Purchase Travel Online Research Articles

The Effect of Price Transparency on Young Travellers’ Choices: An Experimental Study of Resort Packages

Product bundling has gained significant traction in the hospitality industry, with an increasing number of businesses offering all-inclusive resort packages to attract consumers. With the increase in online travel purchases, both academics and industry professionals are increasingly interested in understanding the factors influencing consumer travel package choices. This study employs a 2 x 5 mixed-design experiment where participants evaluated both an all-inclusive and a non-inclusive resort, with variations in price presentation. Pricing was presented either transparently or non-transparently, and package savings were displayed in multiple formats. The results reveal a strong consumer preference for all-inclusive resort packages, regardless of the perceived value. Moreover, how pricing information is presented plays a crucial role in shaping consumer purchase decisions. These findings highlight the importance of price presentation strategies in the marketing of travel packages and offer valuable insights for both marketers and practitioners in the hospitality sector.

Factors influencing travellers’ decision-making behaviour towards online travel purchases: a fuzzy-DEMATEL approach

ABSTRACT The growth of technology and easy access to the internet have led to an unparalleled boom in online booking. The uncertainty surrounding online travel purchases, however, still makes traveller’s decision-making process very stressful. Hence, this study aims to identify and classify different factors that drive travellers’ decision-making and actual behaviour. This study seeks to fill the void by systematically reviewing and synthesizing the online travel literature. The study utilizes the fuzzy-DEMATEL approach to identify, classify and analyse various factors to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding sets of factors driving travellers’ decisions and their actual behaviour. The findings reveal that travellers’ online travel purchasing behaviour is influenced most by their attitude, while social influence also emerged as a significant factor. This study provides key insights for academics, researchers and practitioners by identifying major factors and sub-factors, along with their causal interactions. This study is novel in its approach as it significantly contributes to existing knowledge by synthesizing the literature and employing the fuzzy-DEMATEL technique in categorizing the key factors that influence travellers’ decision-making and actual purchase.

Effect of social media marketing on online travel purchase behavior post-COVID-19: mediating role of brand trust and brand loyalty

The present study intends to unleash the influence of social media marketing (SMM) on purchase intention (PI), brand trust (BT) and brand loyalty (BL) in the setting of online travel booking websites. It also analyses the mediating effect of BT and BL in the relationship between SMM and PI. This study also examines the importance of trust and loyalty in the suggested model, which adds to the current research in this area. A self-administered questionnaire was employed to collect the data from the users of online travel booking websites, and the study rested upon 397 valid responses. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) through Smart PLS v.3.2.6. The findings reveal that SMM has a favorable and substantial impact on BT and BL, influencing COVID-19 purchase intention. As per the findings, BT and BL's beneficial influence on the purchase intention of arranging travel on social media was discovered. Moreover, it was also confirmed from the results that BT and BL mediate the relationship between SMM and PI. Therefore, SMM significantly impacts online trip booking purchase intentions with increased BT and BL levels. Finally, several theoretical and managerial implications can be delineated from the findings of this study for industry and academia.

Should we or should we not? Examining travelers' perceived privacy, perceived security and actual behavior in online travel purchases

The purpose of this study is to examine travelers’ actual behavior with regard to an online travel purchase by extending the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) with two new variables, i.e. perceived privacy and perceived security. The study implements a quantitative research design and developed an e-questionnaire. Data was collected from 485 travelers via online platform (Amazon M-Turk). To empirically validate the proposed model and test the inter-relationships between the variables, we performed the SEM analysis on the data. The study findings reveal that facilitating conditions, habit and purchase intention act as significant predictors of travelers’ actual behavior toward online travel purchase. The result also shows that perceived privacy does not impact travelers’ purchase intention while, experience positively moderates the relationship between purchase intention and actual purchase. This study chooses an under explored area and examines the influence of perceived security and perceived privacy in the context of online travel purchase. Further, this study is the leading scholarly work which examines the moderating role of experience between travelers’ purchase intention and actual purchase in tourism context.

Demystifying tourists’ intention to purchase travel online: the moderating role of technical anxiety and attitude

ABSTRACT This study investigates the influence of consumption value on tourists’ intention to purchase travel products online through the lens of the theory of consumption value framework. We used structural equation modelling (SEM) and a fuzzy set of qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) on 559 responses collected using M-Turk. The findings show that price value is the most significant factor and necessary for the purchase intention of tourists’ online travel products. Notably, technical anxiety and attitude moderate the relationship between consumption value and tourists’ purchase intention. This study offers meaningful insights into managers, policy-makers, and practitioners about the roles of various factors of consumption value, vis-avis their relative significance in driving individuals’ decision-making and travel service choices.

