Determinants of the Intention to Recommend Social media Usage in the Tourism Industry in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This paper investigated how the determinants of social media usage influence the intention to recommend within the context of the tourism industry in Zimbabwe. A cross-sectional descriptive design was used to collect data from 190 hotel guests using a survey method. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. The results of the study revealed that perceived benefit influences trust in social media and trust positively influences the intention to recommend the use of social media. However information quality did not influence trust in social media use. The study results specify that hotel guests can only use social media when the perceived benefits are compatible with their needs and that hotel guests would trust practitioners who deliver a good service. it has practical implications where practitioners in the industry can employ the findings to ensure that customers recommend their services to others. The study contributes to a theoretical enrichment of the knowledge that exists in extant literature concerning the determinants of the intention to recommend social media usage.