THE DESTINATION MEDIA PROFILE AND TOURIST TRAVEL INTENTIONS: THE MEDIATING EFFECT OF COVID-19 INDUCED PERCEIVED RISK

Abstract

Information symmetry is a critical antecedent to tourists' consumptive decision-making and conative behaviour, especially in times of crisis and uncertainty. The present study is novel in its interrogation of whether COVID-19 induced perceived risk has an intervening effect in the destination media profile - travel intentions nexus of tourists. The quantitative study adopted a cross-sectional approach. Data was generated via an online survey of a purposive-convenient sample. The respondent-driven snowball sampling approach resulted in a final international sample of 323 potential tourists. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, linear regressions, and simple and parallel mediation analyses were employed. As it emerged from the study, a destination's media profile, directly and indirectly, influences the conative behaviour of tourists. At the same time, destination media profile has an apparent direct effect on perceived risk-oriented information symmetry. A partial diminishing intervening effect of COVID-19 induced risk is also established in the indirect relationship between destination media profile and tourists' post-crisis travel intentions.