Work

Stop unsafe behaviors at Internet celebrity spots: Matching strategies of warning message appeals and background colors in tourism safety communication

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The spread of social media has transformed some previously undeveloped “wilderness areas” into Internet celebrity spots, thereby intensifying tourism risks. This trend highlights an urgent managerial question: how can tourists' behavior be effectively guided through safety communication in emerging high-risk destinations? However, existing research has paid limited attention to how textual cues and visual colors of warning messages affect tourists' safety responses. To address this gap, this study draws on cognitive-affective system theory to examine the interaction effects between warning message appeals (emotional vs. rational) and background colors (red vs. blue) on tourists' safety behavior. Three online scenario-based experiments were conducted to test the proposed relationships. The results demonstrate that emotional appeals paired with red backgrounds and rational appeals aligned with blue backgrounds, respectively, enhance tourists' safety behavior through threatened awe and self-efficacy. Moreover, other tourists' behavior further moderates these matching effects. This research extends the theoretical boundaries of cognitive-affective system theory within destination safety communication and offers actionable insights for optimizing warning message design to promote tourists’ safety behavior.

Source: Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhtm.2026.101393

Authors: Chunmei Fan, Ling Li

Institution: Southwest Jiaotong University

Language: English

Topic: Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,400

Funder: National Social Science Fund of China