Development of a Framework to Measure Factors Affecting the Tourism Experience Sharing in Online Brand Environments

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Prof., Department of Business Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Farabi School, University of Tehran, Qom, Iran.

2 Associate Prof., Department of Business Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Farabi School, University of Tehran, Qom, Iran.

3 MSc., Department of Business Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Farabi School, University of Tehran, Qom, Iran.

4 MSc. Student, Department of Business Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Farabi School, University of Tehran, Qom, Iran.

Abstract

Objective
In the era of social networks, it can be said that people are heavily influenced by the experiences shared by others and have the desire to share experiences that may be impactful for others in this environment (Dedeoğlu et al., 2020). Sharing travel experiences on social media platforms is highly popular (Kock et al., 2020; Oliveira et al., 2020). Tourists have a strong motivation to explore suggestions and opinions shared by others to reduce their own risks and uncertainties (Su, Cheng, et al., 2020), as travel activities cannot be physically demonstrated or pre-evaluated unless the individual personally experiences them (Su et al., 2019). The nature of travel activities allows individuals to transcend the boundaries of their everyday lives (Wong et al., 2019) and offers a significantly different experience from their daily routines (Filep & Laing, 2018; Xu & Zhang, 2021). Sharing travel experiences plays a crucial role in the tourism industry and has an undeniable impact (Kirilenko et al., 2021; Su, Tang, et al., 2020; Wong et al., 2019; Zauberman et al., 2009).
Given that numerous explicit and implicit factors strongly influence tourists' motivation to use social networks during their travels, with Instagram being one of the most extensively utilized platforms for obtaining and sharing travel information and experiences (Boley et al., 2018; Daxböck et al., 2021), this domain still requires further research. Considering the potential of social networks in enhancing tourism, this study aims to establish an interdisciplinary connection between social psychology, motivational theories, and social networks in the context of tourism. Sharing experiences in the online space by tourists is one of the primary sources for acquiring valuable information about various travel destinations. Therefore, identifying the factors that influence tourists' behavior and inclination to share these experiences holds significant importance. By identifying these factors, it becomes feasible to plan strategies for reinforcing such behavior. Consequently, based on suggestions from previous researchers regarding the need for further studies in this field, as well as examining internationally published articles and library studies, the researcher has chosen this topic for their research. In this regard, the main objective of this study is to identify the influential factors on tourists' sharing of travel experiences in online environments.
Research Methodology
The present study employed a developmental-applied research design with a correlation-based approach. The data collection method was a descriptive survey, and the study was conducted over a specific time period. The target population consisted of individuals who had traveled to various parts of Iran in the past decade and expressed a willingness to share their travel experiences online. Convenience sampling was used, and a sample size of 206 individuals was determined using the Cochran formula. The questionnaire used in the study included 78 researcher-developed questions, examining the impact of 26 identified factors on the inclination to share travel experiences. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to check the normality assumption of the data, and nonparametric tests were employed for analysis due to the non-normal distribution of the variables. The structural equation modeling (SEM) approach, specifically the Partial Least Squares (PLS) method, was used to test the research hypotheses. SEM is a powerful statistical tool for developing and validating frameworks, allowing for the examination of direct and indirect effects and model fit evaluation. SMART-PLS software facilitated the analysis and interpretation of the results.
Findings
To analyze the inferential findings of this study, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to examine the normality assumption of the data. The test indicated that the variables in this study did not follow a normal distribution, suggesting the use of nonparametric tests for analysis. The next step involved testing the research hypotheses using the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach in the Smart PLS software. The SEM analysis facilitated the examination of the relationships between variables and provided both statistical and graphical results. In the SEM analysis, the model fit was evaluated through various indices, including Cronbach's alpha coefficient, composite reliability, average variance extracted, and cross-loading. The validity of the measurement model was confirmed when these indices exceeded certain thresholds.
The absolute T-values and path coefficients (beta) were examined to determine the significance and direction of the relationships between variables. T-values higher than 1.96 at a significance level of 0.05 indicated the confirmation of the hypotheses. Additionally, T-values of 2.58 and 3.64 at a significance level of 0.01 and 0.001, respectively, were also considered significant. Based on the data and the results, six factors, including gaining respect, openness to new experiences, suitable platforms for sharing, technological knowledge, perceived security, and the desire for positive feedback from other online users, significantly influenced the inclination to share travel experiences online. On the other hand, factors such as entertainment, self-expression, helping others, positive attitude towards sharing, high self-esteem, progress orientation, knowledge and awareness, friendship, gaining reputation, belief in content honesty, perceived ease, financial benefits, social interaction, and technological infrastructure did not have a significant impact on the inclination to share experiences online.
Discussion & Conclusion
To examine the factors influencing experience sharing in the online space, 25 factors were identified from previous studies and investigated. The findings indicated that among these factors, gaining respect, openness to new experiences, suitable platforms for sharing, technological knowledge, perceived security, and the desire for positive feedback from other online users significantly influenced the inclination to share experiences online. The study confirmed six hypotheses, providing valuable insights for online businesses in the tourism and non-tourism sectors to better understand their audience's needs and tailor their content accordingly. It is suggested that further research should focus on foreign tourists visiting Iran, examining their inclination to share travel experiences on specific social media platforms to enhance their understanding of this field. The study was conducted with limitations such as reduced traveler willingness to travel due to various diseases, economic difficulties, and limited access to research resources due to high costs and internet restrictions.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

