Influence of deprivation and interest curiosity on tourists’ Internet search behaviour

Abstract

This study aims at examining the influence of interest and deprivation curiosity on tourists’ Internet information search behaviour. Empirical survey data (n = 360) for the study were collected during August 2010 in Busan, Korea, targeting tourists’ curiosity, Internet channel used, and type of information searched through the Internet. The collected data were analysed through t-tests and regression analyses. Results indicate that women are more in need of deprivation curiosity than men, and interest curiosity decreases as age increases. Interest curiosity is effective in explaining more on the use of different Internet channels. Interest and deprivation curiosity are valid, on top of demographic variables, in explaining the level of information search on different types of travel information. Findings avail several marketing implications to Internet destination marketers.