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Each year, ocean cruises transport roughly 20 million passengers, providing tourists with sun, fun and a boatload of great food. However, unexpected accidents or illnesses can rock the boat, putting a premature end to vacation getaways. Annually, thousands of passengers come down with illnesses or have accidents happen while on board. At the University of Florida, researchers at HHP are learning how some passengers have used available knowledge to help prevent themselves from getting sick or hurt.
Lori Pennington-Gray, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management, worked with a team of researchers to discover if travelers take preventative actions can it reduce their likelihood of “risk.”
According to Dr. Pennington-Gray, “risk” includes food-borne illnesses or norovirus, and any other unexpected accidents which can impact the travel experience. “It’s often things we are not expecting and typically do not plan for,” she said.
In two separate experiments, Pennington-Gray and her team of researchers tested cruise line customers’ responses to crisis communication messages and traveling behaviors used to protect individuals abroad from “risk.”
“When people go abroad, they may have heightened concerns for specific risks. These heightened concerns typically come from increased media exposure or feedback received from sources such as family, friends, social media influencers or other sources,” said Pennington-Gray. “We wanted to examine if certain attributes increased their likelihood to avoid these situations.”
In a risk perception study, the team constructed a model which determined the likelihood that travelers would adopt recommended protective behaviors to help prevent norovirus infections. Based on an online panel of 240 American frequent travelers, respondents were given web-based surveys and asked for the likelihood that they would adopt protective behaviors.
Participants were asked about their knowledge of the virus and then randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups. Once assigned, they were exposed to different scenarios of norovirus infections on cruise ships in order to determine the different levels of risk associated with each.
Each group received a crisis statement to simulate how a cruise line would attempt to manage the situation. “Passengers” who had greater levels of risk perception were more likely to engage in protective behaviors against norovirus, especially in scenarios where the cruise line communicated the instructions clearly. Despite their high levels of risk perception, these individuals were also the most likely to take a cruise.
According to Pennington-Gray, this group was the most likely to seek information which would help to keep themselves safe. Although this relationship may appear to be common knowledge, these risk management strategies are not frequently used among tourists.
“Between 12 to 34 percent of the population use these protective behaviors such as washing hands regularly and using sanitizer,” Pennington-Gray said. “That’s far lower than the average person might expect, and it really shows where ground needs to be gained.”
In her team’s second study, a selection of people who had experience with foodborne illness were surveyed. A total of 2,113 food travelers who vacationed outside the United States were given questions which evaluated their concerns about food safety.
Her team found that individuals who had already been exposed to food illness situations were more likely to behave cautiously when they traveled. Surprisingly, these “passengers” did not choose to skip out on cruises.
Instead, they often engaged in “risk-averse” behavior such as increasing attention to their food choices, avoiding particularly “risky” foods or requesting well prepared meats.
“Risk-averse” behavior is when we choose to take steps to protect ourselves before and during travel, Pennington-Gray said. This includes reading about food safety before cruising, avoiding fresh fruit on deck and drinking water from a non-tap source.
According to Pennington-Gray, even knowing someone close to you who experienced these symptoms can have an influence. Having a close friend or colleague who has fallen ill can predict whether someone sought out “risk-averse” behaviors.
The team’s research into cruise ship crisis communication revealed that travelers are generally concerned with their own safety but don’t always take the necessary steps to be protected against potential threats. However, researchers hope that increasing available information will motivate passengers to take matters into their own hands.
“The main takeaway from this research is that we can take responsibility for our own safety,” Pennington-Gray said. “There are a number of messages which are not tourism specific which have been developed for the general population. Being aware of these messages may help us keep our peace of mind during our vacation.”
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