The Impact of Online Reviews on the Choice of Holiday Accommodations

The Impact of Online Reviews on the Choice of HolidayAccommodationsKatia Laura Sidali,Holger Schulze, andAchim SpillerUniversity of G\uf6ttingen{Katia-Laura.Sidali, H.Schulze, A.Spiller}@agr.uni-goettingen.deAbstractIn order to reduce information asymmetries in the tourist industry, consumers refer to multipleinformation sources. Among these, e-reviews are supposed to better reflect quality ofinformation because they are based on consumers\u2019 past experiences. The first purpose of thisstudy is therefore to test within an experimental design whether e-reviews have a predominantor a complementary role on consumer behaviour in comparison with other sources ofinformation (hotel rating system, travel guides and recommendations of travel agents). Asexpected, e-reviews are the most referential information source. We further use a causal modelin order to detect the determinants of trust in e-reviews, and we can show that perceivedexpertness of e-reviews, credibility of the e-platform and brand familiarity explain more than60% of trust in e-reviews. The final part of the analysis is dedicated to our third researchpurpose which is the measurement of the impact of trust in e-reviews on choice ofaccommodations. A significant and positive influence can be demonstrated. Hence, scientificand managerial implications are discussed

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

Destination image analytics through traveller-generated content

The explosion of content generated by users, in parallel with the spectacular growth of social media and the proliferation of mobile devices, is causing a paradigm shift in research. Surveys or interviews are no longer necessary to obtain users' opinions, because researchers can get this information freely on social media. In the field of tourism, online travel reviews (OTRs) hosted on travel-related websites stand out. The objective of this article is to demonstrate the usefulness of OTRs to analyse the image of a tourist destination. For this, a theoretical and methodological framework is defined, as well as metrics that allow for measuring different aspects (designative, appraisive and prescriptive) of the tourist image. The model is applied to the region of Attica (Greece) through a random sample of 300,000 TripAdvisor OTRs about attractions, activities, restaurants and hotels written in English between 2013 and 2018. The results show trends, preferences, assessments, and opinions from the demand side, which can be useful for destination managers in optimising the distribution of available resources and promoting sustainability

Two sides of the same industry: an analysis of the relationship between hotels and online travel agencies

Nowadays most people know brands like Booking.com, Expedia and Airbnb. When someone wants to book an accommodation, they usually book through an intermediary, known as Online Travel Agency or OTA. However, it is not well-understood what is the true influence that OTAs have on hotels, the core strength of their business, nor is it known what the impacts are on consumers. This dissertation tries to define the scope of influence that they have over hotels’ booking channels and the impact on consumers. Since OTAs’ ramifications span the entire world, this paper only defines their influence in Belgium, so as to reduce the scope of this research. This academic paper starts with an analysis of the background of OTAs. Then gives an explanation of OTA business models, pros and cons and what can be expected in the future. The analysis of different types of OTA or related businesses offers an understanding as to how they impact consumers. Next, an overview of the hospitality industry in Belgium is provided with data from 2007 to 2017. Changes in legislation throughout the European Union which are relevant to the subject are explained and the impacts on hotels and OTAs are analysed. After that, a quantitative survey about Belgian consumers is presented, from the way they book accommodations to what services they expect. Lastly, qualitative interviews with hotel managers complete the study. They provide an understanding as to how OTAs influence hotels and how hotel managers cope with this relationship.Hoje em dia, marcas como Booking.com, Expedia e Airbnb são conhecidas por grande parte da população. Quando alguém pretende fazer uma reserva de acomodação, a tendência é optar por reservar através de um intermediário, sendo mais conhecido no léxico do turismo como Online Travel Agency ou OTA. No entanto, não é verdadeiramente percetível a influência que as OTAs exercem sobre os hotéis- que são a sua principal força, nem é conhecido os impactos nos consumidores. Esta tese académica pretende, assim, definir o âmbito de influência que as OTAs têm sobre os canais de reserva da indústria hoteleira e o seu impacto nos consumidores. Ainda que, os ramos das OTAs abrangem todo o mundo, de forma a reduzir o âmbito da pesquisa, o foco desta dissertação apenas se debruçará sobre a sua influência no mercado belga. Esta tese académica começa por analisar o contexto das OTAs, apresentando os modelos de negócios das OTAs, os seus prós e contras, e o que é expectável no futuro acerca desta matéria. Será ainda analisado os diferentes tipos de OTAs e negócios relacionados, propondo ainda uma explicção de como impactam o consumidor. Em seguida, é apresentada uma visão geral da indústria da hotelaria na Bélgica, entre 2007 a 2017. Incluindo ainda, uma análise sobre as mudanças na legislação na União Europeia, assim como o seu impacto nos hotéis e OTAs. Seguidamente, é apresentada uma pesquisa quantitativa sobre os consumidores belgas, desde a forma como reservam acomodações e serviços relacionados e as suas expectativas. Por fim, é apresentado entrevistas qualitativas com gerentes de hotéis de modo a completar o estudo, explicando como os OTAs influenciam os hotéis e como os gerentes de hotéis lidam com esse relacionamento

