An Exploratory Interview Study on Travel Risk Perception: The Case of Phuket Sandbox
Abstract
Travel risk perception is a factor with emerging importance in the tourism industry due to its intangible nature, but large impact on traveler’s decision-making. This exploratory study examines the perception of travel risk amid COVID-19 in the New Normal. The empirical data was gathered through a series of thirty-eight (38) semi-structured interviews with European visitors vacationing in the 'Phuket Sandbox' travel bubble. The thematic analysis based on the empirical data revealed four themes. Namely, these themes are (1) the status of COVID-19 in the destination country, (2) visibility and trustworthiness of information, (3) healthcare facilities, and (4) responsible tourism development. The article concludes by presenting implications for the industry, policymakers, and researchers derived from the academic and practical discussions based on the findings.
References
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[29] Seyfi, S., Rastegar, R., Rasoolimanesh, S. M. and Hall, C. M. 2021. A framework for understanding media exposure and post-COVID-19 travel intentions. Tourism Recreation Research, 1-6. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2021.1949545
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[32] Tuntipisitkul, P., Tsusaka, T. W., Kim, S. M., Shrestha, R. P., and Sasaki, N. 2021. Residents’ Perception of Changing Local Conditions in the Context of Tourism Development: The Case of Phuket Island. Sustainability, 13(16): 8699. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168699
[33] Um, J., and Yoon, S. 2021. Evaluating the relationship between perceived value regarding tourism gentrification experience, attitude, and responsible tourism intention. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, 19(3): 345-361. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14766825.2019.1707217
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[35] Wilson, M. E., and Chen, L. H. 2020. Re-starting travel in the era of COVID-19: preparing anew. Journal of Travel Medicine, 27(5): 1-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taaa108
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[37] Zhang, J., Raza, M., Khalid, R., Parveen, R., and Ramírez-Asís, E. H. 2021. Impact of team knowledge management, problem solving competence, interpersonal conflicts, organizational trust on project performance, a mediating role of psychological capital. Annals of Operations Research, 1-21. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-021-04334-3
[38] Bangkok Post. 2021. Numbers in Phuket tourism revival bid low but 'encouraging'. Available at: https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2159975/numbers-in-phuket-tourism-revival-bid-low-but-encouraging
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[2] Aytaş, G., Aliyeva, A., and Aytekin, E. 2021. Travel Risk and Intention to Visit a Destination During the COVID-19 Pandemic. In Handbook of Research on the Impacts and Implications of COVID-19 on the Tourism Industry (pp. 351-371). IGI Global. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-8231-2.ch017
[3] Braun, V., and Clarke, V. 2019. Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4): 589-597. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806
[4] Burrai, E., Buda, D. M., and Stanford, D. 2019. Rethinking the ideology of responsible tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 27(7): 992-1007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2019.1578365
[5] Crouch, M., and McKenzie, H. 2006. The logic of small samples in interview-based qualitative research. Social science information, 45(4): 483-499. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0539018406069584
[6] Cui, F., Liu, Y., Chang, Y., Duan, J. and Li, J. 2016. An overview of tourism risk perception. Natural Hazards, 82(1): 643-658. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-016-2208-1
[7] Falahuddin, A. F., Tergu, C. T., Brollo, R. and Nanda, R. O. 2020. Post COVID-19 Pandemic International Travel: Does Risk Perception and Stress-Level Affect Future Travel Intention. Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik, 24(1): 1-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22146/jsp.56252
[8] Flick, U. 2018. An Introduction to Qualitative Research. Sage.
[9] Fuchs, K. 2021a. How Are Small Businesses Adapting to The New Normal? Examining Tourism Development Amid COVID-19 In Phuket. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(24): 3420-3424. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1942439
[10] Fuchs, K. 2021b. The Ideation of Environmental Sustainability: Evidence from Phuket, Thailand. Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, 12(5): 1229-1235. DOI:https://doi.org/10.14505/jemt.v12.5(53).07
[11] Fuchs, K. 2022. Small Tourism Businesses Adapting to The New Normal: Evidence from Thailand. Tourism: An International Interdisciplinary Journal, 70(2): 258-269. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37741/t.70.2.7
[12] Fuchs, K., Promsivapallop, P., and Jing, F. 2022. Factors influencing tourism students’ intentions towards environmental sustainability. Current Issues in Tourism. Online First. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2022.2067031
[13] Fusch, P. I., and Ness, L. R. 2015. Are we there yet? Data saturation in qualitative research. The Qualitative Report, 20(9): 1408-1416.
[14] Godovykh, M., Pizam, A., and Bahja, F. 2021. Antecedents and outcomes of health risk perceptions in tourism, following the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism Review, 76(4): 737-748. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-06-2020-0257
[15] Hall, C. M. 2002. Travel safety, terrorism and the media: The significance of the issue-attention cycle. Current Issues in Tourism, 5(5): 458-466. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500208667935
[16] Ichinosawa, J. 2006. Reputational disaster in Phuket: the secondary impact of the tsunami on inbound tourism. Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, 15(1): 111-123. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1108/09653560610654275
[17] llio, H., Pietilä, A. M., Johnson, M., & Kangasniemi, M. (2016). Systematic methodological review: developing a framework for a qualitative semi‐structured interview guide. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72(12), 2954-2965. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13031
[18] Lloyd, J., and Hopkins, P. 2015. Using interviews to research body size: methodological and ethical considerations. Area, 47(3): 305-310. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/area.12199a
[19] Lin, P. J., Jones, E., and Westwood, S. 2009. Perceived risk and risk-relievers in online travel purchase intentions. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 18(8): 782-810. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/19368620903235803
[20] Liu-Lastres, B., Mirehie, M., and Cecil, A. 2021. Are female business travelers willing to travel during COVID-19? An exploratory study. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 27(3): 252-266. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177/1356766720987873
[21] Luo, J. M. and Lam, C. F. 2020. Travel anxiety, risk attitude and travel intentions towards “travel bubble” destinations in Hong Kong: Effect of the fear of COVID-19. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21): 7859. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217859
[22] Marshall, C. and Rossman, G. B. 2014. Designing Qualitative Research. Sage.
