Disaster Response Behaviour among Tourist Guides in Sarawak: Training Intention as Mediator and Information Sharing as Moderator

Abstract

This study explores disaster preparedness among licensed tourist guides in Sarawak, Malaysia, focusing on training intention as a mediating factor and information sharing as a moderating factor. As natural and human-induced hazards intensify across Southeast Asia, Malaysia’s expanding tourism industry, which is central to national income and employment, faces growing challenges in protecting visitors, sustaining livelihoods and safeguarding fragile environments. Tourist guides are pivotal first responders in this context, yet their readiness to manage crises remains insufficiently addressed. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Social Exchange Theory, this research develops a conceptual framework that links attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control to guides’ intentions to participate in preparedness training and examines how information sharing influences the translation of intention into actual disaster-response behaviour. By situating these behavioural mechanisms within the high-risk operational realities of Sarawak’s national parks and ecotourism sites, the study extends behavioural disaster research into an underexplored domain and generates evidence-based insights for training design, stakeholder coordination and policy reform. The findings are expected to benefit tourist guides, tourism agencies and policymakers by enhancing safety, resilience and visitor confidence in Malaysia’s tourism sector.