Plog (Korstanje, 2009;Kozak et al, 2007;Lepp & Gibson, 2003;Pizam et al, 2004;Reisinger & Mavondo, 2005;Sönmez & Graefe, 1998b). Plog (1974; categorized tourists based on their personality and motivation into three scales.…”

“…As a result, tourism has become an important contributor to foreign exchange in many countries (Sönmez & Graefe, 1998b). With the increasing global mobility, considerable attention has been paid to the discussion of safety, security, and risk.…”

“…Their work suggests the possibility of risk being a positive factor in tourism as some tourists are explorers or risk seekers. 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, 1998bTsaur, Tzeng, & Wang, 1997;Wilks & Atherton, 1994). The term 'risk' was used extensively in tourism research after the 9/11 incident (Dickson & Dolnicar, 2004;Fuchs & Reichel, 2006;Korstanje, 2011;Law, 2006;Lepp & Gibson, 2003;Pizam et al, 2004;Quintal, Lee, & Soutar, 2010;Reisinger & Mavondo, 2005;Simpson & Siguaw, 2008;Williams & Baláž, 2013), followed by a couple of major tragedies including the SARS outbreak, the Bali bombings, and the Asian tsunami, which have shaken the tourism industry across the globe.…”

Terrorism: A Threat to Tourism Industry in Arusha Region.

“…(Sonmez and Graefe, 1998) some countries, however, persistent terrorism tarnish the destination's positive image and even jeopardize its entire tourism business. Tourism suffers when prolonged terrorist activities affect tourist perceptions and when terrorist organizations specifically target the industry.…”