Measuring the Impacts of Online Word-of-Mouth on Tourists’ Attitude and Intentions to Visit Jordan: An Empirical Study

Abstract

Reduced consumer trust, both of organizations and advertising, has led to electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) becoming an increasingly popular way of obtaining competitive advantage. e-WOM is especially relevant with regard to tourism, specifically tourists' attitudes toward such destinations. This study explores the empirical and theoretical evidence regarding the causal e-WOM relationships between tourists' attitudes regarding specific destinations and actual intention to travel. In the context of visits to Jordan, we applied SEM technique to examine these relationships. A pre-validated questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample with response rate of 97.3%. The result revealed that e-WOM communications positively impact tourists' travel intentions and their attitudes toward Jordan as a destination, while a positive effect is found for the attitudes toward Jordan visit on their intention to travel. Managers of travel agency can consider various aspects of e-WOM to encourage tourists to participate in online travel communities and to build such communities, as this will foster trust in terms of visiting Jordan.

Attributes That Contribute to Guest Satisfaction: A Comparative Study of Reviews Posted on BOOKING.COM and on Airbnb’s Platform

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