 
Afjahi, S. A. A., Entezari, A. & Mortaji, N. (2016). The pattern of knowledge sharing behavior in social network. Social Sciences, 22(71), 90-125. doi: 10.22054/qjss.2016.4851
(in Persian)
Alhalhouli, Z. T. & Der, C. S. (2014). Factors affecting knowledge sharing behavior among stakeholders in Jordanian Hospitals using social networks. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313820600_Factors_affecting_knowledge_sharing_behavior_among_stakeholders_in_Jordanian_hospitals_using_social_networks
Amiri, M., Entezari, A. & Mortaji, N S. (2016). Knowledge sharing behavior model of Iranian professionals in experts’ social networks: exploring indexes. Human Information Interaction, 3 (3), 66-81. (in Persian)
Ardichvili, A., Maurer, M., Li, W., Wentling, T. & Stuedemann, R. (2006). Cultural influences on knowledge sharing through online communities of practice. Journal of Knowledge Management, 10(1), 94–107. https://doi.org/10.1108/13673270610650139
Bagozzi, R. P. & Yi, Y. (2012). Specification, evaluation, and interpretation of structural equation models. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 40(1), 8–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-011-0278-x
Bell, B. T. (2019). You take fifty photos, delete forty nine and use one: A qualitative study of adolescent image-sharing practices on social media. Int. J. Child Comput. Interact., 20, 64–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJCCI.2019.03.002
Bilgihan, A., Barreda, A., Okumus, F. & Nusair, K. (2016). Consumer perception of knowledge-sharing in travel-related Online Social Networks. Tourism Management, 52, 287–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TOURMAN.2015.07.002
Binney, W., Hall, J. & Oppenheim, P. (2006). The nature and influence of motivation within the MOA framework: implications for social marketing. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 11(4), 289–301. https://doi.org/10.1002/NVSM.280
Boley, B. B., Jordan, E. J., Kline, C. & Knollenberg, W. (2018). Social return and intent to travel. Tourism Management, 64, 119–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TOURMAN. 2017.08.008
Bruns, A. (2016). User-generated content. The International Encyclopedia of Communication Theory and Philosophy, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118766804.WBIECT085
Buonincontri, P., Morvillo, A., Okumus, F. & van Niekerk, M. (2017). Managing the experience co-creation process in tourism destinations: Empirical findings from Naples. Tourism Management, 62, 264–277. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TOURMAN.2017.04.014
Camilleri, J. & Neuhofer, B. (2017). Value co-creation and co-destruction in the Airbnb sharing economy. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(9), 2322–2340. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2016-0492
Choi, T. R. & Sung, Y. (2018). Instagram versus Snapchat: Self-expression and privacy concern on social media. Telematics and Informatics, 35(8), 2289–2298. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TELE.2018.09.009
Chu, S. C., Deng, T. & Cheng, H. (2020). The role of social media advertising in hospitality, tourism and travel: a literature review and research agenda. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(11), 3419–3438. https://doi.org/10.1108/ IJCHM-05-2020-0480/FULL/XML
Chumg, H. F., Cooke, L., Fry, J. & Hung, I. H. (2015). Factors affecting knowledge sharing in the virtual organisation: Employees’ sense of well-being as a mediating effect. Computers in Human Behavior, 44, 70–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CHB.2014.11.040
Daxböck, J., Dulbecco, M. L., Kursite, S., Nilsen, T. K., Rus, A. D., Yu, J. & Egger, R. (2021). The implicit and explicit motivations of tourist behaviour in sharing travel photographs on Instagram: A path and cluster analysis. Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2021, 244–255. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65785-7_22
Dedeoğlu, B. B., Taheri, B., Okumus, F. & Gannon, M. (2020). Understanding the importance that consumers attach to social media sharing (ISMS): Scale development and validation. Tourism Management, 76, 103954. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TOURMAN.2019.103954
Entezari, A., Amiri, M. & Mortaji, N. S. (2016). Knowledge-sharing behavior model of Iranian Professionals in Cyberspace. New Media Studies, 2(5), 168-206. doi: 10.22054/cs.2017.7008. (in Persian)
