Improving social marketing for beach safety: Assessing communication messages using physiological measures

Visitor health and safety are vital concerns in the tourism industry, particularly in relation to hazardous locations such as beaches and waterways. These locations often require the communication of perceived hazards to visitors via various forms of communication channels (i.e. videos, websites, on site signage, etc.) to reduce safety risks. This is a particularly salient concern for international visitors who are often vulnerable to beach hazards due to their unfamiliarity with remote beach locations and language barriers that can hinder safety communication. This research thus investigates international visitor perceptions of beach risks, effective beach safety communication and factors influencing precautionary swimming measures. This is achieved through an exploratory and confirmatory mixed methods study design using qualitative interviews and physiological data collection (eye tracking) to understand international visitors’ responses to beach safety messaging. Findings provide message framing recommendations to attract higher attention to safety communications and improvements in precautionary behaviours.