Measuring tourism risk impacts on destination image

Abstract

This study develops and tests an integrated model of the moderated mediation of risks (man-made and natural disasters) that explains the associations between the benefits of tourism and the destination image. The study also considers how tourists are influenced by natural disasters and provides empirical evidence to predict the hypothesis models. The results of a study of 635 foreign tourists indicate that the tourism risks of man-made disasters positively influence the tourists' experienced benefits and feeling experience. Foreign tourists' risk evaluation may have a positive effect on their benefit and feeling experience and, thus, may link to the destination image. Somewhat as expected, the moderating effect of tourist benefit is found to strengthen the relationship between feeling experience and the destination image. Alternatively, foreign tourists' feeling experiences foster a positive link between tourism risk and destination image. The implications of the moderated mediation results are discussed.