Filep, S. & Laing, J. (2018). Trends and directions in tourism and positive psychology. Journal of Travel Research, 58(3), 343–354. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287518759227
Ghaisani, A. P., Handayani, P. W. & Munajat, Q. (2017). Users’ motivation in sharing information on social media. Procedia Computer Science, 124, 530–535. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PROCS.2017.12.186
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., Danks, N. P. & Ray, S. (2021). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using R. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80519-7
Henseler, J. (2012). PLS-MGA: A non-parametric approach to partial least squares-based multi-group analysis (pp. 495–501). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-24466-7_50
Huang, S. (Sam) & Wei, X. (2019). Offline versus online travel experience sharing: the national profile of China. International Journal of Culture, Tourism, and Hospitality Research, 13(2), 183–189. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCTHR-05-2018-0058
Hung, Y. C., Yang, Y. L., Yang, H. E. & Chuang, Y. H. (2011). Factors affecting the adoption of e-commerce for the tourism industry in Taiwan. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 16(1), 105–119. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2011.539394
Imamoğlu, E. O. (1998). Individualism and collectivism in a model and scale of balanced differentiation and integration. The Journal of Psychology, 132(1), 95–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223989809599268
Ip, C., Lee, H. & Law, R. (2012). Profiling the users of travel websites for planning and online experience sharing. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 36(3), 418–426. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348010388663
Johnson, T. J. & Kaye, B. K. (2015). Reasons to believe: Influence of credibility on motivations for using social networks. Computers in Human Behavior, 50, 544–555. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CHB.2015.04.002
Kaplan, A. M. & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BUSHOR.2009.09.003
Kim, J. & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2015). Sharing tourism experiences: The posttrip experience. Journal of Travel Research, 56(1), 28–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287515620491
Kim, J., Lee, C. & Elias, T. (2015). Factors affecting information sharing in social networking sites amongst university students: Application of the knowledge-sharing model to social networking sites. Online Information Review, 39(3), 290–309. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-01-2015-0022
Kim, K., Zhang, M. & Li, X. (2008). Effects of temporal and social distance on consumer evaluations. Journal of Consumer Research, 35(4), 706–713. https://doi.org/10.1086/592131
Kirilenko, A. P., Stepchenkova, S. O. & Dai, X. (2021). Automated topic modeling of tourist reviews: Does the Anna Karenina principle apply? Tourism Management, 83. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TOURMAN.2020.104241
Kirilenko, A. P., Stepchenkova, S. O. & Dai, X. (2021). Automated topic modeling of tourist reviews: Does the Anna Karenina principle apply? Tourism Management, 83. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TOURMAN.2020.104241
Kock, F., Nørfelt, A., Josiassen, A., Assaf, A. G. & Tsionas, M. G. (2020). Understanding the COVID-19 tourist psyche: The evolutionary tourism paradigm. Annals of Tourism Research, 85, 103053. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ANNALS.2020.103053
Lee, K. H. & Hyun, S. S. (2016). The effects of tourists’ knowledge-sharing motivation on online tourist community loyalty: the moderating role of ambient stimuli. Current Issues in Tourism, 21(13), 1521–1546. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2016.1145197
Li, H., Meng, F. & Zhang, X. (2022). Are you happy for me? How sharing positive tourism experiences through social media affects posttrip evaluations. Journal of Travel Research, 61(3), 477–492. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287521995253/ASSET/IMAGES/ LARGE/10.1177_0047287521995253-FIG5.JPEG
Li, J., Zhu, K. & Jang, J. (2023). Factors influencing users’ content sharing intention in travel-related consumer generated media. 113–127. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25752-0_13
