The role and impact of risk reduction in leisure tourism

Abstract

Scholars have extensively studied the role of risk reduction strategies in the process of consumer decision-making, although these studies have not yet specifically articulated a comparative typology of risk reduction strategies, particularly with respect to tourism studies. This study contributes to this knowledge gap in tourism studies by simultaneously examining the role of risk relief and risk mitigation strategies in a destination decision model. The results indicate that the risk relief strategy significantly increases individuals’ willingness to take risks to visit a country of destination for leisure tourism. By contrast, risk mitigation significantly decreases individuals’ willingness to take risks. This study contributes to the literature by providing theoretical and empirical support for the use of risk relief and risk mitigation strategies as separate constructs.