Tourists’ intention to give permission via mobile technology in Thailand

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine tourist behavior regarding changes in privacy issues and the advent of mobile technology, based on theoretical foundations and empirical testing. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual framework was developed based on a “three-pronged approach” to cross-validate results from both qualitative (literature reviews and expert interviews) and quantitative (field survey) approaches. Structural equation modeling was used to test the conceptual framework and hypotheses. Findings According to the findings, tourists perceived advertising via mobile technology as an informative source. New findings emerged apart from the literature in which advertising value was found to drive attitude, perceived behavioral control and subjective norms. Moreover, tourists’ intention to give permission via mobile technology was driven by advertising value via attitude and subjective norms. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to Thailand tourism context. Further, conceptual framework generalization should be taken into account as future research in other considerable context. Practical implications The results provide useful information for both government and tourism-related businesses in planning effective marketing communications strategies. Originality/value The conceptual framework in this study was developed based on theoretical foundations, along with both quantitative and qualitative methodologies (that is, using a “three-pronged approach”). This study is among the first in Thailand tourism context that demonstrated an extension of the academic perspective by integrating two important theoretical foundations.