How Does Electronic Word-of-Mouth Communication Affect the Digital Image of Trav

Abstract

The current research aims to evaluate the positive and negative effects of electronic word of mouth communication on the digital image of travel agencies. In this context, research data were obtained from the five most-commented travel agencies in Nevşehir registered in the TripAdvisor system. In this study, which adopted the qualitative method, the research design was a case study and phenomenology. This research employing the document review technique and criterion sampling method, identified 7.259 online comments. This study subjected 1.724 online comments from 2022 to content analysis and descriptive analysis and obtained five main themes, twenty one positive sub-themes, eight negative sub-themes, and 4.534 codes. The main themes are tour, tourist guide, transport, eating and drinking, and accommodation. The tour main theme contains the sub-themes of types of tours, places included in the tour, all-inclusive package tours, price alternatives, organization and timing, transfer services, shopping opportunities, repreference and recommendations. The tourist guide main theme covers the sub-themes of accumulation of knowledge and detailed expression, language skill, personality traits, interest and relevance to tourists. The transport main theme includes the sub-themes of vehicle comfort and cleanliness, captain and safe driving, and in-vehicle catering. The eating and drinking main theme covers the sub-themes of restaurant location, food variety, and food taste. The accommodation main theme contains the sub-themes of referral to a travel agency, accommodation services, and food and beverage services. In the main themes, the most frequently mentioned topics were the tour and tourist guide who represent the travel agency. On the other hand, the most focused themes by the tourists were the tourist guide's knowledge and detailed explanation and the re-preference and recommendations. Overall, it has been concluded that travel agencies have a positive image, and the determined themes affect digital image formations.