International Tourists' Threat Appraisal, Coping Appraisal, and Protection Intention

Restaurants with poor hygiene practices are common sites for exposure to food poisoning. While previous studies have highlighted the influence of restaurant food hygiene indicators on consumer dining decision, research examining those cues in the tourism context is scant. This study aims to identify variables that direct tourists' protection intention to adopt food hygiene cues in the choice of Malaysian local restaurants, through the conceptual extension of a theoretical model known in the literature as Protection Motivation Theory. Based on what emerged from the analysis, the extended model of the theory is a better representation of protection intention.