Preferences regarding external information sources: a conjoint analysis of visitors to Sardinia,Italy |
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| Authors: | Dogan Gursoy Giacomo Del Chiappa Yi Zhang |
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| Institution: | 1. Carson College of Business, School of Hospitality Business Management, Washington State University, 340G Todd Hall, PO Box 644736, Pullman WA;2. School of Tourism &3. Hospitality, University of Johannesburg (South Africa), Johannesburg, South Africa;4. Department of Economics and Business, University of Sassari &5. CRENoS, Sassari, Italy;6. Hospitality, University of Johannesburg (South Africa);7. Department of Tourism Management, School of History, Culture and Tourism, Heilongjiang University, Harbin, China |
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| Abstract: | Utilizing a conjoint analysis approach, this study aims to examine the relative importance of external information sources for female and male international and domestic travelers utilizing data collected from 719 tourists traveling to Sardinia (Italy). Overall, findings reveal that traditional word-of-mouth (i.e. family and friends), online review sites (e.g. TripAdvisor), and the online search engines are the most important external information sources for both domestic and international travelers. However, differences in importance tourists assign to each external source exist based on type of travel (domestic versus international) and gender (male versus female). For example, while traditional word-of-mouth, online review sites, and search engines are the three most important sources for domestic male travelers, the third most important information source for domestic female travelers is found to be printed tour guides. Contributions to the current body of knowledge and managerial implications are discussed, and suggestions for further research are provided. |
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| Keywords: | External information sources importance level conjoint analysis gender type of travel information search |
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