Domestic tourists’ types of exposure to terrorism and travel intentions

Abstract

Terrorism is increasingly relevant to tourism both on a domestic and global scale, and no destination is exempt. As such, tourism managers must be aware of the impact of terrorist events on tourist behaviour and travel intentions. This study aims to explore and further our understanding of how exposure to terrorist activities impacts domestic tourists’ risk perception and travel intentions, particularly from a non-westerncentric perspective and context. The study adopted the TerrorScale model's (TSM) level of exposure to terrorism to explore the different types of domestic tourists’ exposure to terrorism. Fifty-two Nigeria-based domestic tourists were interviewed based on three types of terrorism exposure: (1) indirect, (2) semi-direct and (3) direct exposure (sub-divided into one-off and repeated). Through thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews, the impact of the three types of terrorism exposure on domestic tourists’ risk perception and travel intentions are identified and discussed. Results suggest that domestic tourist's risk perception and travel intentions vary depending on the type of exposure to terrorism. Based on the results, a model is developed, illustrating the interplay between each type of terrorism exposure, risk perception and travel intentions.