Showing papers in "Information Technology & Tourism in 2020"
TL;DR: This viewpoint article argues that the impacts of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 call for transformative e-Tourism research, and presents six pillars to guide scholars in their efforts to transform e- Tourism through their research, including historicity, reflexivity, equity, transparency, plurality, and creativity.
Abstract: This viewpoint article argues that the impacts of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 call for transformative e-Tourism research. We are at a crossroads where one road takes us to e-Tourism as it was before the crisis, whereas the other holds the potential to transform e-Tourism. To realize this potential, e-Tourism research needs to challenge existing paradigms and critically evaluate its ontological and epistemological foundations. In light of the paramount importance to rethink contemporary science, growth, and technology paradigms, we present six pillars to guide scholars in their efforts to transform e-Tourism through their research, including historicity, reflexivity, equity, transparency, plurality, and creativity. We conclude the paper with a call to the e-Tourism research community to embrace transformative research.
308 citations
TL;DR: In the near future it will not be possible for tourism ecosystems and territories to only take into account digital innovations, but they will have to include smart tourism perspectives like sustainability, circular economy, quality of life, and social value; they should also aim to enhance tourism experiences and to increase the competitive advantage of smart tourism destinations.
Abstract: The digital revolution is radically changing the world we live in. Sensors in smart homes are able to interconnect devices such as thermostats, washing machines, television sets, laptops, tablets, and other objects to the Internet of Things platforms. New digital technologies have introduced important innovations in factories, hospitals, hotels, cities and territories. Industry 4.0 is signaling the end of well-established patterns and is asking scholars, managers and citizens willing to survive in this ever-changing and increasingly complex environment to observe it through different lenses and new paradigms. The tourism sector, also, is very much involved in digital transformations, increasingly qualifying them with expressions such as Tourism 4.0 or Smart Tourism. What impact does the digital revolution have on tourism? What do tourism 4.0 and smart tourism have in common? What are the main differences? Adopting a conceptual approach and focusing on the travel and tourism industry, our work aims to provide a point of view and some preliminary answers to the above questions. In paragraph 1 we illustrate the main changes brought about by the digital revolution 4.0 in industry, the Web, and tourism. Then, the concepts of tourism 4.0 and smart tourism are compared in Sect. 2. Section 3 illustrates how the consumer experience of digital tourists changes before, during, and after the trip. Paragraphs 4 and 5 illustrate the challenges of tourism destinations and tourism ecosystems in the smart perspective. In the final section of the paper, we highlight that in the near future it will not be possible for tourism ecosystems and territories to only take into account digital innovations, but they will have to include smart tourism perspectives like sustainability, circular economy, quality of life, and social value; they should also aim to enhance tourism experiences and to increase the competitive advantage of smart tourism destinations. Tourism 4.0 technologies need to be geared toward the improvement of the quality of tourism practices, assuming smartness and sustainability as the right paradigm for improving the quality of life and the social value of both guests and local residents.
172 citations
TL;DR: The findings indicate respondents feel that repetitive, dirty, dull, and dangerous tasks in hotels would be more appropriate for robots, while hotel managers would rather use employees for tasks that require social skills and emotional intelligence.
Abstract: Adopting a supply-side perspective, the paper analyses Bulgarian hotel managers’ perceptions of service robots using a convergent mixed methods design. Structured quantitative data were collected from 79 managers using a questionnaire, while interviews were used for the collection of qualitative data from 20 managers. The findings indicate respondents feel that repetitive, dirty, dull, and dangerous tasks in hotels would be more appropriate for robots, while hotel managers would rather use employees for tasks that require social skills and emotional intelligence. The individual characteristics of respondents and the organisational characteristics of the hotels they currently worked in played little role in their perceptions of service robots. The managers considered that robots would decrease the quality of the service and were generally not ready to use robots. Additionally, the interviewees indicated that skilled and well-trained employees were more valuable and more adequate than robots for the hospitality and tourism industry. Theoretical and managerial implications are provided as well.
