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Using Facebook for travel decision-making: an international study of antecedents
Abstract and Figures
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate antecedents of using non-travel-specific social media (specifically Facebook) for travel decision-making before a leisure trip.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on an online survey of 426 young travel consumers from Italy and Sweden, this work applies structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis.
Findings
The study finds support for most of the conventional TAM-related constructs: perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment and intention, while ease of use is not found relevant in this context.
Research limitations/implications
Results shed light on the antecedents of using non-travel specific social media in two countries. Future research might focus on validating the factors identified and add others that might shape usage in the selected countries. Future studies could further investigate possible differences arising from culture, country of origin and age. The analysis can also be extended to other countries.
Practical implications
The analysis might help managers in the hospitality and tourism sector by providing an understanding of the cognitive factors which determine travelers’ decision to use Facebook for trip planning. Thus, managers should get to know these factors in their effort to influence social media in hospitality and tourism settings.
Originality/value
The findings offer interesting perspectives on the applicability of conventional models to the context of non-travel-specific social media platforms. The exploration of cross-cultural differences also adds to the extant body of knowledge.
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... However, non-travel-specific social media platforms like Facebook have also experienced growing popularity in usage across all stages of travel planning, notably during the pre-trip phase in consideration stage (Sakshi et al., 2020;Jadhav et al., 2018). Although Facebook is considered a general social network, its utility and profound significance in travel planning should not be underestimated (Mariani et al., 2019). With over 3 billion monthly active users, it remains the largest social networking site globally (DataReportal, 2024). ...
... Research shows that nearly 30% of younger Facebook users primarily use the platform for searching for ideas on things to do and buy (DataReportal, 2024), indicating that Facebook remains a vital information source and one of the most popular social media platforms for travel planning (Sharma et al., 2023;Sakshi et al., 2020). Mariani et al. (2019) observe that the cognitive and affective mechanisms influencing the usage of such platforms may significantly differ from travel-specific consumer-generated media platforms like TripAdvisor and third-party commercial websites such as Booking.com. For example, existing literature in the tourism field has underscored the significance of online communities like Facebook groups and has examined travellers' motivations for engaging in these communities (Kol & Lissitsa, 2024). ...
... While non-travel-specific social media platforms are becoming increasingly important as sources of information for travel planning, understanding the factors driving their usage remains unclear and needs further attention (Sakshi et al., 2020;Tung et al., 2023). There is limited theoretical understanding about the cognitive and affective mechanisms that predict social media usage for travel planning, with research in this area still emerging (Mariani et al., 2019;Sakshi et al., 2020;Kim et al., 2023;Kol & Lissitsa, 2024;Nguyen et al., 2024). ...
Purpose – This research explores the underexamined media-related factors influencing source credibility and its relationship with the intention to use Facebook groups for travel planning. It aims to investigate social media preferences, attitudes, and perceived privacy control as predictors of perceived source credibility (source expertise and trustworthiness) and their impact on the intention to use Facebook for travel planning. Design – To better understand the influence source credibility for travel planning on Facebook groups, an extensive literature review was followed by primary research using a survey method. Methodology – A structured questionnaire, based on previous studies, was distributed via Facebook, collecting data from 207 respondents. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to examine the relationships between variables. Findings – Results suggest that preferences and attitudes towards social media significantly predict perceived source expertise and trustworthiness. Perceived privacy control is significantly linked only to perceived source trustworthiness. Both perceived source expertise and trustworthiness are significant predictors of the intention to use Facebook for travel planning. Originality of the research – This study investigates specific media-related perceptions of consumers that have not been empirically tested before. It also includes the concept of perceived privacy control, which has not been used in existing studies from the source credibility perspective.
... However, there is doubt about the overreliance on such content as it is recognized as mixed with the help of money, and this is proven in the "commercial authenticity" theory of influencer marketing by Audrezet et al. (2020). Research indicates that while influencers act as inspirers through the visuals they present and as encouragers through the practical information they provide, the best results are achieved when a post's content has both attractiveness to the eyes and utility (Mariani et al., 2019). ...
... However, those who noticed that they were also getting balanced information from the influencers offering the pros and cons said they were happier, further backing up the study that notes that authenticity and disclosure improve source credibility (Audrezet et al., 2020). They state that there is a need for more ethical content production that is both beautiful and informative to lessen the chances of damaging reputations through negative word-of-mouth from frustrated visitors (Mariani et al., 2019). ...
