Understanding user experiences of online travel review websites for hotel booking behaviours: an investigation of a dual motivation theory

Online travel review websites (a form of social media) have become an important information source for online travellers. However, previous studies have mainly focused on the issue of the adoption of social media websites. Recognising the theoretical gap in tourism, this paper tries to understand users’ experiences in using social media, associated with user satisfaction and determining the success of an information system. The findings of this research indicate that, in accordance with the motivation theory, both extrinsic (i.e. the argument quality of consumer reviews) and intrinsic (i.e. the credibility of the source) motivation play important roles that enhance user satisfaction. Specifically, the completeness, relevance, flexibility, and timeliness of the argument quality as well as the trustworthiness of source credibility positively influence user satisfaction, leading to intentions to reuse the website and purchase the tourism product. Practical implications for online tourism marketers are also discussed.     

The information quality and source credibility matter in customers’ evaluation toward food O2O commerce

This study examines customer’s decision making when purchasing food product through O2O commerce applying the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and the technology acceptance model (TAM). Further, this research investigates which information processing path, central route (information quality) or peripheral route (source credibility), is related to purchase frequency. Results of the data analysis demonstrate (1) the positive relationship between information quality, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use; (2) the significant relationship between source credibility, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use; (3) the significant influence of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on customer trust; and (4) the significant relationships among customer trust, attitudes, and behavioral intentions. In addition, customers with high purchase frequency tend to process messages via the central route, while customers with low purchase frequency focus on the peripheral route. These findings provide theoretical and managerial implications that contribute to O2O commerce marketing.     

An empirical study on the influence of economy hotel website quality on online booking intentions

This study investigates the potential theoretical relationships among economy hotel website quality, eTrust, and online booking intentions in China. A questionnaire survey was performed, and 298 samples were collected from the users of three economy hotel websites (7 days, Home Inns, and Hanting Hotel) in Guangzhou, China. Results of a detailed data analysis demonstrate the influence of the four dimensions of economy hotel website quality (usability, ease of use, entertainment, and complementarity) on eTrust and online booking intentions. Specifically, (1) the usability, entertainment, and complementarity of economy hotel websites significantly positively affected eTrust; on the contrary, the influence of ease of use on eTrust was insignificant; (2) complementarity showed a more positive influence than the three other attributes on online booking intentions; and (3) eTrust significantly positively influenced online booking intentions. These findings contribute to economy hotel online marketing in China by bridging the gap between the exploration of hotel website quality and its influence on online booking intentions.     

Warfare tourism experiences and national identity: The case of Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ in Oosterbeek,the Netherlands

This paper examines through an analysis of Dutch warfare tourism whether there is a relationship between the subjective perceived salience of Dutch identity and heritage tourists' motives, emotions and overall satisfaction. Using a social identity theory framework, this study provides a view of motives for Dutch warfare heritage tourism and the ways in which this specific variant of heritage tourism evokes different emotions and satisfaction evaluations in visitors. Specifically, we found that visitors who identified strongly as ‘being Dutch’ (the ‘in-group’) have stronger self-enhancement motives compared to those who identify less strongly, and that edutainment features strongly in the museum experience. Visitors seeking initiative/recognition express feelings of disappointment suggesting that the museum's symbolic function as a place of national in-group identity could be more highlighted. We demonstrate that an affirmative and engaged experience can manifest at nationally symbolic sites through positive historical narratives and entertainment, and through ‘in-group’ self-enhancement activities.     

Examining the Factors Affecting Perceived Enjoyment and Usage Intention of Ubiquitous Tour Information Services: A Service Quality Perspective

With the advances in mobile technologies, the ubiquitous tour information service has been emerging as a new solution for providing tour information. This study examined the effects of ubiquitous tour information service on perceived enjoyment and usage intention by tourists. The study begins with a preliminary survey of mobile device users’ motives and perceptions of usage, followed by a review of the related literature. The measurements were derived from this process. The demonstrative analysis results classify the quality of ubiquitous tour information service into four categories: system quality, information quality, interface design, and convenience. Before analyzing the data, an exploratory factor analysis for reliability and validity assessment was conducted. Whereas the factors of interface design and convenience did not have a significant impact, the remaining two factors, system quality and information quality, impacted users’ perceived enjoyment to a much greater extent. The four categories of ubiquitous tour information service were shown to affect usage intention. Of the four factors, system quality was found to have the highest impact on usage intention, followed by convenience, interface design, and information quality, in that order. The association between perceived enjoyment and usage intention was also supported. Based on the results, academic and managerial implications are discussed.     