100 citations
TL;DR: This viewpoint conceptualizes three different effects of interactive system use on technology-mediated tourist experiences—besides goal achievement that impacts satisfaction, effects can be goal-limiting, goal- Surpassing or goal-surpassing, and is used to frame the importance of human-centered design for emerging Tourism 4.0 technologies.
Abstract: Building on the momentum of Industry 4.0 developments in production and manufacturing, the tourism-specific concept of Tourism 4.0 currently fuels visions of similar technology-based transformations towards highly interconnected and phygital systems in the tourism industry. There is an implicit assumption that the technological innovations of Tourism 4.0 work better for the benefits of tourists. However, even marvels of tourism information technology often come with a serious lack of human-centered design. The unprecedented speed of development and implementation of Tourism 4.0 technology further adds to this neglect. In addition, traditional approaches to designing the user experience of interactive systems are now seriously challenged by the disruption of traditional views on the goals of system use, more complex user roles, and the dynamic and hybrid context of the use. The powerful capabilities of Tourism 4.0 technologies allow for the enhancement of interaction with a system and enrichment of the tourist experience itself, providing new ways of assisting in behavior change and even in the long-lasting transformation of the users. However, this also means greater potential for harm. This viewpoint conceptualizes three different effects of interactive system use on technology-mediated tourist experiences—besides goal achievement that impacts satisfaction, effects can be goal-limiting (ranging from distracting to damaging) or goal-surpassing (ranging from enhancing to transforming). This conceptualization is then used to frame the importance of human-centered design for emerging Tourism 4.0 technologies.
96 citations
TL;DR: This essay was written based upon several interviews conducted with directors and general managers of nine well-known hotels in China with the aim to investigate what new technologies are used to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Abstract: The tourism industry is in a fight for survival during the coronavirus pandemic. This essay was written based upon several interviews conducted with directors and general managers of nine well-known hotels in China with the aim to investigate what new technologies are used to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. DeLone and McLean’s Information System Success Model was applied to examine the adopted digital technologies. Live-stream promotion and live-stream conference are introduced to primarily improve information quality, while 5G technology and Wi-Fi 6 are installed to enhance the system quality. Facial recognition, AI, and Robots are integrated to the daily operations to enhance service quality. Challenges and future directions are discussed.
74 citations
TL;DR: It is found that in practice, digital nomadism is not always experienced as autonomous and free but is a way of living that requires high levels of discipline and self-discipline.
Abstract: The digital nomad idea of freedom is often a generalised and subjective notion of freedom that imagines a lifestyle and future where the tensions between work and leisure melt away. This paper finds that in practice, digital nomadism is not always experienced as autonomous and free but is a way of living that requires high levels of discipline and self-discipline. The research suggests that digital nomads often overlook the role of disciplining practices when first starting out, and do not foresee how working in sites of leisure and tourism might make managing a balance between work and non-work problematic. Longitudinal ethnographic fieldwork examines the extent of these disciplining practices and reveals that they are utilised to keep work and leisure time separate.
62 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors define the rapidly emerging mobile lifestyle of digital nomads, who work while traveling and travel while working, and suggest a conceptual framing of the digital nomadism within lifestyle mobilities.
Abstract: This paper defines the rapidly emerging mobile lifestyle of digital nomads, who work while traveling and travel while working. Digital nomadism is driven by important societal changes, such as the ubiquity of mobility and technology in everyday lives and increasingly flexible and precarious employment. Despite the growing prevalence of this lifestyle, there is a lack of common understanding of and holistic perspective on the phenomenon. The emerging literature on digital nomadism is fragmented and scattered through different disciplines and perspectives. This paper looks into digital nomadism against the array of contemporary lifestyle-led mobilities and location independent work to develop a comprehensive perspective of the phenomenon. The paper also suggests a conceptual framing of digital nomadism within lifestyle mobilities. A limited number of empirical studies on digital nomads narrows the scope of analytical discussion in this paper. Thus, the paper defines aspects and directions for further conceptualization of the phenomenon.
