The moderation roles of empathy and perceived waiting time (PWT) on post-pandemic travel intentions have not as yet been investigated. This study of 684 Chinese resident respondents elicited how COVID-19 risk messages affected post-pandemic travel intentions. The results showed that people exposed to messages in the risk-amplifying frame had lower basic travel and destination travel intentions than those who were exposed to messages in the risk- attenuating frame. Empathy had a beneficial effect on basic travel intentions and had an inducing effect on destination travel intentions only in high-risk situations. High PWT tourists had more positive destination travel intentions in the risk-attenuating frame. The findings provide a theoretical basis for future research as well as practical implications for destination risk communications and market restoration during a public health crisis.

The effect of risk message framing on travel intention requires more empirical investigations in long-term high-risk situations like the current COVID-19 pandemic. Based on frame theory, this study employed an experimental design to examine how two contrasting approaches of COVID-19 risk message framing (amplifying vs. attenuating) affected post-pandemic travel intention via the mediation of perceived safety and travel fear, and how resilience and impulsivity as tourist traits moderate these relationships. Survey results based on 481 responses revealed that: (1) risk messages significantly predicted tourists’ perceived safety, travel fear, and travel intention; (2) tourists’ perceived safety and travel fear mediated the effects of risk messages on travel intention; (3) while resilience moderated the effects of message framing on perceived safety and travel intention, impulsivity only moderated the effect of message framing on travel fear. The study provides a theoretical basis and practical implications for destination risk communications.

The match between destinations’ crisis communication sources and crisis types, and their impacts on tourists’ travel intentions, has not yet been investigated. This research explored the effect of destinations’ crisis communication on tourists’ travel intentions based on different crisis types (i.e., victimized and preventable crises) and communication sources (i.e., from the government, businesses, and other tourists). Results showed that crisis type had a matching effect on the impact process of crisis communication sources on tourists’ travel intentions. In addition, the mediation effects of tourists’ heuristic processing and perceived safety on destinations’ crisis communication–tourists’ travel intentions were confirmed. This study uncovered a matching effect of destinations’ crisis communication sources and crisis types. Results offer valuable theoretical and practical implications regarding destinations’ crisis communication agendas, crisis communication systems, and strategies for alleviating negative consequences of crises.

Purpose: The effect of hotel employee safety behavior has not as yet been investigated. The purpose of this research is to determine the impact of hotel employee ternary safety behavior on negative safety outcomes, as well as the moderation effects of job vigor and emotional exhaustion.Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire survey of 16 medium- and high-star-rated hotels in southeast China was conducted and 571 responses were received for model estimation. The statistical analysis techniques adopted were confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, hierarchical regression, and structural equation modeling.Findings: The results showed that: (1) safety compliance and participation positively predicted safety adaptation; (2) the three dimensions of safety behavior contributed to reducing negative safety outcomes, and there was a multiple mediation process in their relationship; and (3) job vigor positively moderated the influence of safety compliance and adaption on negative safety outcomes, and emotional exhaustion negatively moderated the influence of safety participation on negative safety outcomes.Originality/value: This research provides greater insights into the relationship between safety behavior and outcome performance within the hotel industry, and yields theoretical and practical implications for improving employee safety behavior and hotel safety performance.