Effect of Perceived Risk on Tourists’ Behavioural Intentions Post COVID-19 in Turkey

Abstract

The tourism industry has been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering Turkey's global importance in both domestic and foreign tourism, being able to determine consumers' vacation plans and risk perceptions during the COVID-19 pandemic has become more important than ever. This study aims to quantify the effect of COVID-19 on the consumers' perceived risk and behavioral intention in the context of the tourism industry. An online questionnaire was conducted on 234 Turkish participants between July and August 2020. In this study we compare the risk perceptions of consumers who plan to take a vacation and those who do not, in six dimensions regarding the perceived risk of Turkish tourists after the first wave COVID-19 pandemic in order to provide further insight. Therefore, Exploratory Factor analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and t-test analyses were performed. The results revealed that risk perceptions of those who plan their vacation post COVID-19 are lower. Participants who plan to soon go on vacation have lower psychological, equipment and cost, performance, social, and physical risk perceptions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic than those who do not have a vacation plan. These findings aid our understanding how risk perception affects behavioral willingness to travel.