The Impact of Media Coverage: Examining Participants’ Intention to Travel to SeaWorld Park

• Main Author: Kang, Sungeun
• Other Authors: Petrick, James, Scott, David, Durko, Angela, Rholes, Steve
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: Media trust; SeaWorld Park; Blackfish Documentary; Theory of Planned Behavior; Behavioral Intentions; Killer Whale; Killer whale
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/184389

The primary purpose of this dissertation is to investigate (a) the trust people have in mass media, (b) how media coverage impacts human behavior, and (c) how the media influences tourism decisions. Specifically, the dissertation examines (d) how “Blackfish,” a documentary about a killer whale and three deaths at SeaWorld, a theme park in Florida, influenced travelers’ attitudes towards the park and their intention to visit. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this research aims to understand what type of media exposure has the most influence on the destination selection process. The study compared the outcome of four different groups based on their pre-test and post-test scores of media credibility and behavioral intent. Group A had no treatment (watched no video) about SeaWorld Park, Group B was exposed to positive media coverage, Group C was given negative media coverage, and Group D had both positive and negative media coverage. After randomly assigning the participants into four groups, it was observed whether different types of media coverage resulted in a significant change in beliefs and/or intentions to visit SeaWorld Park. After the video was shown to the respondents, subject to the conditions given above, the study’s results reveal that media reports influenced the respondents’ trust in the media and their intentions to visit the park. Although the results varied according to the specific conditions, media credibility, attitude, and subjective norms play a key role in explaining the respondents’ intentions and subsequent decisions. However, no substantial relationship between perceived behavioral control on behavioral intention was detected. The results of the study are discussed in light of their practical and theoretical implications.