An assessment of risk management practices and travel-related perceptions among Thai tourist scuba divers in Phuket

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to determine travel-related risk perceptions from Thai tourists who engage in scuba diving in Phuket, and to assess effects of demographic background on travel risk perceptions of tourists when engaging scuba diving activity. Quantitative research using questionnaires was applied to collect data from Thai tourist scuba divers in Phuket during the first quarter of year 2022. Four hundred were distributed and 304 usable completed were returned. The risks are commonly associated with weather, natural disasters, and health related-issues in both expected or unexpected situations. Scuba diving is a high-risk activity, and at one atmospheric pressure, people can be able to adapt themselves. Generally, for all divers, the underwater world is a non-respirable world. Therefore, they are at all risks of deadly injury caused by increasing hyperbaric pressure. Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) had been conducted to the survey for threat appraisal and coping appraisal due to the risk measurement while traveling to scuba dive in Phuket. Data analysis was performed using Descriptive statistics, Independent t-test, and Correlation analysis. The findings showed that risk perception among Thai tourist scuba divers who traveled to Phuket had vary in terms of genders associated with loss of belonging, the sanity of the room on the boat, the accuracy of the pre-dive briefing, reliability of the pre-dive check, risky behavior of staff, sunburn and extreme weather, and dangerous marine life. To be precise, females perceived the risks more than males because of gender roles and gender stereotypes. According to gender roles development theories, girls and boys develop gender-specific behaviors that may be portrayed as feminine and masculine as an influence of socialization. Thus, females tend to have a greater fear of dangerous marine life, beauty and physical appearance, life-threatening situations, distant/inaccessible emergency health assistant includes decompression sickness and others severe threats more than males. Meanwhile, males are more likely consider the potential of their vulnerability to certain activity than females because of males are generally feel the responsibility to look after their partner or others in difficult situations. Both males and females perceived the standard of SHA regulation practice on board during Covid-19 pandemic crisis.