Is there an incompatibility between personal motives and social capital in triggering pro-environmental behavioral intentions in urban parks? A perspective of motivation-behavior relations

Drawing from the perspective of motivation-behavior relations, this study explores whether self-transcendent and activating status motives trigger pro-environmental behavioral intentions of residents living nearby urban parks. Meanwhile, this study particularly examines the moderating effect of community social capital and whether there exists an incompatibility between community social capital and personal motives. This study adopts Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) method to conduct data analysis and reveals that self-transcendent and activating status motives positively influence nearby residents' pro-environmental behavioral intentions. The relationships between personal motives and pro-environmental behavioral intentions are negatively affected by community social capital, suggesting that there is an incompatibility between community social capital and personal motives. Furthermore, a positive spillover effect between low and high effort pro-environmental behavioral intentions is noted. These findings provide park and community managers with insights as far as the residents' engagement in urban park sustainability is concerned.     

What factors determining customer continuingly using food delivery apps during 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic period?

Food delivery apps (FDAs) as an emerging online-to-offline mobile technology, have been widely adopted by catering businesses and customers. Especially, as they have provided two-way beneficial catering delivery services in rescuing catering enterprises and satisfying customers’ technological and mental exceptions under the COVID-19 global pandemic condition. This study proposes a comprehensive model integrating UTAUT, ECM and TTF with the trust factor and examines 532 valid FDA users’ continuance intention of using FDAs during the COVID-19 pandemic period in China. The statistical results and discussions show that satisfaction is the most significant factor, and perceived task-technology fit, trust, performance expectancy, social influence and confirmation have direct or indirect positive impacts on users’ continuance usage intention of FDAs during the COVID-19 pandemic period. In addition, relevant researches and stakeholders should consider the specific characteristic of technology being associated with users’ technological and mental perceptions for better understanding and explaining users’ continuance intention.     

Seniors’ dual route of persuasive communications in mobile social media and the moderating role of discretionary time

More than two-thirds of seniors use smartphones and in South Korea, over half of all senior smartphone owners are mobile social media (MSM) users. This study tested two basic routes to persuasion in the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), applying the new concepts of benefits and authentic experience among senior MSM users for travel- and tourism-related purposes, along with the moderating role of discretionary time spent on MSM. To this end, an online survey was conducted for senior MSM users for tourism activities, and partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to analyze data obtained from 500 study participants. Results reveal that argument quality had a stronger effect on benefit than source credibility. Benefits and authentic experience played important mediating roles in the ELM. Discretionary time on MSM played a significant moderating role in the central and peripheral routes. Theoretical and practical contributions are discussed in the conclusions section.     

Leveraging human-robot interaction in hospitality services: Incorporating the role of perceived value,empathy, and information sharing into visitors’ intentions to use social robots

Social robots have become pervasive in the tourism and hospitality service environments. The empirical understanding of the drivers of visitors' intentions to use robots in such services has become an urgent necessity for their sustainable deployment. Certainly, using social androids within hospitality services requires organisations' attentive commitment to value creation and fulfilling service quality expectations. In this paper, via structural equation modelling (SEM) and semi-structured interviews with managers, we conceptualise and empirically test visitors' intentions to use social robots in hospitality services. With data collected in Singapore's hospitality settings, we found visitors' intentions to use social robots stem from the effects of technology acceptance variables, service quality dimensions leading to perceived value, and two further dimensions from human robot interaction (HRI): empathy and information sharing. Analysis of these dimensions' importance provides a deeper understanding of novel opportunities managers may take advantage of to position social robot-delivered services in tourism and hospitality strategies.     

Variety seeking in restaurant choice and its drivers

The purpose of this study was to identify variety drivers in restaurant settings and to examine their influence on diners’ variety seeking intentions. More specifically, this study considered perceived quality, customer satisfaction, overall boredom, and boredom with restaurant attributes as variety drivers and examined how they affect customers’ variety seeking intentions. Further, this study investigated the moderating role of personality characteristics and overall loyalty level toward a restaurant in the relationship between variety drivers and variety seeking intentions. The results showed that atmospheric quality, overall boredom, and boredom with atmospheric attributes significantly influence variety seeking intentions. Personality characteristics reflecting optimal stimulation level also played a moderating role in the relationship between overall boredom and variety seeking intentions. Theoretical and managerial implications are provided in the conclusion.     

