No risk, no fun: the role of perceived risk in adventure tourism (original) (raw)

Abstract

There is a long tradition in tourism research to investigate the issue of perceived risk. The reason lies in the tourism industry's aim to reduce the risk perceptions among tourist in order to increase sales. Perceived risk is thus seen as a hurdle to attracting tourists and the managerial aim is to reduce it. At the same time there is a sub-sector of tourism industry, adventure tourism that seems to work in precisely the opposite way: perceived risk is something attractive to the potential consumers, something they are actively searching for. The aim of this paper is to investigate past literature on risk in the context of tourism consumer behaviour and to compare operationalisations of perceived risk in this context that have been developed in the past. This paper is a review paper and as such functions as an initial step of an exploratory study to determine factors of demandincreasing perceived risk relevant to define the concept. Based on the review an initial conceptualisation of demand-increasing perceived risk (desired risk) in the area of adventure tourism is provided.

Figures (2)

The matching of an individual’s skill level to the challenges is explored by Csikszentmyhali (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990, 1997; Weber, 2001) who suggested that the optimal level of experience is where a person’s skill matches the level of risk or challenge. The model further suggests that where the challenges exceed the skills there may be anxiety, while challenges that are lower than the individual’s skill level may lead to boredom (Figure 1). What this model does not address is where people are actually seeking experiences where the challenges are greater than their skill, where they are seeking the adventure, the unknown.

The matching of an individual’s skill level to the challenges is explored by Csikszentmyhali (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990, 1997; Weber, 2001) who suggested that the optimal level of experience is where a person’s skill matches the level of risk or challenge. The model further suggests that where the challenges exceed the skills there may be anxiety, while challenges that are lower than the individual’s skill level may lead to boredom (Figure 1). What this model does not address is where people are actually seeking experiences where the challenges are greater than their skill, where they are seeking the adventure, the unknown.

Figure 2 Multiple Concepts of Risk If perceived risk is an individual’s subjective assessment of the real risk while the rea k is the amount of risk that actually exists at that moment given the application o: proposed that the concept of desired risk will be her a subset of, or an extension of the individual’s perceived risk. Thus, the desirec ris safety controls (Haddock, 1993), it is eit level of risk of the consumer may be either greater than or less than their ris interrelationship between the perceived risk and desired risk will not only on he consumer’s buying behaviour, but may also influence the consumer’s the trip if they are seeking greater risk (where desired risk > perceived perceivec k (Figure 2). Consistent with Wilde’s research (1999) it is further proposed that the influence behaviou: risk) or 1 hey are seeking less risk (where desired risk < perceived risk). This former aspec’ will impact upon the marketing strategies adopted while the latter will im he risk management plans implemented before and during the trip. In as he desired level of risk may be one must investigate the individual’s subjective perceptions of risk within their adventure tourism trip (Weber, 2001). perceptions probably do not remain static, and in fact may shift not only betweer evels of desired risk, but also across categories of risk (e.g. physical, social psychological). In line with Csikszentmyhali (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990, pact upor king wha These 997) this shift may be as a result of a reassessment of one’s skills throughout the dura rip. ion of the

Figure 2 Multiple Concepts of Risk If perceived risk is an individual’s subjective assessment of the real risk while the rea k is the amount of risk that actually exists at that moment given the application o: proposed that the concept of desired risk will be her a subset of, or an extension of the individual’s perceived risk. Thus, the desirec ris safety controls (Haddock, 1993), it is eit level of risk of the consumer may be either greater than or less than their ris interrelationship between the perceived risk and desired risk will not only on he consumer’s buying behaviour, but may also influence the consumer’s the trip if they are seeking greater risk (where desired risk > perceived perceivec k (Figure 2). Consistent with Wilde’s research (1999) it is further proposed that the influence behaviou: risk) or 1 hey are seeking less risk (where desired risk < perceived risk). This former aspec’ will impact upon the marketing strategies adopted while the latter will im he risk management plans implemented before and during the trip. In as he desired level of risk may be one must investigate the individual’s subjective perceptions of risk within their adventure tourism trip (Weber, 2001). perceptions probably do not remain static, and in fact may shift not only betweer evels of desired risk, but also across categories of risk (e.g. physical, social psychological). In line with Csikszentmyhali (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990, pact upor king wha These 997) this shift may be as a result of a reassessment of one’s skills throughout the dura rip. ion of the

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