Examining the Mediating Role of Destination Image on the Relationship between Perceived Risk and Willingness to Revisit: The Case Study of Arg-e Bam after the Earthquake Disaster

Despite the importance of perceived risk related to tourism and willingness to revisit, few studies have been done on the effect of perceived risk on the willingness to revisit through the mediating role of destination image. By investigating the effect of perceived risk on the destination image and its mediating role on the perceived risk as well as the willingness to revisit, this study has created new insights. The statistical population consisted of all domestic tourists who visited Arg-e Bam in spring and early summer of 2016. Due to the lack of access to detailed statistics of tourists who have visited Bam, 200 domestic visitors were selected using convenience sampling method. The study is an applied research and uses descriptive - data collection (questionnaire) method. In this study, the mediating role of both cognitive and emotional images on the relationship of three risks of the physical, financial and social and psychological and willingness to revisit were investigated. The obtained results indicated that the cognitive and emotional images play a mediating role on the relationship between physical and financial risk and willingness to revisit; however, there is no mediating role on the relationship between social - psychological risk and willingness to revisit.