Mobile Travel Services: The Effect of Moderating Context Factors

Abstract

this article has two objectives: (1) to draw an international comparison regarding the acceptance of mobile travel services in three countries with different profiles when it comes to travelling and mobile telecommunications, and (2) to extend relevant literature on mobile applications, more specifically travel services, by including context-related concepts, taking moderating factors like location, mobility of users, physical, and social context into account. Based on surveys that were carried out in 2009, structural equation modeling is used to identify differences in patterns in the use of mobile travel services and in the role of context-related variables. the conclusion of this article is that context-related factors, that is, mobility and (physical and social) context, have an impact on the relationship between the core concepts of technology Acceptance model (tAm) and Diffusion of Innovation (DoI) research. many studies on the acceptance and use of mobile services indicate that a deep understanding is needed of individual, context-related, and technological characteristics and the way they interact. this is also highly relevant to the travel industry, which wants to utilize the opportunities provided by mobile technology.

SoCoMo marketing for travel and tourism: Empowering co-creation of value

“…A major driver of this development is that the participation in social media has moved from desk computers to mobile devices with Internet access. Pampered with faster processing speeds and decreased roaming charges, users can now stay socially connected while moving around (Bouwman et al, 2012). Recent statistics show that 56% of smartphone users use their device to check their social networks on a daily basis (Rocketfuel, 2012).…”

“…In order to provide timely-relevant and location-specific information, marketers need to have a comprehensive understanding of who their customers are and what they need, based on their context. In recent years, context has gained significant attention by academics and industry professionals (Schilit et al, 1994;Prekop and Burnett, 2003;Tsang and Clarke, 2008;Haekkilae et al, 2009;Hoepken et al, 2010;Lamsfus et al, 2010;Bouwman et al, 2012;Mehra, 2012;Lamsfus et al, 2013;Liu and Fan, 2013;Mehan et al, 2013), whose studies resulted in the emergence of the context-based marketing concept.…”

Progress on technology use in tourism

“…Real time processing is another, although less researched area of technology use in tourism, but is an important issue, especially regarding the use of mobile travel services (Bouwman et al , 2011). From the perspective of creative tourism, Ihamäki (2012) explored the use of geocaching in adventure tourist destinations, and provided broader implications for adventure tourism.…”

Conceptualising technology enhanced destination experiences

“…Due to their ubiquity, constant connectivity and access to information anywhere and anytime (Green, 2002), mobile technologies have led to a behavioural transformation of tourists from "sit and search" to "roam and receive" (Pihlström, 2008). Hence, Bouwman et al (2012) claim that mobile services bring the Web even closer to consumers by enabling information retrieval anywhere at any time. Considering these developments, it is evident that ICTs have a major impact on consumer experiences (Kim & Ham, 2007;Law, Leung & Buhalis, 2009) and particularly on tourism experiences, as confirmed by multiple studies in the past (Crouch & Desforges, 2003;Stamboulis & Skayannis, 2003;Tussyadiah & Fesenmaier, 2007;Tussyadiah & Fesenmaier, 2009).…”