Do e-WOM Persuade Travelers Destination Visit Intentions? An investigation on how Travelers Adopt the Information from the Social Media Channels

Abstract

The main aim of this study is to investigate how travelers adopt the information from Facebook (FB) electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) and its impacts on their intention to visit a destination. Purposive sampling was used to gather data from 412 visitors visiting several tourist destinations in major cities of India. To determine the minimum necessary sample size ―G*Power software version 3.1.9.7‖ was used. For data analysis, Partial Least Square Structural Equational Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used in the study. The results of this study show that all the antecedents except timeliness have a significant influence on travelers' visit intentions through Facebook e-WOM adoption. The outcomes of this study will be beneficial to internet community organizers in terms of better managing their websites for the aim of delivering relevant information. It would also benefit them in attracting users and, as a result, in paying advertisers. This research aids to the knowledge about the use of the content of Facebook e-WOM to help people decide whether or not to visit a certain destination. The major limitation is that this study is more inclined towards the destination visit intentions of travelers rather than actual visit behavior.