Abstract:Abstract. The valence of online user-generated reviews is an increasing important antecedents affecting tourist's decision with the pervasion of Web 2.0 and information and communication technology. The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on outbound tourists' intention to visit a destination through a dual-process perspective. A research model was proposed based on the dual-route theory of elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and theory of planned behavior (TPB).… Show more
“…Information (sources) and expectations were also found to be important factors in Chinese tourism to Scandinavia. The initial findings coincided with the literature on China outbound tourism generally, as it was shown that online and/or offline word of mouth were of considerable importance as information sources for Chinese tourists to Scandinavia (Chen, Dwyer, & Firth, ; Wang , ; Yang, Jing, & Nguyen, ). However, the findings showed that unlike China outbound tourists generally, those to Scandinavia knew little about the destination(s) to which they were travelling: Most of the places in Scandinavia, actually we are not so familiar with (…) I mean, I am not familiar with most of the scenic spots there.…”
The existing literature has often represented Chinese tourists in broad and stereotypical ways, as a new generation of bumbling camera-waving tourists showing minimal regard for the local environments that they encounter. However, as Chinese have become more experienced travellers, they have diversified and changed their behaviours. Among these various changes, an increasing number of Chinese tourists have begun exploring second-tier destinations. By focussing on Chinese travellers to less visited second-tier destinations, this paper goes beyond the stereotypical representations of this fast-maturing market. It illustrates the heterogeneity of Chinese tourism, and its advantages for second-tier European destinations.
“…Information (sources) and expectations were also found to be important factors in Chinese tourism to Scandinavia. The initial findings coincided with the literature on China outbound tourism generally, as it was shown that online and/or offline word of mouth were of considerable importance as information sources for Chinese tourists to Scandinavia (Chen, Dwyer, & Firth, ; Wang , ; Yang, Jing, & Nguyen, ). However, the findings showed that unlike China outbound tourists generally, those to Scandinavia knew little about the destination(s) to which they were travelling: Most of the places in Scandinavia, actually we are not so familiar with (…) I mean, I am not familiar with most of the scenic spots there.…”
The existing literature has often represented Chinese tourists in broad and stereotypical ways, as a new generation of bumbling camera-waving tourists showing minimal regard for the local environments that they encounter. However, as Chinese have become more experienced travellers, they have diversified and changed their behaviours. Among these various changes, an increasing number of Chinese tourists have begun exploring second-tier destinations. By focussing on Chinese travellers to less visited second-tier destinations, this paper goes beyond the stereotypical representations of this fast-maturing market. It illustrates the heterogeneity of Chinese tourism, and its advantages for second-tier European destinations.
“…Numerous studies have been conducted on the impact of e-WOM in the hospitality industry [17], [24]. For instance, Xie et al [25] reported that negative e-WOM is more powerful than positive e-WOM in influencing consumers' booking intentions.…”
Section: Literature Reviewmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Of all the factors that influence user behavior when adopting the opinions of other users on this platform, credibility is of a great importance [12], [15]- [17]. Credibility also influences the reputation of a tourism company, which is why it is important for the adoption of e-WOM and for the management of a company's online reputation.…”
In recent years, electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) has been widely used by consumers on different online platforms. The numerous studies have emphasized the growing importance of e-WOM for the consumer decision-making process, particularly in the tourist sector. There are various factors that will influence the adoption of e-WOM by the users but among all these factors, credibility is of paramount importance. Changes in the platform, new consumer trends, and possible fake information require a continuous update and analysis of the factors that can influence the e-WOM perceived credibility and e-WOM adoption on TripAdvisor and other social tourism platforms. In the present study, we analyzed the following five factors that can impact e-WOM perceived credibility and e-WOM adoption: 1) volume of e-WOM; 2) source credibility; 3) rate extremism; 4) consumer involvement, and; 5) perceived e-WOM credibility. For the analysis, the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and PLS-SEM were used. The sample consisted of a total of 221 participants who responded to the questionnaire. The results revealed that, with the exception rate extremism, the four remaining factors have a significant impact on e-WOM perceived credibility and adoption. Therefore, these factors are important drivers of the e-WOM perceived credibility resulting in the e-WOM adoption. The results of the present study provide meaningful practical implications for hotel or social tourism platforms managers in terms of possible strategies to improve their online reputation.
“…The dependent variables of intention imitated from the TPB are intention to visit an outbound leisure travel destination and the intention to recommend the destination (WOM intention). Prior research has focused on predicting WOM adoption from information receiver's perspective (Cheung et al, 2009;Jin and Phua, 2014;Fang, 2014); few studies are focused on exploring WOM intention from information distributor's perspective (Shih et al, 2013a;Wang, 2014). Thus, this research will address the intention to distribute WOM based on their different routes of perception of travel-related information source.…”
Purpose
– The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on outbound tourists’ intention to visit a destination through a dual-process perspective – the central route of argument quality (AQ) and the peripheral route of source credibility (SC). With the pervasion of Web 2.0 and information and communication technology, user-generated content (UGC) has become popular in the online environment, and it affects consumers’ decisions greatly.
Design/methodology/approach
– A structural model based on Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and theory of planned behavior (TPB) is proposed in this study to explore the influence of eWOM on outbound tourists’ intention to visit a destination. Empirical data were collected among Chinese outbound tourists via an online survey. The data were analyzed using structural equation model with SPSS Amos 22.0.
Findings
– The research results indicate that tourist’s attitude toward a destination was positively influenced by AQ of eWOM, and intention to recommend the destination before travel was positively influenced by attitude toward destination and SC of destination-related eWOM. Outbound tourists’ intention to visit a destination was positively determined by AQ, attitude toward destination and WOM intention. Several practical and theoretical implications are also discussed in the study.
Originality/Value
– This study contributed to the understanding of individual’s decision-making through a dual-process perspective. Findings indicate that the dual influence process delineated in theory of ELM is also applicable to explain individual’s decision in complicated information source.
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