Weather and Climate Information for Tourism

The tourism sector is one of the largest and fastest growing global industries and is a significant contributor to national and local economies around the world. The interface between climate and tourism is multifaceted and complex, as climate represents both a vital resource to be exploited and an important limiting factor that poses risks to be managed by the tourism industry and tourists alike. All tourism destinations and operators are climate-sensitive to a degree and climate is a key influence on travel planning and the travel experience. This chapter provides a synopsis of the capacities and needs for climate services in the tourism sector, including current and emerging applications of climate services by diverse tourism end-users, and a discussion of key knowledge gaps, research and capacity-building needs and partnerships that are required to accelerate the application of climate information to manage risks to climate variability and facilitate successful adaptation to climate change

Weather and Climate Information for Tourism

The tourism sector is one of the largest and fastest growing global industries and is a significant contributor to national and local economies around the world. The interface between climate and tourism is multifaceted and complex, as climate represents both a vital resource to be exploited and an important limiting factor that poses risks to be managed by the tourism industry and tourists alike. All tourism destinations and operators are climate-sensitive to a degree and climate is a key influence on travel planning and the travel experience. This chapter provides a synopsis of the capacities and needs for climate services in the tourism sector, including current and emerging applications of climate services by diverse tourism end-users, and a discussion of key knowledge gaps, research and capacity-building needs and partnerships that are required to accelerate the application of climate information to manage risks to climate variability and facilitate successful adaptation to climate change

Weather and Climate Information for Tourism

The tourism sector is one of the largest and fastest growing global industries and is a significant contributor to national and local economies around the world. The interface between climate and tourism is multifaceted and complex, as climate represents both a vital resource to be exploited and an important limiting factor that poses risks to be managed by the tourism industry and tourists alike. All tourism destinations and operators are climate-sensitive to a degree and climate is a key influence on travel planning and the travel experience. This chapter provides a synopsis of the capacities and needs for climate services in the tourism sector, including current and emerging applications of climate services by diverse tourism end-users, and a discussion of key knowledge gaps, research and capacity-building needs and partnerships that are required to accelerate the application of climate information to manage risks to climate variability and facilitate successful adaptation to climate change

Reviewing the world of online hotel reviews - how important is sustainability?

Key words: sustainability, hotel reviews, tourism, online review

The evaluation of thermal hotels' online reviews

Th e main objective of this study was to evaluate the perceptions related to the online user reviews of thermal hotels. Specifi cally, it was investigated whether perceptions towards value (V), location (L), sleep quality (SQ), rooms (R), cleanliness (C), service (S) and factors infl uencing general evaluation depend on the star numbers of hotels, the location of the hotels and the nationalities of participants. In order to obtain data on perceptions of consumers towards thermal hotels in Turkey, the web site Trip Advisor (TA) was used. In total, 2,895 user reviews about thermal accommodations on TA were assessed by content analysis method. According to the study results, it was determined that the most important factor was the cleanliness of the hotels. It was followed by the location, sleep quality, rooms and service. Th e value factor was the last important. To analyse the eff ect of the nationality of the participants, domestic and foreign visitors, stars and the location of the accommodation on the perceptions towards value, location, sleep quality, rooms, cleanliness and service, t test and one-way ANOVA method were performed. It was found that the perceptions towards value, location, sleep quality, rooms, cleanliness and service diff ered between domestic and foreign visitors, nationalities, location and 4 or 5-star

How to attract central and Northeneuropeans to a rural tourism establishment in the center of Portugal

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and EconomicsThe rural tourism market in Portugal has been growing, showing a positive trend of foreign people’s overnight stays. These individuals are motivated by factors like: rest and relax far from the cities, and interest in culture and traditions of the rural region. According to the study, the rural tourist can be segmented into two distinct groups, representing different primary motivations and behaviors. After having performed a set of researches, Monte do Areeiro - a Portuguese rural tourism establishment - is able to follow the best marketing strategies and the respective action plans to better satisfy its customers