An investigation on the Acceptance of Facebook by Travellers for Travel Planning

Due to the emergence of social media and web 2.0 applications within the last few years, tourists' travel behaviour and decision-making changed. This study investigates tourists' behavioural intentions to use Facebook for travel planning purposes. To address this objective, a combination of survey and 19 interviews provided qualitative and quantitative data. Results indicated that Information search, Sharing travel experiences and Trust were the main determinants of intention to use Facebook. In particular, travellers view Facebook as a tourism information source, they are more willing to share their experiences on their own profile rather than a providers page and that they trust other tourism related sites more than Facebook. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed

The Antecedents of Consumer-Generated Media Adoption for Travel Planning: A Literature Review

Web 2.0 provides different platforms through which tourists can share text, photos and videos of their travel experiences. Consumer-generated media (CGM) are considered honest and are thus trusted more than marketer-generated content. Different factors account for why tourists adopt CGM. This study aims to review extant studies on CGM to identify the antecedents of CGM adoption for travel planning and the theories, models and frameworks used in these studies; it also seeks to analyze the strengths of these antecedents in predicting the adoption of CGM for travel planning. A total of 54 studies from 2005-2016 were found. The study found that distinct and heterogeneous theories and frameworks were used with 61 different antecedents to predict intentions. The technology acceptance model (TAM) was the most commonly used model. Trust predicted attitude more than the other antecedents. Implications and research directions are suggested

Web 2.0 and destination marketing: current trends and future directions

Over the last decade, destination marketers and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) have increasingly invested in Web 2.0 technologies as a cost-effective means of promoting destinations online, in the face of drastic marketing budgets cuts. Recent scholarly and industry research has emphasized that Web 2.0 plays an increasing role in destination marketing. However, no comprehensive appraisal of this research area has been conducted so far. To address this gap, this study conducts a quantitative literature review to examine the extent to which Web 2.0 features in destination marketing research that was published until December 2019, by identifying research topics, gaps and future directions, and designing a theory-driven agenda for future research. The study’s findings indicate an increase in scholarly literature revolving around the adoption and use of Web 2.0 for destination marketing purposes. However, the emerging research field is fragmented in scope and displays several gaps. Most of the studies are descriptive in nature and a strong overarching conceptual framework that might help identify critical destination marketing problems linked to Web 2.0 technologies is missing

eWOM & Referrals in Social Network Services

If a few decades ago the development of the Internet was instrumental in the interconnection between markets, nowadays the services provided by Web 2.0, such as social network sites (SNS) are the cutting edge. A proof of this trend is the exponential growth of social network users. The main objective of this work is to explore the mechanisms that promote the transmission and reception (WOM and referrals) of online opinions, in the context of the SNS, by buyers of travel services. The research includes some research lines: technology acceptance model (TAM), Social Identification Theory and Word-of-Mouth communication in virtual environment (eWOM). Based on these theories an explicative model has been proposed applying SEM analysis to a sample of SNS users’ of tourist service buyers. The results support the majority of the hypotheses and some relevant practical and theoretical implications have been pointed out for tourist managers

Critical factors affecting consumer acceptance of online health communication: an application of service quality models

The paper examines critical factors affecting consumer behavioral intentions in accepting online health communication through social networking sites. Unlike recent research under this topic, the paper assimilates some components of service quality dimensions and consumer behavior theories. The paper employs factor analysis and structural equation modelling analysis with latent variables to identify critical factors from the survey data collected from Korean consumers. The results of the study identifies three major constructs: consumer needs for health information, the perceived value of tangible attributes of health information providers, and the perceived value of intangible attributes of health information providers. The results show that consumer needs for health information and the tangible and intangible attributes of health information providers should be considered as important antecedents of accepting online health communication through social networking sites. The findings suggest that the success of online health communication via social networking sites largely depends on the tangible and intangible attributes of health information providers

Toward Human-Carnivore Coexistence: Understanding Tolerance for Tigers in Bangladesh

Fostering local community tolerance for endangered carnivores, such as tigers (Panthera tigris), is a core component of many conservation strategies. Identification of antecedents of tolerance will facilitate the development of effective tolerance-building conservation action and secure local community support for, and involvement in, conservation initiatives. We use a stated preference approach for measuring tolerance, based on the ‘Wildlife Stakeholder Acceptance Capacity’ concept, to explore villagers’ tolerance levels for tigers in the Bangladesh Sundarbans, an area where, at the time of the research, human-tiger conflict was severe. We apply structural equation modeling to test an a priori defined theoretical model of tolerance and identify the experiential and psychological basis of tolerance in this community. Our results indicate that beliefs about tigers and about the perceived current tiger population trend are predictors of tolerance for tigers. Positive beliefs about tigers and a belief that the tiger population is not currently increasing are both associated with greater stated tolerance for the species. Contrary to commonly-held notions, negative experiences with tigers do not directly affect tolerance levels; instead, their effect is mediated by villagers’ beliefs about tigers and risk perceptions concerning human-tiger conflict incidents. These findings highlight a need to explore and understand the socio-psychological factors that encourage tolerance towards endangered species. Our research also demonstrates the applicability of this approach to tolerance research to a wide range of socio-economic and cultural contexts and reveals its capacity to enhance carnivore conservation efforts worldwide

The influence of social value and selfcongruity on interpersonal connections in virtual social networks by Gen-Y tourists