Influence of the user’s psychological factors on the online purchase intention in rural tourism: Integrating innovativeness to the UTAUT framework

This study explores the process of adoption of new information technologies by the users of rural tourism services and, more concretely, the underlying psychological factors of individuals that explain their intentions to make bookings or reservations directly through the websites of the rural accommodations (online purchase intentions). Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), this study establishes a theoretical model that includes five explanatory variables of the online purchase intention: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and innovativeness. The empirical results obtained in a sample of 1083 tourists that had previously visited several websites of rural accommodations suggest that the online purchase intention is positively influenced by: 1) the levels of performance and effort expected with regard to the transaction; and 2) the level of innovativeness of users. In addition, the innovativeness construct has a moderating effect on the relationship between performance expectancy and online purchase intention.     

The Influence of Tourists' Characteristics on Ratings of Information Sources for an Attraction

Information sources about a product or service potentially affect a tourist's purchase decision. The characteristics of tourists influence the manner in which they search for, rate, and use information about tourism related products or services. The purpose of this paper is to determine the relationship between the characteristics of visitors to an attraction and information source importance ratings. It concludes that word-of-mouth information is rated most important, followed by past experience and other media sources. Additionally, several demographic and trip characteristics are related to rating of information sources, as are visitor motives.     

信息质量对旅游目的地形象的影响研究——基于不同关系强度的社交媒体平台

在互联网迅猛发展以及智能手机不断更新迭代的大环境下,社交媒体已成为人们生活中必不可少的一部分,随着网络技术的发展,流畅的网络系统不仅给人们带来了高质量的上网体验,也为人们的信息收集提供了便利。有出游意愿的游客往往事先通过社交媒体搜索、浏览、接收相关旅游目的地信息,进而感知旅游目的地形象。以往研究中较少关注人们与平台的关系强度或者只选取某一个特定的社交平台来探讨其对信息质量的影响。文章创新性地从不同关系强度视角出发,选取微博、微信两大代表性社交平台,探讨不同关系强度对信息质量的影响,以及信息质量对目的地形象的影响,并得出相关结论。通过研究结论,为目的地营销提供有针对性的建议。     

An Exploratory Study of Convention Specific Social Media Usage by Attendees: Motivations and Effect of Generations on Choice of Convention Information Source and Intention to Use Mobile Application

While social media and mobile devices have grown as important tools of communication and marketing in the meeting industry, limited research has explored convention attendees’ perception of convention specific social networking media and what the motivations are for attendees’ adoption of using convention specific social media. This study aims to identify convention attendees’ motivations of using convention specific social media and demands of convention specific mobile applications. This study also investigated how attendees’ generation affects their selection of convention information sources and attitude toward mobile applications. Based on the identified key motivations of using convention specific social media, convention organizers need to build social media that provide up-to-dated convention information as well as a functionality of building community among attendees. The findings also show that generation affects the choice of convention information source and intention of mobile applications usage. This study identified the most demanded convention mobile applications including, exhibitor directory search, convention floor plan, and convention itinerary planner. This study can be used as a basis for more extensive examinations of the use of social media in conventions and for empirical testing of convention attendees’ attitudes toward convention social media and mobile applications.     

Restaurant chain’s corporate social responsibility messages on social networking sites: The role of social distance

Considering the large influence of social media on the restaurant chain industry, finding effective communication strategies to interact with customers is critically important. The purpose of the study was to investigate how restaurant chain’s CSR messages on social networking sites affect brand value and social distance. Data were collected from 403 social media users with a dining experience at a U.S. restaurant chain. A two-step structural equation model and a two by two between-subject experimental design were conducted for this study. The perception of CSR messages on SNS positively affects customer’s social distance and the restaurant’s brand credibility, and consequently enhance the brand equity. Restaurant chain’s concrete (vs. abstract) CSR messages on SNS has a positive influence on customers’ brand equity when their social distance is close (vs. distant). The study highlights the importance of shortening social distance to enhance brand equity when developing CSR messages on SNS.     