50 citations
TL;DR: This viewpoint discusses the impacts of automation technologies on tourism and hospitality jobs by delving into the mechanisms through which automation eliminates, transforms, and creates job positions in the industry.
Abstract: This viewpoint discusses the impacts of automation technologies on tourism and hospitality jobs by delving into the mechanisms through which automation eliminates, transforms, and creates job positions in the industry. It elaborates on the tourism and hospitality jobs of the future, the skills that tourism and hospitality employees would need, and the implication of automation for tourism and hospitality education.
48 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that, rather than a challenge to the system, digital nomadism is an opportunistic adaptation to neoliberal impacts, allowing them to take advantage of privileged nationalities to navigate the global inequalities of the capitalist system.
Abstract: Digital nomads are individuals who, taking advantage of portable computing technologies and widespread Internet access, can work remotely from any location and use this freedom to explore the world. Using ethnographic and netnographic research, this article outlines this recent phenomenon, framing it into the lens of lifestyle mobilities and individualization theories. It adds to existing research by focusing on the new set of responsibilities and commitments entailed by the individualization process. In research participants’ explanations, disengaging from sedentary life enabled them to express an ethos of freedom, in which minimalism, uncertainty and risk replace material accumulation, stability and comfort. It is important however to pay attention to the structural constraints within which their ethos of freedom operates. The aim of the article is twofold: on one hand, it contrasts digital nomads’ sociocultural imaginaries of (in)mobility with the specific economic strategies they use to sustain their continuous mobility, including geoarbitrage and the commodification of network capital. On the other, it provides fresh ethnographic evidence on how digital nomads’ self-realization project meets the ideology of entrepreneurialism, allowing them to take advantage of privileged nationalities to navigate the global inequalities of the capitalist system. The article argues that, rather than a challenge to the system, digital nomadism is an opportunistic adaptation to neoliberal impacts.
43 citations
TL;DR: It is found that the use of Cardboard goggles did not produce a significantly greater sense of presence in the experience of advertorial viewers, which supports the hypothesis that presence plays a mediating role in the relationship between theUse of VR in tourism advertising and consumer response.
Abstract: An experimental study was conducted to test the mediating effect of presence on the consumer response to tourism promotion using virtual reality (VR) technology. Hong Kong college students (N = 203) were assigned to three experimental groups in which they were exposed to a hotel advertorial on an online blog, a VR 360° video on a mobile phone, or a VR 360° video using Google Cardboard goggles. The results supported the hypothesis that presence plays a mediating role in the relationship between the use of VR in tourism advertising and consumer response. As one of the first studies in the tourism field to investigate the effects of a virtual depiction of a real-world environment on consumption intentions, the findings reveal how VR technology can be used to promote a hotel by generating a sense of presence. This study makes a further contribution to the VR literature by finding that the use of Cardboard goggles did not produce a significantly greater sense of presence in the experience of advertorial viewers. The theoretical contributions and practical implications of the findings for the use of VR technology in branding and promotion are discussed.
41 citations
TL;DR: This work first presents a data-driven method to mine trips from location-based social networks to understand how tourists travel the world, and identifies 942 regions as destinations that can be directly used as a region model of a destination recommender system.
Abstract: It is important to learn the characteristics of travelers and touristic regions when trying to generate recommendations for destinations to users. In this work, we first present a data-driven method to mine trips from location-based social networks to understand how tourists travel the world. These trips are quantified using a number of metrics to capture the underlying mobility patterns. We then present two applications that utilize the mined trips. The first one is an approach for clustering travelers in two case studies, one of Twitter and another of Foursquare, where the pure mobility metrics are enriched with social aspects, i.e., the kinds of venues into which the users checked-in. Clustering 133,614 trips from Twitter, we obtain three distinct clusters. In the Foursquare data set, however, six clusters can be determined. The second application area is the spatial clustering of destinations around the world. These discovered regions are solely formed by the mobility patterns of the trips and are, thus, independent of administrative regions such as countries. We identify 942 regions as destinations that can be directly used as a region model of a destination recommender system. This paper is the extended version of the conference article “Characterisation of Traveller Types Using Check-in Data from Location-Based Social Networks” presented at the 26th Annual ENTER eTourism Conference held from January 19 to February 1, 2019 in Nicosia, Cyprus.
