Between Myths and Risk Perceptions among Religious Tourists: The case of the Haredim

Myths about tourist behavior and tourists' risk perception are two socio-cultural constructs rarely discussed in tourism research. Furthermore, their interrelations have never been discussed with respect to religious tourists who are caught between their trust in God and real tourist circumstances that require risk-free responsible behavior. This paper attempts to fill this gap by studying myths and risk perception of Ultra-Orthodox Jews known as Haredim. Using Nominal Group Technique and the Value Stretch model, the study unveiled this community's main travel-related risk perceptions and to what extent they differ from or are similar to myths about travel behavior originated by the secular Israeli society. Findings show that travel-related Haredi risk perception is generally a "religio-secular hybrid." It is composed of risk constructs prevailing among secular tourists but also of those that stem from the unique socio-economic, logistic and lifestyle constraints of the Haredim.