MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS AS A TOOL FOR BUILDING TOURISTS’ TRUST UNDER CONDITIONS OF SECURITY RISKS: THE UKRAINIAN CONTEXT

Abstract

The article examines the role of marketing communications in building tourists’ trust under conditions of security risks, taking into account the Ukrainian context. The relevance of the topic is determined by the high sensitivity of tourism and hospitality to military-political, social, criminogenic, medical and sanitary, natural and technological, logistical, and informational risks. In the context of the full-scale war in Ukraine, the security factor significantly affects tourist activity, destination choice, the behavior of consumers of tourism services, and the level of trust in enterprises and territories.

It is substantiated that marketing communications under conditions of security risks should perform not only advertising and promotional functions, but also informational, reputational, and trust-building functions. They do not eliminate risks themselves; however, they can reduce informational uncertainty, form a realistic perception of the tourism product, support the reputation of enterprises and destinations, and strengthen tourists’ justified trust.

The article systematizes the main groups of security risks in tourism and hospitality, determines their impact on tourist behavior, and identifies the corresponding communication tasks of tourism entities. The logic of the influence of security risks on the formation of tourists’ trust through marketing communications is proposed. The principles of security-oriented marketing communications are identified: reliability, timeliness, transparency, ethics, practical usefulness, consistency, and adaptation to the needs of the target audience.

The practical significance of the study lies in substantiating the directions for implementing security-oriented marketing communications for tourism and hospitality enterprises, tourist destinations, territorial communities, staff, and digital platforms. Based on Ukrainian examples, it is shown that, under wartime conditions, security communication is related to informing tourists about shelters, algorithms of action during air raid alerts, transport logistics, the technical readiness of facilities, booking conditions, and guest support. It is concluded that for Ukraine such communications are an important factor in restoring tourist activity, forming a positive image of destinations, and increasing the resilience of tourism and hospitality.