TL;DR: Price value and social influence have high significant positive influence on their behavioural intention to use Airbnb app when booking accommodation in the historical city of Malacca in Malaysia, and hedonic motivation and habit were found not significant, raising concerns on applicability and relevance of UTAUT2 theory to measure user adoption of a mobile app for tourism.
Abstract: Airbnb is a home-sharing mobile platform that enables tourists and local hosts to connect. Airbnb mobile app allows hosts to list down the space available for rent and allow tourists to look for accommodations that are often more localized. Historical cities are often engaging tourists using traditional hotel reservation methods such as phone reservations or booking by travel agents, however, given digital disruption more local businesses are adopting technology in their business. This motivated the current study to assess the rate of peer-to-peer technology pervasiveness in historical city tourism, particularly for hotel booking using Airbnb app. This research investigates the factors that predict tourists’ behavioural intention to use Airbnb app when they travel to the historical city of Malacca in Malaysia by adopting the Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) model and by critically evaluating the exhaustiveness of the theory to measure tourists’ use of a mobile app. Partial Least Square analysis was used to test the research model, construct path model and to validate research hypotheses. The results from a sample of 200 tourists who visited and stayed in Malacca show that price value and social influence have high significant positive influence on their behavioural intention to use Airbnb app when booking accommodation in the historical city. In contrast, hedonic motivation and habit were found not significant, potentially due to the short-term and occasion-specific usage of Airbnb app not forming enjoyment in the process of usage, which raises concerns on applicability and relevance of UTAUT2 theory to measure user adoption of a mobile app for tourism. A peculiar finding in the study is the significant negative influence of facilitating condition to behavioural intention, for which we explain a plausible cause in the paper.
TL;DR: Companies around the world have extended their remote-working policies, implemented due to COVID, through 2021 and beyond, and are starting to consider a broader shift towards remote (or hybrid) workforce models as a means for reducing overhead costs while supporting employee productivity and wellbeing.
Abstract: As the world went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, people worldwide started to experience a ‘new normal.’ This ‘new normal’ has normalized remote-working and resulted in the mainstream adoption of technologies to support virtual collaboration, communication, and work from a distance. While the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the restriction of mobility as borders were closed, airlines grounded, and daily commutes limited, visions of a potential future of ‘remote-life’ started to take shape. As professionals (and employers) around the world start to realize that they are no longer physically secured to their desks, offices, or work stations, they may now start to consider a future where they are remote-working from ‘exotic’ locations, often with lower costs of living (Phuket, Bali, or Costa Rica?) instead of working from ‘home.’ Companies around the world have extended their remote-working policies, implemented due to COVID, through 2021 and beyond, and are starting to consider a broader shift towards remote (or hybrid) workforce models as a means for reducing overhead costs while supporting employee productivity and wellbeing.
TL;DR: Based on the neo-tribe characteristics exhibited by digital nomads, practitioners are given recommendations on how to improve the design and developments of co-living spaces to facilitate digital nomad’ well-being.
Abstract: The rise of the digital labour market in recent years has stimulated the growth of the digital nomad community To cater to this specific work-leisure segment, many co-living spaces are actively marketing their products to be the perfect accommodation solution to help overcome the isolation that urbanity and digital nomadism bring along However, little research has been done to explore these new solutions of living circumstances and whether it enhances digital nomads’ lifestyle This study is particularly interested in exploring the role of co-living spaces in digital nomads’ overall well-being Through a grounded theory approach, 12 interviews with digital nomads living in co-living spaces are conducted and generated new insights In doing so, the paper elaborates on the specific elements of co-living spaces that influence digital nomads’ experiences and subsequently explains how the elements of digital nomads’ overall well-being links to the neo-tribe theory In the end, based on the neo-tribe characteristics exhibited by digital nomads, practitioners are given recommendations on how to improve the design and developments of co-living spaces to facilitate digital nomads’ well-being
TL;DR: This paper details a novel and significant investigation into the nuances of self-presentation and performances inherent in travel blogging work, through the lens of digital nomadism, to enable it to explore and reimagine the workplace performances of travel bloggers.
