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The Influence of User-Generated Content on Tourists’ Choices

Author

Listed:
  • Giacomo Del Chiappa

    (University of Sassari & CRENOS)

  • Carlota Lorenzo-Romero

    (University of Castilla-La Mancha)

  • María-del-Carmen Alarcón-del-Amo

    (University Autonomous of Barcelona)

Abstract

Most research on user-generated content (UGC) has focused on readers of comments and reviews. However, very little research is aimed at profiling travelers based on the extent to which their decisions regarding the choice of hotels are influenced by UGC. This research was therefore carried out to profile tourists based on the extent to which their choices of hotels are influenced by different types of peer-to-peer applications, while also considering their socio-demographic characteristics, frequency of travel, and motivations for using the Internet and UGC when making their travel choices. For this purpose, latent class segmentation was applied on a sample of 607 Italian tourists, and three clusters were identified: “digitally passive tourists”, “focused tourists”, and “social tourists”. Wald and Chi-square tests revealed significant differences among the three clusters based on all the variables considered in the study. Its findings suggest that hospitality marketers should run their social media strategy by focusing their attention on Travel 2.0 applications according to the socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics of their target market. Contributions to the body of knowledge and suggestions for further research are given.

Suggested Citation

  • Giacomo Del Chiappa & Carlota Lorenzo-Romero & María-del-Carmen Alarcón-del-Amo, 2015. "The Influence of User-Generated Content on Tourists’ Choices," Tržište/Market, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, vol. 27(2), pages 221-236.
    • Handle: RePEc:zag:market:v:27:y:2015:i:2:p:221-236
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ayeh, Julian K. & Au, Norman & Law, Rob, 2013. "Predicting the intention to use consumer-generated media for travel planning," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 132-143.
    2. Wadim Strielkowski & Jing Wang & Stephen Platt, 2013. "Consumer preferences for cultural heritage and tourism e-sevices: A case study of three European cities," Tržište/Market, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, vol. 25(2), pages 161-176.
    3. Beatty, Sharon E & Smith, Scott M, 1987. "External Search Effort: An Investigation across Several Product Categories," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 14(1), pages 83-95, June.
    4. Sparks, Beverley A. & Browning, Victoria, 2011. "The impact of online reviews on hotel booking intentions and perception of trust," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 1310-1323.
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    Cited by:

    1. Evangelinos, Christos & Obermeyer, Andy & Bartel, Aaron, 2020. "The individual monetary valuation of online hotel ratings," IU Discussion Papers - Hospitality, Tourism & Event 3/2020, IU International University of Applied Sciences.
    2. Thao Thanh Thi Nguyen & Shurong Tong, 2023. "The impact of user-generated content on intention to select a travel destination," Journal of Marketing Analytics, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(3), pages 443-457, September.

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