Perceived travel risks regarding terrorism and disease: The case of Thailand

This study aims to (1) identify tourists' concerns about perceived travel risks while traveling abroad, (2) explore whether such perceived risks affect tourists' decisions during crises, (3) investigate whether such risks are in any way mitigated by a traveler's prior experience with the foreign country, and (4) determine the impact of terrorism and the impact of diseases such as SARS and bird flu on Thailand's hospitality industry. We found that people did not discontinue traveling completely but did select different options from travel alternatives. If there was a high perceived risk of terrorism, instead of forgoing traveling completely, respondents would choose to travel to a less dangerous destination. Interestingly, while traveling during times of crisis, both first-time and repeat travelers perceived risks of deterioration and tourist satisfaction as their major concerns. However, first-time and repeat travelers showed differences in terms of their perceptions regarding disease risk, increase of travel costs, and travel inconvenience.