5.1. Research Conclusions
In the context of the COVID-19 outbreak, based on the perceived risk theory, this study takes the perspective of the “person–place” relationship to discuss the mechanism of potential tourists’ risk perception in the severe epidemics. The study also discusses the antecedent effect of the place image depicted in anti-epidemic music videos on tourism risk perception, the effect of tourism risk perception on the potential tourists’ place attachment and travel intention, and the moderating effect of visiting history. It enriches the theoretical content of risk perception, expands the theoretical sources of tourist decision making, and promotes the application of music videos in tourism research. The conclusion of this study is as follows.
First, in severe epidemics, the place image depicted in anti-epidemic music videos has a significant negative effect on tourism risk perception (β = −0.359,
p < 0.001), and tourism risk perception has a significant negative effect on potential tourists’ place attachment (β = −0.479,
p < 0.001). Tourism risk perception has a significant negative effect on the potential tourists’ travel intention (β = −0.571,
p < 0.001), where the potential tourists’ risk perception has a greater effect on place attachment than travel intentions. This conclusion confirms that place image depicted in anti-epidemic music videos helps to reduce tourism risk perception in severe epidemic. The conclusion of the study is consistent with the results of Qu et al. (2011) [
23] that spreading a positive travel destination image can help reduce tourists’ potential risk concerns. In severe epidemics, the lower the tourism risk perception, the stronger the potential tourists’ place attachment and travel intention. The conclusion of the study is consistent with that of Xin-hui et al. (2016) [
33], Zheng, Zhang, Guo, Zhang, and Qian (2019) [
54], Bonaiuto et al. (2016) [
32], Tavitiyaman and Qu (2013) [
55] and Dengming et al. (2020) [
35]: the higher the tourism risk perception, the lower the tourists’ place attachment and travel intention. The conclusion of this study confirms that place image based on anti-epidemic music videos has a strong infectivity and influence in severe epidemics, which provides a new perspective for music video research, and also verifies that tourism risk perception greatly influences tourists’ attitudes and behaviors, and provides theoretical support for the risk management and marketing of tourism destinations during epidemics.
Second, in severe epidemics, tourism risk perception has a significant partial intermediary effect between the place image depicted in anti-epidemic music videos and potential tourists’ place attachment (β = 0.140,
p < 0.001), and tourism risk perception in anti-epidemic music videos has a significant partial intermediary effect between the potential tourists’ place image and travel intention (β = 0.175,
p < 0.001). The conclusion of this study reversely echoes the conclusion of Court and Lupton (1997) [
56] that the negative image of tourist destinations improves tourists’ risk perception and reduces their travel intention. The research conclusion analyzes the intermediary transmission effect of tourism risk perception, verifies the importance of tourism risk perception in tourists’ decision theory in severe epidemics, and provides theoretical support for tourism destination risk management.
Third, in severe epidemics, potential tourists without previous visiting history (β = 0.391,
p < 0.001) and with visiting history (β = 0.611,
p < 0.001) function as a regulatory for tourism risk perception and place attachment. Specifically, the tourism risk perception of the group without visiting history had less influence on place attachment, and vice versa. Potential tourists without visiting history (β = 0.498,
p < 0.001) and with visiting history (β = 0.680,
p < 0.001) serve as an intermediary between tourism risk perception and travel intention. Specifically, tourism risk perception of the group without visiting history had less influence on travel intention, and vice versa. The conclusion of the study is consistent with the results of Lew (1987) [
49] and Xin-hui et al. (2016) [
33]. This result confirms that visiting history balances the impact of tourism risk perception on place attachment and travel intention, that is, potential tourists who have visiting history can pay more attention to emergencies at the site and make a more comprehensive evaluation of the risk, thereby reducing the impact of the epidemic on place attachments, reducing the impact of the crisis on the willingness to travel, and providing the theoretical support of classified marketing and classified risk management for tourist destinations in severe epidemics.
In sum, this study analyzes the relationship between the place image depicted in anti-epidemic music videos, tourism risk perception, place attachment, and travel intention, and discusses the mechanism of tourism risk perception in severe epidemics, which enriches the theoretical content of perceived risk, and expands the theoretical source of tourism decision making, and promotes the application of music videos in tourism research. In short, this study explores the mechanism of potential tourists’ risk perception under the epidemic situation from the perspective of the “person–place” relationship, enriching the interdisciplinary research of geography, management, and tourism.
5.2. Research Inspiration
This novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic has a huge impact on the world’s tourism industry, along with new challenges to tourism development. Because risk factors have characteristics such as suddenness, cognitive bias, and difficulty in recovering [
57], the study of the mechanism of tourism risk perception provides an explanatory basis for understanding the attitudes and behaviors of tourists in response to risks, and provides a theoretical basis for formulating and perfecting the management strategies of tourism risks [
10] Combining theoretical findings, this study proposes the following risk management countermeasures for destinations.
First, in severe epidemics, comprehensive management and control of the destination’s tourism risks should be strengthened to reduce the potential tourists’ risk perception of destinations. On the one hand, destinations should carry out tourism risk management from the perspective of risk factors, risk levels, possible impact areas, starting time, and precautionary measures to comprehensively reduce the potential tourists’ destination risk perception and to create a safe and reliable tourism environment after the epidemics and to promote the tourists’ travel intention in the future. On the other hand, destinations should ensure the tourists with safety and security by reducing the potential tourists’ risk perception of physical, functional, social, psychological risks, and so on, thereby enhancing the safety perception effectiveness of potential tourists and providing a security guarantee for the sustainable development of tourism after an epidemic.
Second, in severe epidemics, destinations should make full use of the cultural media and actively implant and spread place images to reduce tourism risk perception and enhance place attachment and the travel intention of the destinations. Destination managers can create cultural products such as music themes, micro-films, literary works, and other cultural products that mainly display place image. Various communication channels such as news portals, social media, video sites, and public welfare platforms should be established to stimulate through repeated cycles for multiple senses of potential tourists such as hearing and vision, and continue to conduct in-depth “idea exchange” with potential tourists through “music video scenes” to enhance the potential tourists’ sensory experience of place images, resonate and associate, and form a unique place impression to help the recovery and development of the destination after the epidemic outbreak. In addition, when facing severe epidemics, destinations should focus on demonstrating high-quality tourism resources, improving tourism facilities and services, and presenting potential tourists with a fully functional destination environment. Appealing cultural works allow potential tourists to understand themselves through destination travel after the epidemic and strengthen the emotional connection with the destination, thereby enhancing the potential tourists’ emotional attachment to the destination and promoting travel intention.
Third, in severe epidemics, destinations should classify tourists based on potential tourists’ visiting history, especially paying more attention to tourists with visiting history. Through large activities such as exhibitions, festivals, and sports events, destinations should display regional characteristics and a cultural scenery of destinations in a comprehensive, multi-view and multi-sensory manner, thus enabling more potential tourists to visit Wuhan and actively promoting place images. At the same time, the destinations should pay attention to the effective role of tourists’ visiting history on tourism risk perception. In the destination marketing process, tourists should be classified into different groups based on the visiting history of tourists, carry out classified marketing and tender marketing from the perspective of the emotional connection of “person–place” interaction. Particularly, in the face of potential revisitors who can objectively regard the epidemic at the destination, it is necessary to strengthen tourists’ place attachment by enhancing the symbolic meaning of signs, tourism marketing copywriting, and service experience interface, thereby reducing tourism risk perception to promote travel intention and achieve the precise marketing of tourist destinations in the context of the epidemic crisis.