[23] Mihalic, T. 2016. Sustainable-responsible tourism discourse–Towards ‘responsustable’tourism. Journal of Cleaner Production, 111: 461-470. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.12.062
[24] Noree, T., Hanefeld, J. and Smith, R. 2016. Medical tourism in Thailand: a cross-sectional study. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 94(1): 30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2471/BLT.14.152165
[25] Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E. and Moules, N. J. 2017. Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1): 1-13. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
[26] Reisinger, Y. and Mavondo, F. 2006. Cultural differences in travel risk perception. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 20(1): 13-31. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J073v20n01_02
[27] Saxon, S., Sodprasert, J., and Sucharitakul, V. 2021. Reimagining travel: Thailand tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic. McKinsey & Company. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel-logistics-and-infrastructure/our-insights/reimagining-travel-thailand-tourism-after-the-covid-19-pandemic
[28] Seabra, C., Kastenholz, E., Abrantes, J. L., and Reis, M. 2018. Peacefulness at home: impacts on international travel. International Journal of Tourism Cities, 4(4): 413-428. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1108/IJTC-10-2017-0050/
[29] Seyfi, S., Rastegar, R., Rasoolimanesh, S. M. and Hall, C. M. 2021. A framework for understanding media exposure and post-COVID-19 travel intentions. Tourism Recreation Research, 1-6. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2021.1949545
[30] Sinlapasate, N., et al. 2020. Tourism Carrying Capacity toward Sustainable Tourism Development: A Case Study of Phuket World Class Destination. ABAC Journal, 40(3): 140-159.
[31] Teeroovengadum, V., Seetanah, B., Bindah, E., Pooloo, A., and Veerasawmy, I. 2021. Minimising perceived travel risk in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic to boost travel and tourism. Tourism Review, 76(4): 910-928. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-05-2020-0195
[32] Tuntipisitkul, P., Tsusaka, T. W., Kim, S. M., Shrestha, R. P., and Sasaki, N. 2021. Residents’ Perception of Changing Local Conditions in the Context of Tourism Development: The Case of Phuket Island. Sustainability, 13(16): 8699. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168699
[33] Um, J., and Yoon, S. 2021. Evaluating the relationship between perceived value regarding tourism gentrification experience, attitude, and responsible tourism intention. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, 19(3): 345-361. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14766825.2019.1707217
[34] Ushakov, D. 2021. Tourism Industry of Thailand: Through Crisis, Lockdown and andbox - To Self-Sufficiency. The EUrASEANs: Journal on Global Socio-Economic Dynamics, 4(29): 18-28. DOI:https://doi.org/10.35678/2539-5645.4(29).2021.18-28
[35] Wilson, M. E., and Chen, L. H. 2020. Re-starting travel in the era of COVID-19: preparing anew. Journal of Travel Medicine, 27(5): 1-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taaa108
[36] Wongtanasarasin, W., Srisawang, T., Yothiya, W., and Phinyo, P. 2021. Impact of national lockdown towards emergency department visits and admission rates during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Thailand: a hospital‐based study. Emergency Medicine Australasia, 33(2): 316-323. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.13666
[37] Zhang, J., Raza, M., Khalid, R., Parveen, R., and Ramírez-Asís, E. H. 2021. Impact of team knowledge management, problem solving competence, interpersonal conflicts, organizational trust on project performance, a mediating role of psychological capital. Annals of Operations Research, 1-21. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-021-04334-3
[38] Bangkok Post. 2021. Numbers in Phuket tourism revival bid low but 'encouraging'. Available at: https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2159975/numbers-in-phuket-tourism-revival-bid-low-but-encouraging
[39] UNWTO. 2021a. United Nations World Tourism Organization. International Tourism and COVID-19. Available at: https://www.unwto.org/international-tourism-and-covid-19
[40] UNWTO. 2021b. United Nations World Tourism Organization. Country Profile – Inbound Tourism. Available at: https://www.unwto.org/country-profile-inbound-tourism
Published
2022-06-28
How to Cite
FUCHS, Kevin.
An Exploratory Interview Study on Travel Risk Perception: The Case of Phuket Sandbox.
Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, [S.l.], v. 13, n. 4, p. 1081 - 1088, june 2022.
ISSN 2068-7729.
Available at: <https://journals.aserspublishing.eu/jemt/article/view/7062>. Date accessed: 20 apr. 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.14505/jemt.v13.4(60).14.
Section
Article
Copyright© 2023 The Author(s). Published by ASERS Publishing 2023. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of CC-BY 4.0 license.