... The responses clearly reveal that social media has changed the perception about camping as one of the travel forms from something that is challenging to something more inviting, diverse and mainstream. Some of the common remarks made by the respondents were that the advertisements they viewed on the platforms such Instagram contributed to their first impressions of camping as a visually appealing and exciting activity (Mariani et al., 2019). Yet, this has also set the expectation for a quite unrealistic, or even unrealistic, experience that is far from the realities of traveling, as some of the experiences posting on social media leave out all tangible difficulties that one may encounter (Mkono, 2019). ...
‘Camping is not time spent but invested’. Camping one of the best forms of spending time out in the open and marveling at the wonders of this creation. When it comes to the best camping places in the world Sri Lanka stands on the top of the list. Sri Lanka is an island with a land which contains enormous places from the high mountain chains and large plains to beaches and lagoons, from wildlife safari points to dense forests. It is simply inconceivable how many spots in the ways of a camper’s preference list this figure is irresistible. The purposes of this research are to determine how social media influence has an effect on the motivation of the domestic camping tourists in Sri Lanka. The study employs both qualitative and quantitative research to examine the impact of content type, information quality, attractiveness, peer pressure, and content exposure to travel motivation. The participants were selected by employing cluster sampling technique, with 923 of them responding to the research by providing data both in form of text data through response to questionnaires and content analysis. The findings reveal positive and meaningful correlations between all the dimensions of social media influence and the travel motivation, with appealing visual images as well as peer pressure influencing travel motivation most prominently. They clearly demonstrate how social media affects tourism decisions especially where it is specialized like domestic camping. The present study gives important implications for Sri Lankan tourism marketers as it is revealed that excellent social media utilization, relevant and appealing content, and customer experience as seen in reviews may positively influence motivation towards travelling domestically.
... For research on CEBM in smart tourism, we used Scopus and Web of Science, two of the largest citation databases, as they cover an extensive range of peer-reviewed journals in hospitality, tourism, and sustainability fields. Previous systematic reviews in hospitality and tourism often use these databases to ensure comprehensive literature coverage (Gomezelj, 2016;Mariani et al., 2019), making them ideal for gathering studies on sustainable practices and circular economy applications in tourism. Keywords. ...
This study aims to develop a Circular Economy Business Model (CEBM) based on smart tourism for tourist villages that can be effectively applied in the context of sustainable village tourism. The study adopts a qualitative and exploratory approach, focusing on a single case study of a popular tourist village in Indonesia, recognized in the Best Tourism Village list by UNWTO. Data collection involved a combination of systematic review and interviews. The findings demonstrate that implementing a circular economy business model utilizing smart technology can enhance the competitiveness of tourist villages and drive a sustainable and smart value-creation process. Practically, this study provides insights for managers and administrators of tourist villages in implementing a smart tourism-based business model in managing tourist villages. Socially, this study contributes to raising environmental and social awareness and enhancing the welfare of the local community. This study offers new insights into the application of a smart tourism-based circular economy business model in tourist villages, an area that has been limitedly explored.
... Turizm işletmeleri ve destinasyon yönetim örgütleri sosyal medya ağlarını; reklam, tanıtım, imaj oluşturma amaçlarıyla kullanırken, tüketiciler ise sosyal medya uygulamalarını; seyahat öncesinde bilgi kaynağı olarak, seyahat sırası ve sonrasında ise yaşadıkları deneyimleri paylaşmak amacıyla sıklıkla tercih etmektedir (Gürkan, 2021;Munar, 2011;Civelek & Dalgın, 2013). Dolayısıyla kullanıcı tarafından oluşturulan içerikler sosyal medya platformlarında ön plana çıkmaktadır (Dedeoğlu, Taheri, Okumus & Gannon, 2020;Mariani, Ek Styven & Ayeh, 2019). Oluşturulan içerikler, bir destinasyon ya da işletme hakkında bilgi ve deneyim paylaşımı açısından tüketiciler için önem arz etmektedir. ...