Abstract: Through analysis of empirical fieldwork conducted with British travel bloggers, this paper details a novel and significant investigation into the nuances of self-presentation and performances inherent in travel blogging work, through the lens of digital nomadism. Working with Goffman’s (The presentation of self in everyday life. Penguin, London, 1959) ideas of front and back regionalisation, the paper explores the distinct ways in which digital nomadism is performed by the travel blogger. Firstly, the paper highlights how performances of digital nomadism are integral to the successful self-presentation of the travel blogger as an aspirational worker. Next, it showcases how travel bloggers use performances of digital nomadism in the strategic complication of the front and back-stage of their work, in order to demonstrate authenticity to their audience. The paper then considers how travel bloggers undertake performances of digital nomadism, explicitly within the front-stage to aid in their overall impression management of being a travel blogger. Subsequently, the paper turns to discussions of how technology becomes utilised in performances of digital nomadism which flow across the travel blogger’s front and back-stage. Finally, the paper reviews how, through performances of digital nomadism, the travel blogger appropriates their own back-stage leading to issues of overwork and precarity. The paper’s original contribution lies in its use of the lens of digital nomadism to enable us to explore and reimagine the workplace performances of travel bloggers. In doing so, the paper is able to speculate on the nuances and motivations implicit in these performances, digging deeper into issues of online self-presentation, authenticity and place.
TL;DR: It is argued that local government mediation is needed for it to succeed, in formats such as funded hackathons or incubation programs that are targeted at addressing COVID-19 and its unique challenges.
Abstract: The distinction between “traditional” travel businesses and travel tech companies has remained steady for years due to knowledge, resource and financial reasons, leading them to operate in separate bubbles. The massive damages caused by COVID-19 for both sides of the industry pose a unique opportunity for them to ditch the old transactional working model, and to seek for more strategic collaborations in order to weather the storm. This viewpoint article discusses the business potential behind such collaborations in the short and long runs—from improving immediate safety perceptions to building technological foundations for the travel industry of tomorrow. It argues that local government mediation is needed for it to succeed, in formats such as funded hackathons or incubation programs that are targeted at addressing COVID-19 and its unique challenges.
TL;DR: This study aims to unveil the content strategy of these two types of content levels for hotels in the two most-visited cities in Spain and to explore the emotional aspect of hotel Facebook posts.
Abstract: Social media communication has become a fundamental tool for hospitality companies, especially for marketing and customer engagement purposes. Facebook is the social network most used by hotels, both to interact and to establish relationships with their customers, and to provide them with relevant content and information, which may contribute to a positive travel experience and overall satisfaction. In general, content hotels post on Facebook either emphasizes hotels’ services (hotel-level or internal information) or aspects related to where the hotels are located (destination-level or external information) while conveying emotional attributes. Thus, this study aims to unveil the content strategy of these two types of content levels for hotels in the two most-visited cities in Spain, as well as to explore the emotional aspect of hotel Facebook posts. To do so, 4725 Facebook messages posted by 189 hotels in Barcelona and 1175 posted by 47 hotels in Madrid were analyzed using compositional data analysis, which accounts for the relative importance (shares) of different types of contents. Results show that hotels in Barcelona post more content related to hotel services and hotels in Madrid post more content related to the destination.
TL;DR: The results confirm the direct relationship between the technological level of the companies and the lower participation of women on MT and BOD, and show that Gender Diversity Programs promote women representation on the BOD and that this relation is bi-directional, i.e. more women on BOD imply more gender diversity programs.
