Social media in tourism: Establishing factors influencing attitudes towards the usage of social networking sites for trip organisation

Abstract

Purpose: The main aim of this study was to determine the attitude towards the use of SNSs for trip organisation and its precursors. Problem investigated: Tourism organisations and destination policy makers need to understand factors that influence tourist use of SNSs for trip organisation in order for them to be able to effectively utilise SNSs. Methodology: The methodological approach followed was exploratory and quantitative in nature. Data were collected from a total of 340 respondents using a structured questionnaire. Structural equation modelling through the use of Partial Least Squares was for data analysis. Findings and implications: The results show that attitude towards the use of SNSs for trip organisation is affected by perceived benefits, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control, with perceived usefulness having the greatest influence. The implication is that managers of tourism organisations need to ensure that their sites are informative, easy to use and able to safeguard users’ online privacy if they are to attract more and loyal users to their sites. Value of the research: Very little research in the South African context exists with specific reference to how SNSs are being utilised for trip organisation. This article contributes by unravelling factors that influence the use of SNSs for trip organisation. Conclusion: Perceived usefulness measured by functional benefits and social benefits is the key factor that influences attitude towards the use of SNSs for trip organisation. It is the responsibility of destination marketers to provide all the necessary or valuable information on their SNS accounts, in order to encourage travellers to use SNSs

The Influence of Satellite Television on the Internet and the Development of Tourism Culture (quality of intangible services)

“…Thus, social network is presented as a kind of social structure consisting of a group of nodes, which are social objects (people or organizations), as well as the connections between them (social relationships) [17][18][19][20].…”

Factors Affecting UAE Consumers’ Attitudes Towards Using Social Networking Sites in Hotel Selection

“…These findings are new to the body of hotel social media research, and contribute to knowledge about the factors that influence consumers' attitude towards using social network sites in terms of the selection of hotels, largely because the study is among the first to examine those factors in the context of using social media with regard to hotel selection in the UAE. Most research tends to concentrate on the use of social media sites in the selection of tourism destinations (Hua, 2017), festival attendance (Kim, Osman, Gyehee & Hande, 2018) and trip organization (Matikiti, 2017).…”

“…They suggested that compliance, internalization and identification are determinants of guests' attitudes toward a Facebook hotel page. Matikiti, Mpinganjira & Roberts (2017) showed that attitude towards the use of SNS for trip organization is affected by the perceived benefits, with perceived usefulness having the greatest influence. Hua, Ramayah, Teoh & Cheah (2017) modeled the use of social media as a tool to select tourism destinations.…”

A Critical Review of Literature in the Rising Tide of Social Media Towards Promoting Tourism

“…This finding reaffirmed several arguments across a range of research that females use more social media than males (Nunkoo, Juhaweer & Rambhunjun, 2013). Although empirical evidence had established the practical benefits of social media technology, the heterogeneous nature consumers (openness and neuroticism) and device perceptions (technology, fashion, or both) were identified to be critical moderators of the effects (Matikiti, Mpinganjira & Roberts-Lombard, 2017).…”

“…The concern about privacy threats may prevent the cultivation of the technological trust, which can result in feelings of vulnerability and uncertainty that constituted the psychological barriers of risk inhibiting adoption (Connolly & Bannister, 2007). Most studies hypothesised that privacy and data security risks would affect consumer attitude towards social media technology (Ravindran et al, 2018;Matikiti, Mpinganjira & Roberts-Lombard, 2017). Hence, people who perceived risks to be associated with using SNS, these individuals would develop a negative attitude towards the sites.…”