Sosyal medya ağları hem kullanıcılar hem de işletme ve destinasyonlar açısından oldukça popüler ve uygun fiyatlı bir araç olarak görülmektedir. Dolayısıyla sosyal medyanın rolü yadsınamaz bir öneme sahip hale gelmiştir. Destinasyon yönetim örgütleri sosyal medya araçlarını destinasyon pazarlaması, imajı ve tanıtımı açısından sıklıkla tercih etmektedir. Kullanıcılar ise içerik oluşturup paylaşarak birbirleriyle iletişim kurmaktadır. Çalışmanın amacı, Yavaş Şehirlerin sosyal medya (Instagram) iletişiminde öne çıkan görsel özelliklerini destinasyon yönetim örgütleri ve kullanıcılar tarafından oluşturulan içeriklerin perspektifiyle ortaya koymaktır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda nitel araştırma tekniklerinden netnografi kullanılmıştır. Sosyal medya araçlarından biri olan Instagram’da, kullanıcılar ve destinasyon yönetim örgütleri tarafından oluşturulan içerikler ele alınmıştır. Görsel iletişimde öne çıkan içerikler dört aşama (tematik analiz, görsel analiz, nesne tespiti ve metin madenciliği) kullanılarak incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın örneklemi olarak Türkiye’den üç Yavaş Şehir; Ahlat, Eğirdir ve Halfeti seçilmiştir. Yavaş Şehirlerin Instagram’a yansıyan görsel özellikleri, Yavaş Şehir olma kriterleri açısından değerlendirildiğinde öne çıkan özelliğin sadece çevre politikalarına yönelik özellikler olduğu görülmüştür. Ayrıca tematik analizde ön plana çıkan altı tema tespit edilmiştir. Görsel analiz ve metin madenciliği analizlerinde üç Yavaş Şehirde farklı eğilimler bulgulanmıştır. Yavaş Şehir özelliklerinin öne çıkarılması, şehrin markalaşması ve tanıtılması açısından önem arz etmektedir. Bu sebeple çalışmanın sonucunda Yavaş Şehirlerin destinasyon yönetim örgütlerine Yavaş Şehir özelliklerini sosyal medya platformlarında öne çıkarma konusunda önerilerde bulunulmuştur.
... capability to streamline hotel reservations, and a sample body of evidence suggests that efficiency and convenience are essential for technology users (Gupta et al., 2018;Tan and Ooi, 2018). However, in our study, we make a distinction between business travelers who favor productivity and efficiency, and leisure travelers who prioritize relaxation, flexibility, and recreational experiences (Gustafson, 2014;Mariani et al., 2019;Unger et al., 2016). Accordingly, we posit that PE will exert a different influence on their decision-making (Pratyush, 2022), as reflected in the following hypothesis: ...
Purpose
Employing the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) framework, this study examines the potential differences between two groups of hotel guests – business and leisure travelers – in terms of factors influencing their intention to purchase hotel products on Douyin (TikTok) in China.
Design/methodology/approach
Data gathered from 700 Chinese hotel guests was analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and multigroup analysis (MGA).
Findings
The MGA results reveal that three newly added variables – personalization, perceived interactivity and perceived creativity – significantly influence the purchase intention of leisure travelers but not business travelers. Regarding the conventional UTAUT2 variables, leisure travelers are more influenced by hedonic motivation and price value in their purchasing decisions. In contrast, performance expectancy and effort expectancy have a greater impact on the decision-making process of business travelers than their leisure counterparts.
Research limitations/implications
Theoretically, this paper is among the first to explore traveler types as moderators in the purchase of hotel products on Douyin. Practically, the findings offer valuable guidance for hotel marketers aiming to leverage Douyin to promote hotel products to these two different traveler segments.
Practical implications
Instead of using “one-size-fits-all” strategies, hotel managers should design marketing strategies that address the diverse needs of business and leisure travelers on Douyin. By implementing this strategy, they can effectively attract target customers and, in turn, increase hotel revenue.
Originality/value
This study expands the UTAUT2 framework and contributes to the scarce knowledge about the differences between business and leisure travelers regarding the relative importance of factors that influence their purchase intention for hotel products on Douyin among business and leisure travelers.
... This can however affect the ways users, especially youths, who form the participants of this study, select which particular tourist center they wish to visit or the choice of tourism destination. All phases of travel are influenced by social media (Mariani et al. 2019, Mohanan & Shekhar, 2021 as they facilitate information gathering, contacting, and travel decision making (Stepchenkova et al., 2007). ...
