The role of mortality salience in tourism marketing messages during a global health crisis

Terror Management Theory suggests that health messages can trigger mortality thoughts, influencing consumer behavior. Two studies were conducted to explore this mortality salience effect in the context of travel marketing during a pandemic. Findings from Study 1 showed that health-focused travel ads led to more mortality thoughts and increased travel intentions. Both low and high levels of these thoughts boosted travel intentions, while moderate levels deterred them. Drawing on Protection Motivation Theory, Study 2 examined the roles of trust in destination and perceived health risk in the effects of message-induced mortality-related thoughts on travel intentions. Travel ads that evoked mortality thoughts encouraged both domestic and international travel when health risks were perceived as low, but discouraged it when risks were high. Furthermore, the findings suggest that trust in the destination can mitigate the negative effects of mortality-related thoughts. This study offers insights into consumer reactions to health-related travel ads, with both theoretical and practical implications.