Safety Culture and Managerial Behavior in Indonesian Tourism: A PLS-SEM Analysis of Mediating Effects

Indonesia, as an archipelagic country prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, faces unique safety challenges in its tourism sector, including limited infrastructure and varying safety awareness among tourism operators and local communities [1]. These factors underscore the critical need to investigate the role of culture and safety awareness in promoting safe behavior among tourism business managers.

Tourism is one of the strategic sectors contributing to Indonesia's economy by increasing income and urbanization while driving economic growth [2]. The tourism sector creates job opportunities, which can enhance income for local communities [3]. Community-based tourism has raised awareness and local participation in conservation efforts, leading to improved livelihoods [4]. Youth involvement in tourism planning promotes sustainable practices and inclusivity, challenging traditional power dynamics in tourism development [5]. Engaging local communities in tourism planning fosters social capital, enhances community cohesion, and encourages participation [3].

Safety behavior is a key factor in maintaining the reputation of tourism businesses to attract tourists and positively impact the national economy [6]. Tourists increasingly prioritize safety when choosing destinations, driven by negative perceptions stemming from natural disasters that lead to decreased visits [7]. Organizations that prioritize safety through training and policies achieve better safety outcomes [8]. The interaction between safety culture and national culture can shape the implementation of safety measures, affecting overall tourist satisfaction [9]. Employee understanding of safety measures varies across organizations, indicating that a strong safety culture enhances awareness and knowledge of safety protocols [10].

Longitudinal studies over nearly two decades have shown that the tourism sector in Indonesia is vulnerable to shocks from natural disasters. The study [11] emphasizes that reactive policies need to be replaced with structural approaches that take into account local dynamics and long-term preparedness. Empirical studies also highlight the particular challenges in implementing a culture of safety in Indonesian tourism businesses, emphasizing the role of community involvement and management commitment in dealing with disasters over the long term, the continuation of regular tourism activities requires a structural approach in terms of policy response [12].

Safety awareness, including effective policies and guidelines, can improve technical safety behaviors, leading to better compliance with safety rules [13]. Continuous training and management commitment to safety are crucial for instilling safety awareness, empowering employees to identify and mitigate risks [14]. Improved safety awareness promotes proactive safety behavior, essential for preventing accidents in high-risk environments like tourism [15]. A lack of awareness and knowledge about safety protocols among employees and management contributes to inadequate safety practices [16]. Many training programs fail to incorporate the latest safety protocols, leading to insufficient preparedness among workers, while high costs associated with updating training materials deter organizations from enhancing resources [16].

Local governments play a vital role in fostering tourism entrepreneurship by creating supportive policies and frameworks [17]. Government efforts to empower communities have been made, but there is still a lack of oversight and continuous innovation in addressing safety issues [18]. Generally, tourism businesses have not optimally implemented safety behavior, and risk communication targeted at tourists has proven ineffective, as many tourists remain unaware of safety protocols despite hazard warnings [19]. Accessible and consistent information is essential because tourists often do not exhibit risk-avoidance behavior, complicating safety efforts [19]. A sustainable governance model promoting collaboration among stakeholders can enhance safety measures in tourism [20]. Collaborative efforts between local authorities, tourism businesses, and communities are crucial for effective disaster preparedness and resilience [21].

This research is particularly important because implementing good safety practices can significantly attract more tourists, thereby leading to increased revenue and economic benefits for various local businesses [22]. In addition, actively engaging local communities in the processes of tourism governance greatly fosters a sense of cooperation and helps to establish shared common goals, which in turn substantially enhances overall community resilience and mutual understanding [20]. Providing consistent education on occupational health and safety (OHS) can effectively empower community members by offering valuable knowledge and skills, thereby promoting and sustaining a strong safety culture that is genuinely beneficial to all stakeholders over the long term [23]. Furthermore, the continuous establishment of clear safety norms and reliable practices can greatly reduce perceived risks among both visitors and employees, thereby considerably improving the overall safety culture across tourism-related businesses and operations [24].

A lack of safety awareness increases the potential for workplace accidents, which can be mitigated by equipping employees with knowledge to identify hazards and implement safety measures [25]. Education significantly influences safety awareness; higher education levels correlate with better knowledge of safety practices [25]. Regular training on safety protocols can enhance awareness and reduce accidents [26]. A positive organizational culture that prioritizes safety fosters resilience and adaptability, decreasing the likelihood of accidents [26]. Engaging all employees in safety discussions and decision-making can enhance collective responsibility for safety management [27].