Abstract: The evolution of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) continues generating paradigm-shifts in the tourism industry, and the incorporation of gender diversity in the managing bodies of hospitality and tourism firms can become a factor of critical success. Nevertheless, women’s under-representation on decision-making positions in ICT or high-tech organizations (double gender gap) in the tourism industry has been hardly evaluated. The aim of this paper is to extend the understanding of the impact of this double level of discrimination at a vertical and horizontal level. The impact of stereotypes, gender roles and gendered organizations become the theoretical framework on this study. The biggest multinationals in the tourism industry were classified according to Eurostat’s definition of high-tech services in three intensive technological levels (High-Tech Knowledge Intensive; Knowledge-Intensive and Less Knowledge-lntensive). The composition of their Board of Directors (BOD) and Management Teams (MT) was analysed, through their annual reports and online public related documents, and evaluated through Content Analysis. Based on a total of 55 tourism related firms, the results confirm the direct relationship between the technological level of the companies and the lower participation of women on MT and BOD. Results also show that Gender Diversity Programs promote women representation on the BOD and that this relation is bi-directional, i.e. more women on BOD imply more gender diversity programs.
TL;DR: SST were more effective than service employees in terms of cost savings, consistent service quality, and provision of high-tech customer experiences, however, service personnel tended to outperform SST in communication, ease of use, usefulness, and high-touch experiences.
Abstract: The rise of self-service technology (SST) has transformed the lodging industry. Clarifying how hotels and customers can use SST offers insights for hoteliers and fills a research gap regarding SST and the service employees such technology replaces. To accomplish these aims, the researchers held 4 focus groups followed by 60 in-depth interviews with hoteliers and customers, respectively, to explore the role of SST relative to service employees and their influences on SST use. Findings revealed seven comparison dimensions between SST and service employees along with employees’ influences on SST use. SST were more effective than service employees in terms of cost savings, consistent service quality, and provision of high-tech customer experiences. However, service personnel tended to outperform SST in communication, ease of use, usefulness, and high-touch experiences. The merits and disadvantages of SST are dynamic and related to interactions among SST, users (hotels), end users (customers), and alternative service agents (employees).
TL;DR: A comparison of the explanatory power of three models that allow us to test how certain strategic guidelines in tourism companies influence each other and have a mediating or multiplier effect when linked to each other (nested models method).
Abstract: This research focuses on how the tourism and hospitality industry is applying the paradigm of open innovation, supported by social media. Open innovation (OI) has been on the topical research agenda, but the previous literature lacks studies in the service sector and specifically for tourism companies. Moreover, the introduction of social media as a tool to implement open innovation is considered the main research gap. Structural equation modelling is applied to data from 181 Portuguese and Spanish companies to study both customer involvement in new product development and the perceptions and results in terms of turnover and competitiveness. The structure of the relationships between research and development, external openness and open innovation management is highlighted with statistical analysis. In addition, the introduction of social media adds value to the proposed model. Currently, there is a lack of available models to give structure to the OI paradigm and to allow us to manage it. The contribution of this research is a comparison of the explanatory power of three models that allow us to test how certain strategic guidelines in tourism companies influence each other and have a mediating or multiplier effect when linked to each other (nested models method). In conclusion, the originality of this research is based on the relationship between open innovation management and social media and the mediating effect of external openness.
TL;DR: This research found that e-tourism adoption by SMTEs in Nepal is affected by environmental factors related to national infrastructure, market size, country-specific contextual factors and organizational factors comprising e-Tourism awareness, ICT resources, value proposition, and top management support.