Predicting Online Travel Purchase Behavior: The Role of Trust and Perceived Risk

ABSTRACT Developments in internet and mobile technology during current times have brought about a disruptive change in travel information communication technology (ICT), which in turn has altered the overall business model and consequently tourists’ overall experience. The current study examines travelers’ attitude, intention and behavior toward online travel purchase. It also examines the mediating effect of attitude and moderating effects of subjective norm, perceived risk, and trust. The primary data was collected through an Amazon Mechanical Turk. Findings confirm the role of perceived risk on the attitude-intention gap. Subjective norm positively moderates the link attitude-intention. Besides, trust is also found to be a significant factor which influences attitude, purchase intention, and perceived risk. The findings will be useful for tourism managers and policymakers in designing their offerings, processes and websites that are relevant to the online travel context.

Modeling the Multi-dimensional Facets of Perceived Risk in Purchasing Travel Online: A Generational Analysis

ABSTRACT This paper examines the differences in consumers’ risk perception when intending to purchase travel online across Millennials and Baby Boomers. The proposed research model was tested using structural equation modeling. The results show that perceived financial risk, perceived risk privacy, and psychological risk are significant for both Millennials and Baby Boomers. Overall risk was found to have a stronger negative impact on consumers’ intention to purchase travel online. Results from this study will be helpful to travel businesses to determine which cohorts are averse to different types of risk and reduce consumers’ risk perception and increase online purchase intention.

The Evaluation of Tourists’ Online Purchasing Behaviors Using Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

Today, tourists increasingly purchase holiday packages online rather than traditional purchasing method. However, research give more importance to online travel purchasing and online purchasing behaviors of tourists. In this context, the purpose of this study is to find out online holiday purchasing behaviors of tourists using TAM and the relationships between purchasing behaviors of tourists with TAM. For this purpose, data were collected from 403 academic staff working at Karabük University using a structured questionnaire. Results show that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and trust had positive impact on e-purchase attitudes and intentions of tourists; while perceived risk had negative impacts. Therefore, tourism enterprises should organize their websites considering tourists’ internet purchasing behaviors.

Exploring consumer behavior to purchase travel online in Fiji and Solomon Islands? An extension of the UTAUT framework

PurposeThis study aims to adopt the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model to assess travel purchase intentions in Fiji and Solomon Islands. The UTAUT model is extended with the inclusion of trust and attitude. This allows for new relationships to be tested. Both countries are classified as Small Island Developing States (SIDS). These two countries are chosen because they are both exemplars for developing countries in the Pacific, which are often overlooked in the literature. In doing so, the study increases the generalizability of the research instrument and the UTAUT model.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a quantitative approach and collects data from Fiji and Solomon Islands residents. The survey instrument comprises two broad sections. The first section contains a standard set of demographic questions, including age, gender, income, and education level. The second section contains the variable items for this study. The snowballing sampling technique was used to collect 620 responses using an online survey. Links to the questionnaire were circulated through the use of social media Facebook. The survey was designed and hosted using an online survey tool (SurveyMonkey).FindingsThe findings of this study show that both perceived trust and attitude have been found significant in both countries. On the other hand, performance expectancy (PE) and effort expectancy (EE) have not been found significant for Fiji and Solomon Islands respectively. This study also finds that PE affects attitude for both countries, however, EE is only significant in the Solomon Islands.Research limitations/implicationsSimilar to other studies, this study is also bound by limitations that provide fertile ground for future research. The data in this study was based on convenience sampling. Thus, generalizations of the results need to be done with caution. Future research may be conducted that matches the sample to the population proportions. The definition of online travel purchases is another limitation of this study. A broad definition of an online purchase is considered in this study, which involves hotel reservations, holiday packages, cruises, and airline tickets. Thus, future research can be carried considering distinct purchasing motivations of categories of travel products rather than travel being considered as one category.Practical implicationsThe results of this study provide valuable implications for both businesses to formulate and execute strategies to increase customers’ adoption of online travel purchases. The findings show how the differences in characteristics at the country level give rise to differences in customer perceptions and their intention to engage in online travel purchases. In doing so, businesses will be able to exploit the full commercial potential of their travel websites and reduce the administrative and personnel costs associated with traditional purchasing processes.Originality/valueInsights from this study would be effective in understanding the unique characteristics of countries and their influence on customer behavior. This would enable more effective strategy development to improve customers' adoption of online travel purchases. The study also contributes theoretically by highlighting the importance of contextual factors in influencing the view of theories. It is one of the first studies to investigate the customer's adoption of technology in SIDS. In doing so, this study increases the generalizability of the research instrument and the UTAUT model by testing it in a developing country context where empirical evidence is lacking.

Does Consumers’ Intention to Purchase Travel Online Differ Across Generations?

