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This study examines the relationship between perceived impacts of COVID-19, risk perceptions, emotions, and travel intentions within selected higher education institutions of the Macau Special Admi...

Even given the continuing interest of both academia and industry to understand what accounts for the length of stay (LOS) of tourists, explanatory variables have mostly been limited to socio-demographic and trip characteristics overlooking the influence of the holiday experience despite it being a major reason why tourism is embarked on. Departing from previous studies, this study proposed and tested an experience-led length of stay hypothesis employing a zero truncated negative binomial regression model. It was revealed that tourism experience significantly explains the variations in tourists’ LOS with self development, recreational engagements, hospitality, weather and sanitation identified as specific determinants. The findings also provide support for age, nationality, travel party size, budget, number of international trips, and risk taking behaviour as significant determinants of LOS. With these observations in mind, the study offers practical insights for sustaining tourists’ length of stay as well as propositions for future research on the tourism experience-led length of stay hypothesis. Management implications Provision of positive memorable experiences in the domains of self development, recreation, hospitality, weather and aesthetics is one way to ensure that tourists stay longer. Specifically, need exits for destination management organisations and service providers to step up efforts in maintaining sanitation at the destination, especially at attraction sites and tourism-related premises. They can do this by ensuring regular cleaning, providing well-designated trash cans and disposing of sewage properly. In addition, a diverse of novel activities should be made available to tourists to sustain their interest and prolong their stay. Activity engagements that allow for skill acquisition such as volunteerism, cultural immersion (i.e. food bazaars) and co-creation of services are recommended.

Increasing research has been devoted to investigating victimization of tourists at destinations with some research being committed to why and where harassments are perpetrated against tourists. This study brings up an important empirical aspect of tourists’ safety and security concerns that is still overlooked and provides an important piece to the puzzle in understanding tourists’ adaptation of coping or protective responses to harassment. An exit survey for 518 tourists departing Ghana was conducted in this regard. The study suggests that tourists’ responses are mixed ranging from a continuum of acceptance to resistance. These responses were significantly influenced by tourists’ marital status, age, travel party, awareness, and security. Greater resistance to harassment was also observed for tourists who reported such harassments.

The backpacker market segment is recognized as one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism trade. Despite its growth, literature suggests that the peculiar characteristics of backpackers predispose them to varied forms of risks. Consequently, the study sought to examine backpackers’ perspectives on issues concerning risk in the Cape Coast-Elmina area. Data were obtained from 387 backpackers to the Cape Coast-Elmina area in Ghana using the systematic sampling method. A Chi-square test was performed to explore the relationship between backpackers’ perception of risk and their travel and socio-demographic characteristics. Making inference to the perceived risk theory, the study identified three main risk areas, health, finance and crime, to be of concern to backpackers surveyed from the study area. The results suggest significant associations between some socio-demographic characteristics (gender and highest level of education) and risk perception. Likewise, some significant associations were ...