The purpose of this research is to consider the distinct effects of risk and fear in the decision to travel. Through the integration of the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping and the Theory of Planned Behavior, this research demonstrates how potential travelers experience fear as a unique part of the travel decision process.
This research uses data collected from travelers with a variety of different travel-related fears. Specific fears, along with the degree of the fear, are captured to identify the effects of fear in the integrated model. Nested model structural equation modeling is used to test the hypotheses across three levels of fear (low, medium, high).
The results indicate that risk and fear exert negative effects on various aspects of travel behavior. However, the results also indicate that the degree of fear moderates these effects, suggesting that not all fear is created equally when it comes to the travel process.
This research advances the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping by demonstrating how travelers experience risk and fear in the travel decision process.
These results indicate the importance of addressing fear of all kinds (not just illness/COVID-19) when communicating with target markets.
Unlike previous treatments of fear, this research acknowledges that different people fear different things (e.g. terrorism, disease, getting lost, etc.), and that people experience the fear of these events to wildly differing degrees.