This paper examines the differences in consumers' intention to purchase travel online across Millennials and Baby Boomers. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) is extended by including attitude, compatibility, innovativeness, perceived trust, and perceived risk variables. Data is collected using online questionnaires from Millennials (N=322) and Baby Boomers (N=318) in Australia. Overall, the empirical results revealed that factors affecting Australian consumers' intention to purchase travel online differ across generations. This study contributes to the literature by extending and testing the comprehensive research model to understand consumers' online travel purchase behavior better.

Achieving customers’ repurchase intention through stimuli and site attachment

ABSTRACT Despite its widespread use as a purchase channel, the Internet still provokes consumer concerns when it comes to the acquisition of high-involvement services, such as travel. This study, therefore, explores customers’ intentions to repeat their online travel purchases, depending on the level of attachment they develop with a website, as is driven by high- and low-task relevant website characteristics. With an innovative, electronic Stimulus–Organism–Response model that introduces a new site attachment variable, this study reveals that, among experienced online travel purchasers, service quality, security and privacy issues, and entertainment all function as stimuli to incite affective, cognitive, and social activity and thereby enhance site attachment. This site attachment, in turn, evokes beneficial customers’ responses, in the form of increased intentions to purchase travel services online again. With this distinctive approach to observing customers’ reactions to and interaction with websites, this study establishes several strategic implications that can help companies enhance their service features and provision, as well as ensure lasting relationships with their customers.

Antecedents to Online Travel Purchase: Role of Network Benefits, Pilgrimage Packages, Interactivity, Trust and Customer Reviews

ABSTRACT Customers prefer apps over websites for travel search and booking. However, websites offer a competitive advantage over apps in terms of branding and CRM opportunities. Therefore, to retain customers on travel websites, this research investigated the role of monetary incentives resulting from network benefits, cultural adaptation of websites by offering pilgrimage packages, website interactivity, ease of information access, trust, and customer reviews on website continuance intention. Data was collected from 356 travel website customers. The results indicate that network benefits, interactivity, pilgrimage packages act as antecedents to trust, and customer reviews moderate trust and website continuance intention relationship.

Do tourists have different motivations for online travel purchasing? A segmentation of the Russian market

This study investigates online travel purchasing (OTP) motivations of Russian tourists as a neglected research topic in the literature. Data were collected from 403 Russian tourists visiting Antalya, Turkey. Convenience, hedonic, socialization and economic motivations were identified as the main underlying OTP motivations. Furthermore, cluster analysis on OTP motivation dimensions yielded three market segments: multi-benefit seekers, convenience lovers and utilitarian benefiters. Differences among the segments in terms of their demographic profiles and online purchasing behaviours were additionally tested by cross-tab analyses with χ2 tests. Finally, study findings revealed that influences of OTP motivations on behavioural intention to buy tourism-related products might differ across the segments.

A comparison of five reflective–formative estimation approaches: reconsideration and recommendations for tourism research

In partial least squares structural path modelling, the reflective–formative type of hierarchical component models (HCMs) (also known as Higher-Order Model) have become a popular choice for researchers. However, current approaches to estimate the reflective–formative type of HCM are ambiguous especially when used as an endogenous construct or a mediator. This paper presents a comparison between five different approaches (repeated indicator, two types of two-stage, hybrid, and improved repeated indicator) with two different estimation modes (Mode A and Mode B) when modelling a mediator construct of a reflective–formative HCM in the structural model. By using a model based on stimulus–organism-response theory, an empirical application to the tourism field is adopted in this study. The proposed HCM model examines perceived relative advantages as a mediation of the relationship between Communicability and Intention to Purchase Travel Online. The findings suggest that the improved repeated indicator approach with Mode B estimation yields better path coefficients, goodness of fit, explained variance, and predictive relevance as compared to other approaches. The study provides valuable recommendations and guidelines for tourism researchers to properly conduct an HCM analysis.

Methods for modelling reflective-formative second order constructs in PLS

研究目的由于现有文章大多数研究反应性结构的二阶模型, 所以本论文讨论以二阶形成性结构的PLS模型。研究设计/方法/途径本论文以罗杰斯的创新扩散模型以基础, 应用其在在线旅游购物行为的研究。通过模型建立和背景研究, 多种预估形成性二阶结构的方法得以比较。建立的模型, 通过1,732份样本采样, 分析了各种对于在线购买旅游产品意图的创新特性。研究结果本论文发现, 各种方法产生相似的分析结果, 比如径路系数、模型预测相关、以及被解释变量等。三种方法的主要区别在于, 第一阶段结构与第二阶段结构的比重值, 还有这些比重值的显著程度。本论文结果对于未来理论采用哪种方法做出启示。研究原创性/价值由于大多数研究都集中在以反应性二阶结构分析, 很少的文章研究形成性二阶结构。因此, 本论文全面地比较了三种衡量形成性二阶结构的方法, 并且提供有效建议, 采用哪种方式以分析二阶结构, 以及如何衡量形成性二阶结构。关键词旅游业、在线旅游购物行为、偏最小二乘回归，二阶形成性结构纸张类型研究论文