This research also integrates a safety culture within local communities managing tourism businesses. Community leaders can drive initiatives that promote local engagement and ownership, which are crucial for sustainable tourism practices [28]. Members of the community who contribute savings as investors are divided into three groups: Tourism Awareness Groups (POKDARWIS), permanent employees, and general investors or community members. Active participation of community members in decision-making processes enhances trust and cooperation among stakeholders, leading to improved safety measures and community well-being [20].

Community-based tourism (CBT) emphasizes responsible tourism practices aligned with local cultural and environmental values. These practices include sustainably managing natural resources and ensuring the equitable distribution of benefits [29]. Increased environmental awareness among community members fosters greater participation in conservation efforts, enhancing the safety and sustainability of tourism activities overall [4].

A safety culture enables managers to innovate and adapt to changing circumstances without fearing negative consequences [34]. Safety measures are now crucial for promoting tourism, particularly in rural areas, where managers focus on creating a safe environment to enhance tourist satisfaction [35]. Integrating safety and well-being into tourism strategies is essential to attract visitors and ensure sustainable practices [35]. By prioritizing a safety culture, organizations can improve safety behavior, reduce the likelihood of accidents and injuries, enhance overall organizational performance, and raise safety awareness. Through training, effective communication, and commitment to safety standards, individuals in the workplace and visitors become more aware of the importance of safety, ultimately increasing awareness of potential hazards.

The importance of safety procedures should be emphasized, particularly while creating a healthy and high-quality safety culture among workers to enhance awareness of safety culture. If the safety culture is improved, it has the potential to increase safety awareness. High safety awareness is the first step in forming good safety behavior. Individuals who are aware of hazards are more likely to wear safety equipment and follow safe procedures. In tourist destinations, good safety awareness encourages both visitors and staff to be more cautious, reducing the risk of accidents. Safety awareness drives behavior that fosters safety actions; the higher the processing methods, safety understanding, and safety education knowledge, the higher the safety behavior. With a good safety culture, individuals become more aware of hazards, which then encourages them to behave more safely. Implementing an effective safety culture will enhance awareness and lead to safer behavioral changes. Safety awareness plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between safety culture and safety behavior. It has been found that safety awareness has a partial mediating effect in the relationship between safety culture and safety behavior.

In conducting the analysis, we used a metric of 0.67 to account for the magnitude of the influence of exogenous variables on endogenous variables. A value of 0.33 indicates a moderate influence, while a value of 0.19 is interpreted as a weak influence.

Table 2 presents the results of the first hypothesis test, which explains the role of safety culture in safety behavior. The hypothesis testing analysis produced an (O) value with a path coefficient of 0.316 and a T-statistic of 2.927. This value exceeds the T-table value (1.987), indicating that safety culture has a significant impact on safety behavior, and thus the hypothesis is accepted.

The second hypothesis test shows that safety culture influences safety awareness. The (O) value with the resulting path coefficient is 0.793, and the T-statistic is 27.516. This value exceeds the T-table value (1.987), indicating that safety culture has a positive and significant impact on safety awareness, and thus the hypothesis is accepted.

The third hypothesis test explains the influence of safety awareness on safety behavior, producing an (O) value with a path coefficient of 0.536 and a T-statistic of 5.166. This value exceeds the T-table value (1.987), which can be interpreted as safety awareness influencing safety behavior, and therefore, the hypothesis is accepted.

From Table 3, it can be concluded that the mediating role of the safety awareness variable in the relationship between safety culture and safety behavior is found to be significant. This is indicated by the T-statistic value being greater than the T-table value (5.182 > 1.987) and the P-value being less than 0.05 (0.000 < 0.05). Therefore, the indirect effect of the safety culture variable (X) on safety behavior (Y) through the safety awareness variable (Z) is significant. These results show that safety awareness acts as a full mediator, meaning that safety awareness fully mediates the influence of safety culture on safety behavior.

Theory of Planned Behavior states that a person's behavior is influenced by behavioral intentions formed from attitudes toward behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control [36]. In the context of this study, safety culture plays a role in shaping organizational values, norms, and environments that support positive attitudes toward safety. However, the influence of safety culture on safety behavior is not direct, but through increased safety awareness as a mediating mechanism.

The full mediating role of safety awareness in the relationship between safety culture and safety behavior can be theoretically explained by the Theory of Planned Behavior [36]. Safety culture creates a supportive normative environment and positive attitudes toward safety, which in turn increases individuals' safety awareness reflecting their behavioral intentions and perceived control regarding safety practices. This increased awareness fully mediates the effects of safety culture, leading to observable safety behavior among tourism business managers.

