International tourist's perceptions of safety and security: The role of social media

Authors

• Lori Pennington-Gray
• Ashley Schroeder

Keywords:

social media, international travel, tourism crisis management

Abstract

Tourism research has recently begun to examine the role that social media plays in crisis communication, thus the purpose of this study was to understand the influence of social media on perceptions of travel safety and security. An online survey of 2416 tourists from Australia, Brazil, China, India, and South Korea was conducted. Descriptive statistics revealed differences in uses of social media relative to other crisis information sources. In addition, there were differences in the likelihood of turning to social media if travelers carried a smartphone. Implications and recommendations are discussed.