Abstract: E-tourism plays a pivotal role in delivering services to tourists by enhancing travel experiences. While small tourism service providers in the developed economies can efficiently take advantage of e-tourism by partnering with global online platforms such as TripAdvisor or Booking.com, small tourism service providers in developing countries often struggle to reach global markets due to factors that are unique to the country they operate in. The aim of this study, therefore, is to identify the key barriers and motivators of e-tourism adoption for small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs) in developing countries. Nepal is selected as the case study due to its enormous tourism potential that is plagued by typical challenges. Based on the ‘Technology, Organization and Environment’ framework and ‘e-readiness’ model, this study identified ten key factors that affect e-tourism adoption by SMTEs in Nepal. A mixed-method approach, using interviews with seven key stakeholders and a survey with 198 SMTEs, were employed for data collection and validation of the proposed factors. Finally, an e-tourism adoption model highlighting the barriers and motivators for e-tourism by SMTEs is presented. This research found that e-tourism adoption by SMTEs in Nepal is affected by environmental factors related to national infrastructure, market size, country-specific contextual factors and organizational factors comprising e-tourism awareness, ICT resources, value proposition, and top management support. This study offers implications for policy and practice towards effective e-tourism adoption in other developing countries.
TL;DR: This research proposes inclusion of cultural and promotional dimensions into travel websites to make them more appealing to consumers and creates a better understanding of e-commerce system amongst managers of websites and guide them in designing strategy for retaining consumers.
Abstract: Recent advancements in technology and changing consumer behaviour have presented several opportunities for companies. Companies are extensively using mobile apps to facilitate transactions and improve service delivery. The use of mobile apps has led to a shift from websites (desktop/mobile) enabled transactions to a mobile-based interface. However, from an organization’s viewpoint websites are crucial for branding and are perceived as cost-effective. Thus, to retain and attract consumers to websites, this research proposes inclusion of cultural and promotional dimensions into travel websites to make them more appealing to consumers. It implies customization of travel websites according to cultural and religious nuances for improving the service experience. Also, this study examines the role of network effect and website characteristics on website continuance intention. Data collected from 356 users of Indian travel websites was analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings suggest that referent network size and perceived complementarity influence network benefits which have an impact on customers’ website continuance intention. Website characteristics like ease of information accessibility, interactivity, promotional and pilgrimage offers emerged as antecedents to website continuance intention. This research will create a better understanding of e-commerce system amongst managers of websites and guide them in designing strategy for retaining consumers.
TL;DR: This study showcases an exploratory study of the creation of a travel diary from the traveller’s digital footprints to facilitate the expression of and reminiscences about memorable and meaningful moments.
Abstract: Personal technologies are widely used to capture the memorable and meaningful experiences travellers have during their journeys. These digital footprints serve as memorabilia for travellers to share and reminiscence about these special experiences. This study showcases an exploratory study of the creation of a travel diary from the traveller’s digital footprints to facilitate the expression of and reminiscences about memorable and meaningful moments. In this study, 15 participants were asked to share their memorable and meaningful travel experiences and were then instructed to use their photos and a set of prototyping tools to create a paper-based visual diary of their experiences. The goal of this study was to examine the process of creating a visual diary to understand the differences in how these experiences are recounted and the ways they are expressed. We used a Labovian approach to compare and contrast the participants’ oral narratives and visual diaries. As in comics studies, the visual diaries are analysed with respect to their spatio–temporal dimensions and the recurring patterns in these two narrative forms are discussed. Based on the results, recommendations are made regarding the future design of travel diary platforms.
TL;DR: This study proved that biased mind helped accelerate perceived decision speed and enhance decision confidence and suggests that travelers’ perceived decision time is more meaningful for consideration than their real decision time.
Abstract: The presence of impatient customers is a common phenomenon in many contexts, especially in online shopping. How to catch customers and speed up their decision speed and confidence is vital to industry players. Numerous studies have demonstrated that travelers cherish credible information. Accordingly, this study investigated the effects of social media information credibility on travelers’ decision speed and confidence under the mediating effects of heuristic information processing approach. The results revealed that heuristic approach mediated the relationship between information credibility and the various levels of subsequent perceived decision speed and confidence. On the basis of the findings, this study suggests that travelers’ perceived decision speed is more meaningful for consideration than their real decision time. Although heuristics are often associated with bias, this study proved that biased mind helped accelerate perceived decision speed and enhance decision confidence.
TL;DR: Results of an eye-tracked conjoint experiment show that people’s high or low on decision difficulty as the cause of maximization determined whether and how rating summary statistics have an impact on the choice between hotels.
