Developing a conceptual framework to understand local residents' contribution in online travel communities

Abstract

Online travel communities have reshaped travel behaviours and decision-makings of people around the world. Noticeably, local residents, who are perceived as reliable and authentic information providers, largely contribute to these online travel communities by offering help. This study developed and tested a conceptual framework, which was built upon the attribute-empathy theory and the social identity theory. Hierarchical regressions analyses were employed and results indicated that local resident's online helping behaviour was affected by age, length of residency, sympathy, personal distress, and the evaluative identity of local resident. Based on the findings, both theoretical and practical implications were discussed.