This research focuses on the relationship of self-congruity and perceived social value with the interpersonal connections established by Generation Y tourists in virtual social networks. A quantitative study was performed using a sample of young travelers from Spain. The methodologies of Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Models (SEM) were used to analyze the results. The findings of the research show that self-congruity influences the perceived social value; the perceived social value leads to satisfaction and the creation of interpersonal connections in virtual social networks; and the interpersonal connections in virtual social networks influence the use of these tools by Generation Y travelers

Antecedent and Mediator of Actual Visit Behavior Amongst International Tourists in Jordan

Actual visit behavior has been for many years an area of ongoing interest in fields that span both tourist behavior and international marketing. Despite the growth of the tourism industry, hotel industry is facing fluctuating tourist revisit intention provoked by dissatisfaction, high travel risk, mediocre hotel service, or negative Jordan image. Moreover, considerable fragmentation and inconsistency in empirical findings has limited theory development. This thesis, which is based on the concepts of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), has the following objectives: (1) to identify the direct influence of (perceived risk, revisit intention and perceived behavior control) on actual visit behavior. (2) to identify the direct influence of (tourist satisfaction, tourist attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavior control) on revisit intention. (3) to identify the direct influence of (perceived risk, Jordan image and service climate) on tourist satisfaction. (4) to examine to what extent revisit intention and tourist satisfaction mediate the relationship between perceived risk and actual visit behavior. (5) to determine the mediating effect of revisit intention on linkage of perceived behavior control with actual visit behavior. (6) to determine how the underpinning theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) can be used to explain actual visit behavior in Jordan. The measurement for the latent variables is adopted from past studies as follows: tourist satisfaction (10 items); perceived risk (7 items); Jordan image (11 items); service climate (10); revisit intention (5); tourist attitude (6 items); subjective norm (6 items); perceived behavior control (6 items); actual visit behavior (5 items). From 850 samples, 494 usable responses were returned representing a 59% response rate. Using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), the Generating (MG) achieved model fit as shown in the GOF index: Ratio (CMIN/df) =1.186; GFI=0.973; RMSEA= 0.019; TLI=0.991; P-value=0.096. The SMC = 0.703 which means that the predictors explain 70.3% variance in actual visit behavior. The findings highlight five direct significant antecedents of actual visit behavior: revisit intention ( =.264, CR=2.720 p=0.007), perceived risk ( =-.318, CR= -2.197 p=0. 028), subjective norm ( =.199, CR=2.112 p=.035), Jordan image ( =.504, CR=2.653 p=.008) and service climate ( =.226, CR=3.020 p=.003); three direct significant antecedents of intention: tourist satisfaction ( =.373, CR=5.400 p=***), tourist attitude ( =.182, CR= 2.734 p=.006), subjective norm ( =.262, CR= 4.178 p=***); three direct significant antecedents of satisfaction: Jordan image ( =.356, CR=2.407 p=.016), subjective norms ( =173, CR=2.343 p=.019) and perceived behavior control ( =.159, CR=2.117 p=.034). The study found two insignificant direct antecedents to actual visit behavior PBC and satisfaction; one insignificant direct antecedents of intention i.e. PBC; three insignificant direct antecedents of satisfaction i.e. service climate and attitude. The finding supports eleven hypotheses (H1, H2, H3, H4, H7, H9, H4a, H9a, H10a, H4b, and H5a) and rejects six hypotheses (H5, H6, H8, H10, H2a, and H3a). Satisfaction and intention were found to be non-mediators

E-Tourism: Malaysian travellers intention in online accommodation booking

A great number of tourists has embraced online travel booking. This paper examines the influence of four factors, namely credibility, trustworthiness, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use on booking intention and explores whether the attitude mediates the relationship between trustworthiness and booking intention. A total of 191 completed and usable questionnaires from holidaymakers in Malaysia were collected. The results showed that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use have a significant positive relationship with the booking intention. The result also highlighted that attitude partially mediates the relationship between trustworthiness and booking intention. The paper concludes with a discussion on managerial implications and suggestions to address this issue.    Keywords: holiday accommodations, holidaymakers, online booking, online information search.    eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.   DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5iSI1.232

The fourth industrial revolution, loyalty intentions and the mediating roles of reputation and pre-visit experiences for the Vilakazi street precinct in Soweto

The impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies on tourist destinations’ reputation and pre-visit experiences and how these can affect loyalty intentions is receiving attention from academics and management practitioners. However, not much attention is given to the impact of these technologies, reputation, and pre-visit experiences on loyalty intentions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the direct effects of 4IR, Vilakazi Street precinct reputation, and customers’ pre-visit experience on customers’ loyalty intentions (LOYALT). It also investigates the mediating effect of reputation and pre-visit experience on the 4IR-LOYALT relationship. The study followed the quantitative approach, using the primary data collected from tourists (N=235) who visited the Vilakazi Street precinct between October and November 2019. Smart PLS SEM approach was used to analyse the data. The study confirmed positive direct relationships between 4IR, REPUT, and PREVISIT on loyalty intentions. In addition, reputation and customers’ pre-visit experiences were also shown to mediate the relationship between the 4IR and loyalty intentions positively. The study provides a framework using constructs embedded in TAM and TPB theories, which extends the applications of these theories. The framework provides an additional tool for further investigations of the way to improve chances of predicting tourists’ responses to innovations, and it can also be used to explain the adoption of technology in different industries. The study outcomes will assist in technology strategy decisions and resources deployment. Policy-makers also stand to benefit by gaining a clear understanding of how technology and industry interact