Risk Perceptions
Based on the theoretical foundations of protection motivation theory (Rogers 1975) and information integration theory (Anderson 1981), Sönmez and Graefe (1998a p. 127) conceptualized risk perceptions as “the amount and types of risk potential tourists associate with international tourism.” Risk perceptions have traditionally been measured individually for different crisis types because tourists may have different risk perceptions depending on the specific type of risk, as well as the prospective destination (Floyd et al. 2004; Roehl and Fesenmaier 1992; Sönmez and Graefe 1996).
Tourists’ risk perceptions can affect their decision mak- ing (Maser and Weiermair 1998; Roehl and Fesenmaier 1992; Sönmez and Graefe 1998a, 1998b), including the like- lihood to travel to a specific destination (Reisinger and Mavondo 2005; Sönmez and Graefe 1998a). Information received can also influence risk perceptions. This finding is in line with protection motivation theory, which suggests that information received influences evaluations of risk (Rogers 1975). On the other hand, the information search preferences of tourists can also be affected by risk percep- tions (Sönmez and Graefe 1998a). In fact, if a risk is perceived to be relevant, an individual may engage in protection motivation behaviors, such as extensive information search, to mitigate the risk (Neuwirth, Dunwoody, and Griffin 2000). Further, it has been suggested that tourists with high risk perceptions may attempt to reduce risk and uncertainty through vast information searches (Gursoy and McCleary 2004; Sönmez and Graefe 1998a; Vogt and Fesenmaier 1998). However, risk information search behaviors have mainly been studied in the planning phase of the travel decision- making process, not during travel.