What are the Factors affecting Tourist Behavior based on the Perception of Risk? Romanian and Serbian Tourists’ Perspective in the Aftermath of the recent Floods and Wildfires in Greece

Abstract

During the summer season 2018 and 2019, natural hazards (namely, floods and wildfires) have occurred at some of the most popular tourist destinations in Greece, endangering tourists' safety and vacation quality. These have influenced tourists' perception of Greece as a "potentially risky destination, “causing a decrease in the number of tourists willing to visit this country. However, the current study assumes that some tourists will show more courageous travel behavior in the aftermath of natural hazards, while others will remain cautious when deciding to travel to risky destinations. Therefore, the questionnaire on a sample group of 431 respondents from Serbia and Romania was conducted to explore the factors influencing such differences. The study aims to explore whether tourists' individual characteristics influence tourism worries and tourist behavior based on perceived risks. The study also intends to analyze the moderating role of tourists' nationality, considering the relationship between personality and tourist behavior based on the perceived risk. The findings provide evidence that not only tourists’ personality but also sociodemographic characteristics influence tourism worries and tourist behavior based on the perceived risk. Additionally, the study is the first to explore and confirm the role of nationality in tourist behavior based on the perceived risk, as well as the moderation role of nationality in regression between tourist’s personality and behavior based on the perception of risk. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in the paper.

Predictors of Changes in Travel Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Tourists’ Personalities

“…This is a new finding, given that neuropsychological traits of personality have not (to our knowledge) been investigated in relation to intention to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies investigating the role of personality in travel, in relation to perceptions of risks regarding wildfires, found that novelty-seeking and sensation-seeking were not related to courageous behavior [ 50 ]. Given that fun-seeking may represent openness to new experiences, searching for new rewards in an impulsive manner and, notably, low constraint [ 68 ], it may be a stronger predictor of the intention to travel when the risk of COVID-19 is still present.…”

“…Little is known about how personality affects travel intention and preferences during health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies have shown that individuals who display higher levels of consciousness and novelty-seeking show more cautious behavior in traveling conditions, while individuals with higher levels of openness show less cautious behavior as a response to risk [ 50 ]. Other studies found most relations between personality traits and reactions to COVID-19 to be of small magnitudes [ 45 ].…”

Tourism Getting Back to Life after COVID-19: Can Artificial Intelligence Help?

“…Thus, preventive behavior (e.g., keeping social distance, personal hygiene, wearing a facemask) is found to be positively correlated with the perceived level of risk [73]. Further, people who perceive lower personal risk show higher intention to visit and revisit a destination [70,[79][80][81]. Hence, we address these issues in the following research question: do people who are more prone to risk and intend to use hospitality services shortly after restrictions on movement are lifted care less about physical/social distancing and other safety-related protective measures?…”

Domestic Tourism in COVID-19 Era: Travel Choice in Himalayas Correlates to Geographic Origin and Age

“…Since respondents were asked about in-country travel only, we can say that the perceptions are quite similar to an extent. Th e social and economic characteristics of the respondents also play a pivotal role in determining their travel attitude (Kovačić et al 2020). In case of Nepal, family pressure, economic pressure, and job and education related pressure might have increased the fractions of respondents that wish to avoid the travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”