TOURISM IN CRISIS: HOW COVID-19 SHAPED PERCEPTIONS OF TRAVEL RISK AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Covid-19 posed numerous challenges to everyone, especially for travellers. Travellers were skeptical about travelling to places where they were not sure about hygiene and safety. These travellers were largely visiting places where they were confident that the administration take care of safety and security, also provide all the support required during and after covid 19. However, previous literature limits in understanding travellers’ perceptions towards management of risk, which was one of the prevalent concerns to travellers. Therefore, this study explores how Covid-19 has reshaped tourists’ risk perceptions and the tourism industry’s management responses. We employed multiple cross-sectional survey to collect responses from 508 travellers who was recently travelled to the various places. The items of the questionnaire were adopted from previous studies to endure reliability and validity of the instrument. These responses were analysed using Covariance based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM), including measurement and structural model. The findings of the study underscore that post covid travellers’ perception towards risk and management perception significantly changed. Travellers’ positive perceptions about the destination management significantly influence the risk management, service delivery, transportation pattern, distribution channel, avoidance to the crowded places and health & hygiene. This study contributes to the academic literature by empirically linking pandemicinduced risk perceptions with travel behavior, offering a multi-dimensional framework for analysing tourist decision-making in crises. It enriches theory by integrating risk, service, and behavioral constructs in a post-crisis context. Additionally, tourism and hospitality sectors can use these insights to redesign their strategies by prioritizing health safety, flexible transportation, and decrowding measures to align with evolved traveller expectations and build long-term trust. The study remains highly relevant as health scares, geopolitical tensions, and environmental crises continue to influence global travel. Its risk-response framework is adaptable for future disruptions, making it a valuable guide for resilient tourism planning and crisis preparedness.