Based on the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), this study investigates the impact of risk perception (threat appraisal and coping appraisal) and trust in the destination government on tourists’ self-protective behavior. Survey data from 450 international tourists from the United States were collected through mTurk and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS 3.0. The results suggest that tourists’ self-protective behavior is directly influenced by their perception of threats and the appraisal of coping mechanisms, but not by trust in the destination government. However, trust in the destination government has an indirect effect on self-protective behavior mediated by threat appraisal and coping appraisal. Thus, tourism stakeholders must focus on building and maintaining trust in government to encourage compliance and self-protective behavior of tourists. Limitations, implications, and suggestions for future research are further discussed.

PurposeThe study has two objectives, first, to examine the effect of COVID-19 deaths and corruption on the government's policy responses, and second, to investigate the effect of COVID-19, corruption and government response on hotel performance, using the developmental system's framework of resilience theory.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilizes hotel data from ten countries collected from 1st March 2020 to 28th February 2021. The data are analyzed using the panel regression analysis in E-views.FindingsThe study confirms that government policies direct impact the hotel performance. Specifically, economic support policies have a positive effect on hotel performance, while COVID-19 deaths and restrictions have a negative impact on hotels. The study also found a strong association between corruption and the level of restrictions that governments choose to implement. Therefore, for effective recovery, governments must be mindful of the context in which businesses operate and the effect of their policies on the hotel industry.Practical implicationsThe strong correlation between COVID-19 deaths and RevPAR highlights the significance of understanding and addressing customers' risk perception to enhance the resilience of the hotel industry. The findings emphasize the importance of collaboration between the hotel industry and the government for effective crisis management and policymaking.Originality/valueThis study empirically examines how various policy responses and crisis levels impact hotel performance. It sheds light on why countries respond to crises differently and the effects of different policy responses on the hotel industry. The study has many implications for the industry stakeholders and policymakers.

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