Factors in risk perception of Mozambique as a tourism destination

Abstract

The risk associated with tourism is often discussed as the probability of a negative situation occurring throughout the travel process because of crises and or natural disasters.  Considering the relevance and influence of risk perception on tourists' choices and consequently on the dynamics of a tourism destination, a considerable number of literatures on risk management in tourism has emerged in recent times. However, few refer to African destinations that generally suffer from stereotyped images that confer negative global perceptions.   This study aims to identify the factors of risk perception that international tourists have of Mozambique as a tourism destination. Based on literature review, 29 attributes or risk situations associated with tourism were selected and evaluated on a seven-point Likert scale through an online questionnaire, 382 valid responses were obtained. A Principal Component Analysis was performed on the variables set of the scale of perceived risk assessment attributes, identifying six risk perception factors that explain about 66% of the variation. The factors that stand out are "Access to general and tourism infrastructures with standardized quality ", "Performance of transport services" and "Destination reputation". The study refers to the main challenges to be considered in the design of strategies that stimulate the destination competitiveness.