Tourism is one of the world's most promising industries and accounts for major foreign exchange in countries that are fully exploring its potential. Research suggests that tourism and travels remain integral to the lifetime evolvement of young people, and their choice of tourism destinations is influenced, among others, by available information. Social media (SM) have been increasingly recognised as one of the sources of information on tourism locations and travel arrangements. These platforms are interactive and promote community-based content creation and sharing. This study investigates how SM exposure influences the choice of tourism destinations among youths in Nigeria's southeast. Anchored on the Media Systems Dependency Theory and Selective Response Theory, the study utilises the survey research approach to sample the views of 400 respondents recruited through multi-stage sampling. The outcome shows the popularity of SM as trusted purveyors of tourism-related information, identifies the main SM platforms utilised by youths in the selection of tourism destinations, and the reasons behind such choices.
... Research suggests that individuals are motivated to present their "best self" on social media to gain acceptance from those around them (Sheth, Sethia and Srinivas 2011) and that, in order to create an idealised image of themselves, individuals are known to display imagery and propose acts that induce envy in other users (Balta et al. 2018;Miller 2012;Moore and Craciun 2020). This relates to extrinsic motivating factors (Mariani, Styven and Ayeh 2019), where the act of foodstagramming can be connected to the desire to obtain validation from other social media users and improve self-esteem (Lin, Fu and Lu 2022). These ideas are linked to the phenomenon of Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) (Przybylski et al. 2013), where social media users are compelled to engage on relevant platforms and share offline experiences to match their peers. ...
This research explores the motivations and behaviours behind the social phenomenon of foodstagramming. Qualitative interviews were carried out with Millennial and Gen Z participants who share food-related photographs on Instagram and foodstagramming was found to be an important and habitual part of the dining experience for these participants. The findings reveal some of the positive effects of foodstagramming, which include memory preservation, identity, belonging and connection. Some negative implications were also uncovered surrounding the pressure felt by foodstagrammers to document their food-related experiences, which sometimes detracted from the lived experience of that moment. Conclusions are drawn around the societal implications of foodstagramming, where the significance of visual culture and food-related aesthetics in the context of the hospitality sector are highlighted.
(Tạp chí Kinh tế và Dự báo, Số 19, 10/2024) Thông qua kết quả khảo sát đối với 300 du khách trong nước đã từng trải nghiệm du lịch khám phá văn hóa tại Hà Nội, bài viết nghiên cứu về ý định và hành vi thực tế của khách du lịch trong việc sử dụng mạng xã hội để lựa chọn điểm đến du lịch văn hóa tại Hà Nội. Kết quả của nghiên cứu chỉ ra, có 4 nhân tố có ảnh hưởng tích cực đến Ý định hành vi của khách du lịch, đó là: Ảnh hưởng xã hội; Kỳ vọng về nỗ lực; Tiếp thị lan truyền; Kỳ vọng về hiệu suất. Trong khi đó, Điều kiện tạo thuận lợi và Ý định hành vi lại có tác động trực tiếp đến Hành vi thực tế của khách du lịch.