Abstract: Rating summary statistics are basic aggregations that reflect users’ assessments of experienced products and services in numerical form. Thus far, scholars primarily investigated textual reviews, but dedicated considerably less time and effort exploring the potential impact of plain rating summary statistics on people’s choice behavior. Notwithstanding their fundamental nature, however, rating summary statistics also are relevant to electronic commerce in general, and to e-tourism in particular. In this work, we attempted to fill this void, by exploring the effects of different types of rating attributes (the mean rating value, the overall number of ratings, and the bimodality of rating distributions) on hotel choice behavior. We also investigated whether individual differences in the cause of people’s maximizing behavioral tendency moderated the effect of rating summary statistics on hotel choice behavior. Results of an eye-tracked conjoint experiment show that people’s high or low on decision difficulty as the cause of maximization determined whether and how rating summary statistics have an impact on the choice between hotels. Implications for the tourism and hospitality domain are addressed.
TL;DR: The results indicate that the festival significantly reinforces the online image of the host city on social media and not only promotes the existing strong characteristics of the city, such as historic monuments and architectural elements, but also enriches the portrayal of theCity by relating the existing legacy to the fantasy culture with the festival experience.
Abstract: This article investigates the relation between festivals and their destination cities. We examine what festival attendees think about the festival experience and the host city, and how the online image of the host city is shaped through the dissemination of these opinions on Twitter. We conduct a case study and analyze the opinions about a big scale event, Lucca Comics & Games and its host city, Lucca. Our results indicate that the festival significantly reinforces the online image of the host city on social media and not only promotes the existing strong characteristics of the city, such as historic monuments and architectural elements, but also enriches the portrayal of the city by relating the existing legacy to the fantasy culture with the festival experience. This study sheds light on the social aspects of emergent digital information practices and platforms within the context of festivals. Furthermore, our methodological framework serves as a model for prospective research on the relationship between events and cities and contributes to the development of a common methodological framework for the empirical assessment of this relation.
TL;DR: The results from two experiments demonstrate that, when an online hotel review has a positive rating, written contents containing both positive and negative information is perceived as more helpful than reviews with only positive written content.
Abstract: This research examines whether the written contents of online reviews can generate systematic differences in the review’s perceived helpfulness even with identical ratings. In addition, this research explores which underlying psychological mechanism creates the systemic differences related to helpfulness. Specifically, the results from our two experiments demonstrate that, when an online hotel review has a positive rating, written contents containing both positive and negative information is perceived as more helpful than reviews with only positive written content. In contrast, when an online hotel review has a negative rating, written contents that contain only negative information is perceived as more helpful than reviews with written content containing both positive and negative information. Importantly, our study shows that the degree of information diagnosticity in online reviews behaves as an underlying psychological mechanism in the process. Our findings not only contribute to the extant literature but also provide useful insights and practical implications for travel websites.
TL;DR: In this article, the cognitive dissonance of technological metaworlds consistently emerged in the data collection and analysis, suggesting more adverse psychological impacts relative to the physical variety previously articulated in the literature.
Abstract: This study offers a theoretical extension of previous work on physical metaworlds by using an interpretive methodology to investigate technological metaworlds in travel. While physical and technological metaworlds initially seem to share some core characteristics, a deeper dive into the data reveals important differences. Specifically, concepts related to the cognitive dissonance of technological metaworlds consistently emerged in the data collection and analysis, suggesting more adverse psychological impacts relative to the physical variety previously articulated in the literature. How and why this occurs is discussed through the delineation of a core conceptual category named Cognitive Dissonance of Technological Metaworlds and three associated sub-categories: Cognitive Dissonance of Technology as Tool, Cognitive Dissonance of Technology as Safe Haven, and Cognitive Dissonance of Technology as Placeless Space. These findings extend existing theory in this area while also illuminating future inquiry on issues related to the psychological impacts of technology use in travel. Destination managers may use these findings in conjunction with choice architecture techniques to help travelers make experience-optimizing decisions about technology use.