Why tourists ‘Keep Mum’: psychological antecedents of negative feedback withholding

This study investigates why tourists withhold negative feedback, a behavior known as ‘keeping mum’, by examining how self-censorship, fear of negative evaluation, and safety consciousness contribute to this tendency. Gender is tested as a moderator. Drawing on Spiral of Silence, Protection Motivation, and Self-Presentation theories, a model was tested using PLS-SEM on survey data from 631 Iranian international tourists. Self-censorship emerged as a central antecedent of keeping mum, both directly and indirectly via fear of negative evaluation and safety consciousness. Gender significantly moderated the effects of self-censorship and fear of negative evaluation, with stronger effects among female tourists. The study extends the literature on negative feedback withholding to tourism and provides a more differentiated understanding of the social, cognitive, and safety-related processes associated with tourist silence. Practically, the findings inform strategies for encouraging honest tourist feedback and gender-sensitive engagement.