Keywords: Social media, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), travel planning. The tourism industry is significantly influenced by social media, as it serves as a primary resource for travelers to seek information about various places. This study has been conducted to examine the interrelationships among factors that impact individuals' willingness to use social media platforms for trip planning and the desire to engage in travel activities. The current investigation incorporates the theoretical frameworks of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), while also examining the impact of travel-related material on social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. The study used a sample of 388 domestic tourists who were active users of social media platforms. The findings of the study indicate that the components of TAM, specifically perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use in the context of social networks has a favorable impact on individuals' intention to engage in the social media's platform and their desire to visit destination. In addition, the aspects of TPB, specifically the attitude and perceived behavioral control, demonstrate a substantial impact on behavioral intention. The findings indicate that there is a direct and positive relationship of Instagram and YouTube travel content towards behavioral intention. While, there is no significant influence of subjective norms and Facebook's travel content on behavioral intention. This study suggests that Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) can enhance their marketing strategies by leveraging social media platforms, influencer marketing, and user-generated content to attract more tourists. ___________________________________________________________________________
User-generated content and online reviews are becoming an increasingly relevant source of information for online customers that use them for purchasing decisions. This study examines the impact of services attributes and consumers’ cultural background on customer satisfaction with services in an online setting using big data. First, almost half a million Expedia.com hotel online reviews related to hotel properties located in five different countries (United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia) were retrieved. Second, the resulting dataset was used to investigate if and to what extent the overall customer satisfaction with a service is affected by the evaluation of specific hotel services attributes (operationalized based on an established typology of attributes) and by the consumers’ cultural background (operationalized by means of Hoftstede’s framework). A comprehensive multivariate regression analysis is carried out to test the literature-driven hypotheses formulated. In particular, the analysis reveals that critical service attributes such as hotel condition, room comfort, service and staff, and cleanliness positively affect the overall online satisfaction ratings. The cultural dimensions of power distance, individualism and uncertainty avoidance negatively affect overall online satisfaction, while long-term orientation and indulgence positively affect online satisfaction. Masculinity seem not to play a significant role. We also observe that reviews’ text length exerts a negative impact on online ratings. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the extent to which Business Intelligence and Big Data feature within academic research in hospitality and tourism published until 2016, by identifying research gaps and future developments and designing an agenda for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
The study consists of a systematic quantitative literature review of academic articles indexed on the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The articles were reviewed based on the following features: research topic; conceptual and theoretical characterization; sources of data; type of data and size; data collection methods; data analysis techniques; and data reporting and visualization.
Findings
Findings indicate an increase in hospitality and tourism management literature applying analytical techniques to large quantities of data. However, this research field is fairly fragmented in scope and limited in methodologies and displays several gaps. A conceptual framework that helps to identify critical business problems and links the domains of business intelligence and big data to tourism and hospitality management and development is missing. Moreover, epistemological dilemmas and consequences for theory development of big data-driven knowledge are still a terra incognita. Last, despite calls for more integration of management and data science, cross-disciplinary collaborations with computer and data scientists are rather episodic and related to specific types of work and research.
Research limitations/implications
This work is based on academic articles published before 2017; hence, scientific outputs published after the moment of writing have not been included. A rich research agenda is designed.
Originality/value
This study contributes to explore in depth and systematically to what extent hospitality and tourism scholars are aware of and working intendedly on business intelligence and big data. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first systematic literature review within hospitality and tourism research dealing with business intelligence and big data.
The sharing of travel experiences has become ubiquitous in today’s era. This study focuses on a pervasive trend among Millennial consumers: the experience of benign envy toward others’ positive travel experience sharing on social networking sites. Drawing on social comparison theory, the current study reveals why and under what conditions others’ positive experience sharing may trigger Millennial consumers’ destination visit intention. Using a mixed experimental design, this study finds that, among consumers with low trait self-esteem, luxury travel experiences shared by similar others stimulate focal consumers’ own intentions to visit the same destination. In addition, destination visit intention is triggered by benign envy toward the experience sharer. Important theoretical insights are provided regarding peer influence mechanism on social networking sites and travel consumption. Finally, managerial implications for destination marketers are presented with a focus on how to improve the effectiveness of social media marketing in targeting Millennials.
In an increasingly global travel market, hospitality services encounters involve growing interactions between providers and customers often belonging to different nationalities and cultures and speaking different languages. Extant hospitality management literature has explored the influence of language on service evaluations mostly in offline settings. This study innovatively captures the effect of the language used in online hotel reviews on online consumer ratings in two distinctively different destinations located in culturally different countries: Italy and Russia. Based on almost half a million Booking.com online reviews written by hotel guests in Moscow and Rome, we illuminate if and to what extent domestic vs. foreign language use affects online customer satisfaction. We find that the use of domestic language exerts a positive impact on online ratings in both countries. Implications for hospitality practitioners and managers, developers and managers of online review platforms, and customers of hotel services are discussed.
The study examines the role played by submission devices (mobile vs. desktop) in online travel reviewing behaviour. We analyse over 1.2 million online reviews from Booking.com and detect the presence and distinctive features of online reviews submitted by mobile devices. Our findings indicate that 1) the share of online reviews submitted by mobile increased at a very high rate over time (higher than the growth rate of those submitted by desktop); 2) there is a systematic and statistically significant difference between the features and distributions of online reviews submitted through mobile devices vs. online reviews submitted through desktops. We raise awareness of the role played by submission devices in online travel behaviour research and present implications for future research.