Social Media Sites as a Means of Coping with a Threatened Social Identity

Since their inception in the early- to mid-2000s, social media sites (SMS) have burgeoned into a popular leisure pursuit with millions of users worldwide. Defined as Internet-based software programs that facilitate communication among individuals, members use them to exchange information, develop friendships, and find social support. Despite their rapid growth as a leisure time activity, there is a dearth of research exploring use of SMS. Using social identity theory as a framework, this study uses quantitative and qualitative data to explore how people who identified as “Penn Staters” used SMS to connect with others and exchange information during and in the wake of the breaking news of the Sandusky Scandal (SS). As predicted, highly identified Penn Staters used SMS to cope with news of the SS. However, interesting variations in usage based on demographic information are presented and discussed, providing greater insight into this increasingly popular leisure trend.     

Satisfaction or Quality Comes First: An Empirical Analysis

This article assesses and compares two different models that include (a) the relationships of quality dimensions with satisfaction and associated intended future behavior and (b) the relationships of satisfaction with quality dimensions and associated intended future behavior for visitors who attended entertainment events/shows at two venues. A structural analysis of 8,446 responses provided by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority in Charlotte, North Carolina, suggests that both models are statistically acceptable and some significant relationships are found among satisfaction, three quality dimensions (the entertainment show offered, the services associated with the venue, and the treatment by staff), and intended future behavior. A brief comparison of the two models is discussed in terms of the structural relationships, the strengths, and the values of goodness-of-fit indices. The findings may contribute to the conceptual development of the existing literature as one of the first few works to study satisfaction, quality, and future behavior intentions in the entertainment and event area. The article ends by providing practical facilitation of related managerial directions in the entertainment industry and suggests directions for future research.     

The application of Aristotle’s rhetorical theory to the sharing economy: an empirical study of Airbnb

ABSTRACT

Sharing economy businesses require extensive trust-based communication between users and service providers to facilitate users’ positive persuasion processes. Based on Aristotle’s rhetorical theory, this study identifies three key persuasive cues (credibility, emotional bonding, and accommodation characteristics) and validates their roles in establishing users’ trust in an Airbnb setting. The moderating role of interactivity is further analyzed. Research findings from a survey sample of 171 Airbnb users indicate that persuasive cues are positively associated with trust in Airbnb hosts, which significantly leads to Airbnb brand trust. Interestingly, the moderating role of interactivity is only found in the relationship between emotional bonding and trust in Airbnb hosts. This study contributes to a better understanding of the factors that affect users’ trust building in the sharing economy context, and it offers guidance for platform providers to better operate their businesses by highlighting the important roles of persuasive cues and interactivity in users’ trust-building processes.     

From dreaming to believing: a review of consumer engagement behaviours with brands’ social media content across the holiday travel process

This paper reviews social media user engagement behaviours with brands and proposes a new stage within the travel process. Specifically, the pre-trip stage is examined and investigation into a two sub-stage split is proposed; pre-purchase and post-purchase. Dubbed the Believing phase, this paper calls for research into the patterns of engagement behaviour towards hotel brands’ content at this currently under-researched stage. Current social media-focussed research examines influence on purchasing decisions of users, social media usage on-site, and post-trip evaluation. There remains a conceptual gap highlighting the behavioural patterns of users during the period between initial purchase and subsequent departure.     

强关系网络移动社交平台旅游分享行为研究——基于微信与QQ用户的资料分析

在移动社交媒体时代,旅游分享已成为当下旅游者的行为偏好,越来越多的旅游者选择微信、QQ这类强关系移动社交平台进行分享。国内学界对移动社交平台旅游分享行为的研究随之日增,但少有文章从理论上系统地揭示旅游分享行为的过程与动因。文章采用扎根理论研究方法,构建反映强关系网络移动社交平台的旅游分享动态过程理论模型。将旅游分享行为动态过程划分为分享前因、分享实现与分享结果3个阶段,总结每个阶段的行为特征、表现方式及阶段之间的演替规律,并探讨这类旅游分享行为的特点与动因。研究发现,在旅游分享动机上,强关系移动社交平台强调情感联结与互动,从而旅游者受到与个体相关动机的影响更为显著;分享内容上,平台的强关系特性与熟人社交促使旅游者尽量避免分享负面信息;分享结果上,强关系移动社交平台的旅游分享能调节旅游者行中、行后的体验水平,并形成兼具网络时空拓展性与熟人圈规模局限性的口碑传播。