Title: Difference in tourists' perception of the information communication after unconventional emergencies – a study based on the Wenchuan earthquake

Authors: Jiang Ke, Li Qigeng, Cheng Li, Li Shiming

Addresses: School of Management and Economics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China. ' Department of Strategic and Marketing, Antai Management School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Rm. 302, Bd.10 No.535 Fahuazhen Rd. Shanghai, 200052, China. ' Department of Tourism Culture, Tourism School, Sichuan University, Wangjiang Road 29#, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610064, China. ' School of Management and Economics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China

Abstract: The information communication between government and tourists after emergencies can help tourists to make positive and reasonable tourism decisions and facilitate the market recovery of tourist destinations. Compared with conventional emergencies, unconventional emergencies will bring about a more significant destructive impact on tourist destinations; consequently, relevant information communication will have more significant practical value. This paper took the earthquake with a Richter scale of 8.0 happened in Wenchuan, Sichuan, China in May 2008 as the background and studied the crisis communication, information quality and perceptive difference of government policies in destinations under unconventional emergencies, from a tourist point of view. Findings indicated that tourists| gender, origin, and educational level present indicate significant difference on crisis communication, information quality and government policy in tourist destinations. Relevant conclusions have important practical application meaning on how government of tourist destinations should form effective crisis communication with tourists during and after unconventional emergencies.

Keywords: tourist perceptions; government policies; communication; information quality; Wenchuan; natural disasters; earthquakes; China; crisis management; emergency management; disaster management; market recovery; tourist destinations; unconventional emergencies; destructive impacts; destruction; Sichuan; gender; tourist origins; educational levels; tourism anthropology; tourist industry; tourists.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTA.2010.036848

International Journal of Tourism Anthropology, 2010 Vol.1 No.1, pp.87 - 103

Published online: 12 Nov 2010 *

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