Ecotourists' Perceived Risk/Benefit and Its Ability to Influence the Tourist Willingness to Visit

Abstract

Ecotourism has emerged as a tool that can help reduce environmental degradation and boost the economic and social activities of residents at various ecotourism destinations. These benefits can materialize when ecotourism destinations receive tourists throughout the year to ensure the sustainability of activities. Ecotourists choose destinations to visit based on their perceived benefits and risks which include a series of activities that the tourists experience on the journey and at the destination. A positive perception is a benefit and a negative one is a risk which intend influences the intention of the tourists to visit, revisit, and recommend the destination to potential tourists. Several authors have looked at the perceived risks and benefits and their influence on visits, however, insight into developing countries like Ghana remains under-researched. This chapter explores the literature and uses primary data collection from Ghana to explain the phenomenon.