Seeing the Risk but Taking the Trip Understanding Travel Intention among Malaysian Generation Z Travellers

Siti Yuliandi  Ahmad; Nuradibah  Mokhtar; Nuraini Abdullah; Nurul Fardini Zakaria; Susan Hama

ผู้แต่ง

Siti Yuliandi Ahmad
Nuradibah Mokhtar
Nuraini Abdullah
Nurul Fardini Zakaria
Susan Hama

บทคัดย่อ

This study examines the influence of information exposure on travel intention and the mediating role of perceived travel risk among Malaysian Generation Z travellers within the context of geopolitical uncertainty. Grounded in Risk Perception Theory, the study investigates whether exposure to information concerning geopolitical conflicts and global instability influences travel intention directly and indirectly through perceived travel risk. A quantitative cross sectional design was employed using data collected from 296 respondents and analysed using Structural Equation Modelling with AMOS. The descriptive findings indicate that perceived travel risk recorded the highest mean score (M = 3.49, SD = 0.60), followed by information exposure (M = 3.33, SD = 0.56), while travel intention remained at a relatively lower level (M = 2.42, SD = 0.64). The structural results reveal that information exposure has a positive and significant effect on perceived travel risk (β = 0.593, p < 0.001), indicating that greater exposure to information regarding geopolitical conflicts increases travellers’ perceptions of travel related risks. However, perceived travel risk does not significantly influence travel intention (β = -0.114, p > 0.05), and information exposure also fails to demonstrate a significant direct effect on travel intention (β = 0.021, p > 0.05). Mediation analysis further confirms that perceived travel risk does not mediate the relationship between information exposure and travel intention. The model explains 30.5 percent of the variance in perceived travel risk but only 1.0 percent of the variance in travel intention. The findings suggest that although Malaysian Generation Z travellers are aware of and sensitive to geopolitical risks, such perceptions do not substantially alter their travel intentions. This study contributes to tourism literature by challenging the traditional assumption that heightened risk perceptions necessarily reduce travel intention and provides evidence of a growing resilience among Generation Z travellers in navigating travel decisions under conditions of uncertainty.

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