School of Tourism and Hospitality Management
School of Tourism and Hospitality
Management Papers
Southern Cross University
Year
Effects of negative media events on
tourist’s decisions
Margrete Lexow∗
Johan Edelheim†
∗International College of Management Sydney
†Southern Cross University
This paper is posted at ePublications@SCU.
http://epubs.scu.edu.au/tourism pubs/13
Lexow, M & Edelheim, J 2004, ‘Effects of negative media events on tourist’s decisions’, in W
Frost, G Croy & S Beeton (eds), Proceedings of International Tourism and Media Conference,
Tourism Research Unit, Monash University, Melbourne, pp. 51-60.
Lexow, Margrete and Edelheim, Johan R. (2004) Effects of Negative Media Events on Tourist’s
Decisions. In Frost, Warwick, Croy, Glen and Beeton, Sue (editors). International
Tourism and Media Conference Proceedings. 24th-26th November 2004. Melbourne:
Tourism Research Unit, Monash University. 51-60.
International Tourism and Media Conference 2004
Effects of Negative Media Events on Tourist’s Decisions
Margrete Lexow
International College of Tourism and Hotel Management, Australia
mlexow02@icthm.net
Johan R. Edelheim
Southern Cross University, Australia
jedelhei@scu.edu.au
Abstract
During the recent years, the role of mass media and its crucial position in the tourism information
and decision-making process has increased. The decision to choose one holiday destination over a
myriad of available choices is just one of many steps in the tourist’s decision-making process. The
question rising from this is whether there is a relationship between what is being communicated by
the mass media and the tourist’s stimulus. Tourism operators on Fiji and other holiday destinations
have experienced that the messages the mass media are communicating to the public can have a
significant impact on the numbers of visitors to the destination. An event published in the mass
media is seen as objective and factual because a third party writes it. However, editorial staff of the
media controls what is