Abstract
Virtual community membership has a strong influence on a tourist’s behaviours and the way information is transmitted. Drawing on trust transfer theory as a theoretical framework, this study tests an empirical model that investigates the influence of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on destination trust and travel intention. The study also diagnoses gender differences in the proposed model. Data were obtained from a sample of 216 tourists in Cyprus. The findings from regression analyses suggest that eWOM is positively related to travel intention; eWOM is positively related to destination trust; and destination trust is positively related to travel intention. Additionally, the impact of eWOM on destination trust was significant for both genders but stronger for men, while the impact of destination trust on travel intention was stronger for women. The paper extends the existing literature regarding new response variables associated with eWOM.
Highlights
Hypermedia has led to an increase in the number of people using the internet to access information about prospective travel destinations (Litvin, Goldsmith, & Pan, 2008)
The findings from regression analyses suggest that electronic wordof-mouth (eWOM) is positively related to travel intention; eWOM is positively related to destination trust; and destination trust is positively related to travel intention
The impact of eWOM on destination trust was significant for both genders but stronger for men, while the impact of destination trust on travel intention was stronger for women
Summary
Hypermedia has led to an increase in the number of people using the internet to access information about prospective travel destinations (Litvin, Goldsmith, & Pan, 2008). Due to the intangible nature of tourism services, hindsight regarding service is only available upon consumption, there is a greater level of uncertainty and ambiguity This intangibility encourages potential visitors to visit sites such as Trip-Advisor.com, LateRooms.com, and Hotels.com, which rank hotels in destinations according to how favourably they are reviewed. This paper is grounded in Trust transfer theory, which posits that trust transfer occurs when ‘the unknown target [is] being perceived as related to the source of the transferred trust’ (Stewart, 2003) Therein, it relies on the cognition of individuals based on certain factors such as relatedness, similarities, and closeness (Campbell, 1958). Based on the aforementioned theoretical arguments, this paper attempts to clarify these behaviours in the med-tour industry by evaluating how eWOM will increase or decrease risk-taking activities, and how it could shape future travel intentions, the paper considers how the impact may vary across gender
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