The Impact of Shopping Values on Intention of Online Travel purchase for Mature Consumers: a Mediated Moderation Model

The Impact of Shopping Values on Intention of Online Travel purchase for Mature Consumers: a Mediated Moderation Model Wanching Chang Ph.D; Ren-Fang Chao Ph.D Abstract This study attempts to examine the relationships between online shopping values and intention in the purchase behavior of online travel products.It extends prior consumer-centered research by examining the association of perceived risk and the online shopping value with customer satisfaction to discover whether perceived risk moderates the relationship of intention with shopping values and customer satisfaction. Findings from this study reveal that matured consumers’ satisfaction acts as an important mediator which partially mediating the relationship between shopping value and purchase intention. Interestingly, perceived risk is found to have no moderating effects on the relationship of shopping value and purchase intention. Practical implications are recommended at the end of this study. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jthm.v6n1a9

Why Do Consumers Trust Online Travel Websites? Drivers and Outcomes of Consumer Trust toward Online Travel Websites

Egypt is currently one of the leading nations especially in the Middle East region with a well-established e-commerce environment and advanced IT infrastructure, but rapid growth of e-commerce will soon occur in other nations with similar consumption patterns. This study tests a model of antecedents (consumer experience, propensity to trust, reputation, perceived website size, ease of use, perceived usefulness, and website quality) and consequences of consumers’ trust toward online travel websites. Trust is expected to predict consumer attitude, perceived risk, and intention to purchase travel online. Data of 1,431 users of online travel websites were selected from the Supreme Council of Universities Database–Egypt (SCU) and analyzed through structural equation modeling. The findings show that all the aforementioned factors with the exception of consumer experience influence consumer trust toward online travel websites. Trust influences consumers’ attitude, perceived risk, and intention to purchase travel online.

Health Seeking Behaviours and Knowledge of Infectious Disease Risks in Western Australian Travellers to Southeast Asian Destinations: An Airport Survey.

As the number of Australians engaging in short-term international travel increases, so does the opportunity for importing overseas-acquired infectious diseases. This study aimed to determine knowledge of infectious disease risks and pre-travel health advice (PTHA) seeking behaviour among Western Australians travelling to Bali, Indonesia or Thailand. Passengers departing from Perth International Airport were invited to participate in a self-administered survey. The survey determined PTHA seeking behaviour, knowledge of specific disease risks, and expected disease-prevention behaviours abroad. Multivariate regression modelling was used to assess demographic and travel-related factors associated with seeking PTHA. Responses from 1334 travellers were analysed. The proportion correctly identifying specific overseas disease risks ranged from 27% to 98%. High levels of planned disease-preventive behaviours were reported; however only 32% of respondents sought PTHA for their trip, most commonly from friends/family (15%) or a GP (14%). Many travellers (87%) made online travel purchases, but few (8%) used the Internet to source PTHA. WA travellers to Bali and Thailand were unlikely to seek PTHA and knowledge varied regarding infectious disease risks associated with travel. High rates of internet use when planning travel may provide an opportunity for destination-specific health promotion messaging and should be explored.

Attracting tourists to travel companies’ websites: the structural relationship between website brand, personal value, shopping experience, perceived risk and purchase intention

This article aims to examine the structural relationship between website brand, personal value, shopping experience, perceived risk and purchase intention from travel websites. Built upon the theory of consumers’ perceived risk, a theoretical model was proposed and a questionnaire was developed. The fieldwork utilized responses from 409 participants who purchased travel items from websites of Malaysian travel companies. Partial least square (PLS) path modelling approach, a variance-based structural equation modelling (VB-SEM), was used to assess the overall goodness-of-fit tests, measurement and structural model. The results highlight different aspects related to the effectiveness and attractiveness of travel companies’ websites. Its unique finding highlights the importance of personal value as a user characteristic factor that can strongly affect online purchase intention. In addition, by combining user characteristics and website characteristic and examining them in a single model, this study provides a clear multidimensional picture of causal relationship between latent constructs in an online travel purchase context. Theoretical and practical implications of study results are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided.

Travellers’ intention to purchase travel online: integrating trust and risk to the theory of planned behaviour

This study aims to determine which factors influence travellers’ intentions to purchase travel online by proposing and empirically testing a new model grounded on the theory of planned behaviour. In order to validate the model, a web-based questionnaire was applied and a total of 1732 valid responses were obtained. The findings show that attitudes, perceived risk, and perceived behavioural control have significant effects on intentions to purchase travel online. However, contrary to what was expected, neither trust nor the influence of others seems to directly affect intentions to purchase travel online. Finally, the paper discusses the findings with the implications for theory and practice and makes several suggestions for future research.