Managers face various risks, including safety, financial, and operational challenges, which require a strong safety culture to effectively mitigate these risks [37]. Understanding these risks can help managers develop comprehensive strategies that address both immediate concerns and long-term sustainability [37]. Tourism business managers can implement safety behaviors to increase tourist confidence, potentially boosting revenue and empowering local communities for the tourism industry [38]. A safe environment attracts more visitors, which can empower the economy and local communities through increased tourism revenue. The alignment of organizational values with safety practices significantly impacts employee safety [39]. A positive safety culture encourages individuals to engage in safer behaviors. Research shows that employees in environments with strong safety cultures are more likely to adhere to safety procedures, which correlates with improved safety performance, emphasizing the need for management’s commitment to safety [40]. A strong safety culture leads to safety behavior, including higher safety compliance among employees, where safety culture is a strong predictor of compliance behavior [41].

Components of safety behavior, such as compliance and leadership, significantly influence safety culture, highlighting the importance of prioritizing safety behavior for workplace safety [42]. A strong safety culture significantly affects safety behavior across various sectors, including tourism [38]. The analysis results show that safety culture has a significant impact on safety behavior in the tourism business. Organizational culture significantly reduces workplace accidents, especially in high-risk environments, by fostering a safer work atmosphere [43]. A strong organizational culture is correlated with fewer safety violations and lower injury rates [40], fewer safety violation reports, and lower regulatory fines, suggesting that a strong positive culture encourages compliance with safety practices and leads to better safety outcomes [44].

The implementation of safety culture can lead to a reduction in accidents, as research has shown that unsafe behaviors contribute a high percentage of incidents in the workplace [45].

In rural tourism, local knowledge about safety risks is often underutilized, leading to increased vulnerability. Implementing a good safety culture at workplaces and attractions not only enhances safety awareness but also encourages individuals to be more cautious and follow existing safety procedures. Safety culture significantly impacts safety awareness, as evidenced by research showing that organizations with a strong safety culture report higher levels of employee awareness regarding safety practices [46].

Table 2. Hypothesis test analysis (path coefficients)

Table 3. Results of specific indirect effects analysis

The relationship between safety culture, safety awareness, and safety behavior is well documented across industries. A strong safety culture not only increases safety awareness among employees but also fosters a proactive approach to adhering to safety protocols. This interaction is crucial to minimize risks and improve overall safety performance at the workplace. Employee awareness of risks is enhanced by a strong safety culture, encouraging the adoption of effective risk reduction strategies [47]. Identifying key safety-related behaviors within the framework of safety culture can lead to improved compliance and awareness among employees [48]. Effective safety training programs tailored to specific job contexts can significantly improve safety awareness and reduce accidents [49].

Employees' understanding of safety measures varies across organizations, indicating that a strong safety culture enhances safety awareness and knowledge of protocols [10]. A strong safety culture not only improves safety performance but also serves as a competitive advantage, attracting more customers to businesses that prioritize safety [10]. Implementing safety management practices aligned with a positive safety culture can significantly reduce workplace accidents [50].

Integrating local community culture into safety practices in business enhances the relevance and acceptance of safety measures [51]. Embedding safety culture into organizational practices leads to a more proactive approach to accident prevention [52]. The integration of local customs into safety training can enhance its effectiveness, as seen in reconstruction efforts where cultural understanding improved safety outcomes [53].

Ongoing training and management commitment to safety are crucial for instilling safety awareness, as they empower employees to recognize and reduce risks [14]. Safety awareness is critical, with key elements like attitudes and perceptions being vital to fostering a strong safety culture, especially post-pandemic [54]. However, challenges such as financial constraints and labor shortages continue to hinder the implementation of effective safety measures across sectors [54].

Safety awareness acts as a full mediator in the relationship between safety culture and safety behavior. In other words, the influence of safety culture on safety behavior occurs through an increase in safety awareness. Several key factors, including technology integration, participatory approaches, education and training, and organizational culture, influence the improvement of safety awareness at the workplace. These elements collectively contribute to a safer work environment and help reduce risks associated with workplace hazards.

Involving community members in safety training can enhance their knowledge and preparedness, leading to better safety outcomes [51]. Engaging stakeholders and the community in safety decision-making fosters a proactive safety behavior culture, increasing overall awareness [55]. Active participation in safety programs can lead to better understanding and management of workplace risks [55]. While integrating global best practices with local knowledge is essential, it is also important to recognize the potential commodification of culture, which could undermine the authenticity of local culture if not managed carefully [56]. Active participation from stakeholders significantly enhances awareness of occupational health and safety, leading to proactive safety measures [57].