The effect of tourism risk perception on attitudes and visit intentions of people with disabilities in tourism: Focusing on potential tourists in Jeju Island

The disabled tourism market comprises approximately 1 billion people or about 15% of the world's population. Similarly, the domestic disabled tourism market in Korea is growing due to the increases in the number of disabled individuals and their household disposable incomes. However, most previous research views disabled individuals as policy or welfare targets--focusing limitedly on tourism facilities and environments, accessibility, and tourism policies--rather than active tourism participants. To address this research gap, this study examines how perceived tourism risks impact the attitudes and visit intentions of potential physically disabled tourists to Jeju Island. A survey was conducted targeting physically disabled individuals aged 20 and above who had plans or intentions to visit Jeju within the past year, and 298 valid responses were used for empirical analysis. The findings indicate that among various tourism risk perceptions (functional, physical, financial, social-psychological, and temporal), social-psychological and temporal risks negatively affect attitudes. Additionally, temporal risk directly reduces visit intention, while attitude positively influences visit intention. By identifying the unique tourism risk perceptions faced by physically disabled individuals, this study provides academic and practical insights for creating safer and more inclusive tourism experiences. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of the decision-making process in tourism for people with disabilities, supporting efforts to enhance tourism accessibility and participation.