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Pre- and post-pandemic risk perceptions and worries.
Katharina Wolff1, Svein Larsen1
1Department of Psychosocial Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Frontiers in Psychology
|July 29, 2024
Summary
Tourists' worry and risk perceptions generally decreased after the COVID-19 pandemic, except for infectious diseases. This suggests tourism may recover, as fears about hazards lessened over time.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Tourism Studies
- Public Health
Background:
- Understanding evolving tourist risk perceptions is crucial for the travel industry.
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted global travel and safety concerns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in worry and risk perceptions among tourists and the general population.
- To compare pre-pandemic, during-pandemic, and post-pandemic attitudes towards travel hazards.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey data collected from tourists in Norway in 2012, 2019, and 2022.
- Survey data also collected from a representative Norwegian sample in 2020.
Main Results:
- Overall worry and risk perceptions declined post-pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels.
- Perceived risk associated with infectious diseases showed a slight increase in 2022.
- Data highlights the value of longitudinal and cross-sectional studies for tracking risk perception shifts.
Conclusions:
- The study suggests that negative predictions about tourism's future decline may be unfounded.
- Changes in risk perception over time require careful, data-driven analysis.
- Post-pandemic recovery in tourism is plausible despite lingering concerns about specific risks.
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