ADVENTURE TOURISM RISK, ENVIRONMENTAL IMAGE, AND REVISIT INTENTION: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF UNDERWATER CAVE DIVING TOURISM IN BUTON ISLAND, INDONESIA

Abstract

Purpose - Most previous research on tourism analysis,, focuses more on recreational tourism. This study aims to analyze risk perception by using adventure tourism risk, that is; equipment, physical, psychological, social, and financial risks, and their effects on environmental image and revisit intention. Design - This study adopts the perceptions of tourists who used the services of three dive operators from January to March 2022: Rock n Roll Diver, Sulawesi Dive Trek, and Wasage Divers. Methodology - The research data was collected from 98 respondents, namely tourists who did cave diving tours in Buton Island, Indonesia. Approach - The hypothesis test is conducted using the Partial Least Squared (PLS) approach, and this test structurally accounts for both direct and indirect effects. Findings - The results of the study provide information that adventure risk, include; risk of equipment, physical, psychological, social and financial affects environmental image and revisit intention, either directly or indirectly. Environmental image affects revisit intention and environmental image have a mediating effect adventure risk to revisit intention. Originality of the research - This study tries to build a causal relationship between adventure tourism risk, and destination image, especially environmental image and its effect on revisit intention in underwater cave diving tourism in Buton Island, Indonesia.. Originality of the research is equipment, physical, psychological, social, and financial risks, and their effects on environmental image and revisit intention that to be focused on underwater cave diving tourism.