Evidence That Travel Product Knowledge Includes Familiarity With Travel Products And Destinations

Prior product knowledge has been defined either in terms of what people perceive they know about a product or in terms of what knowledge the individual has stored in memory. Product knowledge is intricately linked to involvement. A consumer’s level of involvement and knowledge clearly influence many purchasing decisions. The knowledge deficit regarding these factors is that no studies can be found that evaluate online travel planning in the leisure sector with regards to consumers’ travel knowledge. A valid question to ask for instance is what constitutes travel product knowledge? Qualitative research discovered that respondents used the terms ‘travel products’ and ‘travel destinations’ interchangeably when referring to their knowledge of travel. To examine travel knowledge more closely, a survey was designed including six questions about travel knowledge with some questions referring to ‘products’ and others to ‘destinations’. Confirmatory factor analysis of the construct travel product knowledge was used to assess the underlying variable that is reflected when respondents refer to knowledge of travel products and destinations.