POST-COVID TOURIST RISK PERCEPTION: INTEGRATING HEALTH SAFETY AND FACE-SAVING CONCERNS IN BALI

Abstract

Global tourism has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to new perceptions of travel risk and behavioural changes among tourists. In major tourist destinations like Bali, Indonesia, tourism plays an important role for the economy and these changes are important to be comprehended in managing and policymaking. This paper inquires into how post-COVID health safety and face-saving considerations shape the perceptions and decisions of tourists to Bali. Applying a behavioral operations perspective, the study combines consumer behavior theory, agency theory and resource orchestration theory to understand how tourists evaluate and respond to health risks in the post-pandemic era. Data were collected by surveying 500 foreign and domestic tourists to Bali, which focused on the factors determining their risk perceptions. Results indicate that health safety is a strong predictor of risk perception, but concerns for face are also particularly important in social settings. This research contributes in important ways to knowledge of post-COVID tourism, as it shows a dual role for destination managers regarding health safety and social perceptions when developing their marketing strategies. The findings offer practical implications for tourism professionals aiming to restore consumer confidence and recover the ailing tourism sector.

Keywords: Post-COVID tourism, risk perception, health safety, face-saving, behavioral operations, Bali