Key words: Mobile devices, online reviews, eWOM, mobile WOM, hospitality, big data.
Highlights:
Examines differences in mobile vs. desktop WOM
Finds growth rate to be over 12 times higher for mobile online reviews
Identifies significant differences in features and distributions of mobile reviews
Draws attention to need for considering submission device in online review research
The authors outline an updated paradigm for scale development that incorporates confirmatory factor analysis for the assessment of unidimensionality. Under this paradigm, item-total correlations and exploratory factor analysis are used to provide preliminary scales. The unidimensionality of each scale then is assessed simultaneously with confirmatory factor analysis. After unidimensional measurement has been acceptably achieved, the reliability of each scale is assessed. Additional evidence for construct validity beyond the establishment of unidimensionality then can be provided by embedding the unidimensional sets of indicators within a nomological network defined by the complete structural model.
The purpose of this study is to continue the discussion initiated by Mellinas et al. (2015, 2016) on the effects of the Booking.com rating system and more widely on the use of the OTA as a data source in academic tourism and hospitality research. We enrich and complement the original work by Mellinas et al. (2015) by empirically investigating the effects of the Booking.com rating system on the distribution of hotel ratings for the overall population of hotels located in London over two years. Based on more than 1.2 million online reviews, we show that the overall distribution of hotel scores is significantly left-skewed. Moreover, we find that the degree of skewness is positively associated with hotel class: lower-class hotels exhibit distributions of ratings that are statistically less skewed than higher-class hotels.
Purpose
The study aims to (1) develop a performance evaluation model for Facebook (FB) marketing campaigns (FBMCs) for a franchised hotel; (2) distinguish four quadrants based on efficiency and customer attention; (3) suggest improvements for inefficient FBMCs based on the slack value analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper applied the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) to select three inputs (text, picture, and color) and three outputs (number of people reached; reactions, comments, and shares; and clicks on post) based on the literature and expert opinions to assess 60 FBMCs for hotels through data envelopment analysis (DEA) and a robustness test. The four-quadrant analysis (benchmark, improvements in efficiency and customer attention, fade-out) provides suggestions for underperforming FBMCs.
Findings
The results indicate that the efficiency of the greeting’s FBMCs is better than that of the event and promotion. The projection of input value analysis showed that an average of 50 words, one picture, and six colors is the benchmark of FBMCs.
Research limitations/implications
60 FBMCs for the same franchised hotel were examined. Further research could extend this model to different hotels for generalization.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that developing shorter text lengths, concise photos, and colors of greeting messages on FB could be efficient for FBMCs.
Originality/value
This paper contributes in assessing the performance of FBMCs to identify the benchmark FBMCs with the higher efficiency and more customer attention in the franchised hotel.
Purpose
Social media has fundamentally changed the leisure travel behavior of Singapore residents. The purpose of this paper is to focus on Facebook and its impact on travel behavior. The study focuses on Singapore residents.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 16 input and five output variables were tested, with a sample of 203 Facebook users residing in Singapore. Primary data modeling was done using ADANCO, a structural equation modeling tool that uses composite modeling approach for hypothesis testing. The analysis performed an estimated structural model and then determined the best model fit by measuring reliability, validity and path analysis and estimating model parameters.
Findings
Research findings indicate that Facebook has had a strong behavioral influence on the frequency of travel, itinerary planning and social sharing, while it had no impact during the destination-selection stage of travel planning.
Originality/value
Facebook’s influence on leisure travel behavior confirms the theory of planned behavior proposed by Icek Ajzen. From Facebook’s perspective, the outcome of this study is helpful in recommending the best use of the platform for destination providers.
Social media platforms and their associated user-generated content are of increasing significance to the perception of tourism brands amongst consumers. Online fan pages offer a unique opportunity for tourism managers to effect positive engagements between their brand and consumer base. By viewing these online environments in relation to Social Response Theory, this study discerns the impact of brand fan pages with human-like attributes, suggesting that anthropomorphic cues positively influence user engagement. Using PLS-SEM analysis, the study empirically tests a theoretically developed higher-order construct of these anthropomorphic Fan Page Cues, composed of three first-order factors: social interactive value, visual appearance and identity attractiveness. Findings indicate that a social media platform with human-like characteristics positively engages consumers, the theoretical and practical implications of which are clearly presented.