Lin, Z. & Rasoolimanesh, S. M. (2022). Sharing tourism experiences in social media: a systematic review. Anatolia, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2022.2120029
Lu, Y. (Tracy), Chen, Z. (Wade) & Law, R. (2017). Mapping the progress of social media research in hospitality and tourism management from 2004 to 2014. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 35(2), 102–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2017.1350249
McCrae, R. R. & Costa, P. T. (1997). Conceptions and correlates of openness to experience. In Handbook of Personality Psychology (pp. 825–847). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012134645-4/50032-9
McMullen, M. (2019). ‘Pinning’ tourist photographs: analyzing the photographs shared on Pinterest of heritage tourist destinations. Current Issues in Tourism, 23(3), 376–387. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2019.1568399
Mumuni, A. G. & Mansour, M. (2014). Activity-based segmentation of the outbound leisure tourism market of Saudi Arabia. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 20(3), 239–252. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356766714522258
Munar, A. M. & Jacobsen, J. K. S. (2014a). Motivations for sharing tourism experiences through social media. Tourism Management, 43, 46–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.tourman.2014.01.012
Munar, A.M. & Jacobsen, J.K. S. (2014b). Motivations for sharing tourism experiences through social media. Tourism Management, 43, 46–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman. 2014.01.012
Naab, T. K. & Sehl, A. (2017). Studies of user-generated content: A systematic review. Journalism, 18(10), 1256–1273. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884916673557
Nguyen, T. T. T. & Tong, S. (2022). The impact of user-generated content on intention to select a travel destination. Journal of Marketing Analytics, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41270-022-00174-7/tables/4
Okazaki, S., Andreu, L. & Campo, S. (2017). Knowledge Sharing among tourists via social media: A comparison between facebook and tripadvisor. International Journal of Tourism Research, 19(1), 107–119. https://doi.org/10.1002/JTR.2090
Oliveira, T., Araujo, B. & Tam, C. (2020). Why do people share their travel experiences on social media? Tourism Management, 78, 104041. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman. 2019.104041
Philippe Rushton, J., Chrisjohn, R. D. & Cynthia Fekken, G. (1981). The altruistic personality and the self-report altruism scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 2(4), 293–302. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(81)90084-2
Rahman, M., Mahmood, A. K. B., Salleh, R. & Amin, A. (2011). Review of factors affecting knowledge sharing behavior. International Proceedings of Economics Development and Research, 3, 223–227. https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/en/publications/review-of-factors-affecting-knowledge-sharing-behavior
Riahi, L., Azari, G. & Dehnavieh, R. (2016). The status of knowledge sharing at the decision making center of deputy of education in Iran’s ministry of health and medical education. Iranian Journal of Medical Education, 16, 138-148. (in Persian)
Rosenberg, M. (1965). Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale.
Sarial-Abi, G., Merdin-Uygur, E. & Gürhan-Canli, Z. (2020). Responses to replica (vs. genuine) touristic experiences. Annals of Tourism Research, 83, 102927. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ANNALS.2020.102927
Sattari, S., Armoun, A. & Namvar, Y. (2018). Determinant factors which influence knowledge sharing among faculty members of the university of medical sciences . J.Health, 9 (3), 333-346. (in Persian)
Shaemi Barzoki, A., Kianpour, M. & Shakeri, F. (2018). The process of intrapersonal contribution to knowledge sharing. Management Studies in Development and Evolution, 27(88), 103-141. doi: 10.22054/jmsd.2018.8929. (in Persian)
Shah, A. M., Zahoor, S. Z. & Qureshi, I. H. (2019). Social media and purchasing behavior: A study of the mediating effect of customer relationships. Journal of Global Marketing, 32(2), 93–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/08911762.2018.1497243
Sotiriadis, M. D. (2017). Sharing tourism experiences in social media: A literature review and a set of suggested business strategies. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(1), 179–225. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2016-0300
Su, L., Cheng, J. & Swanson, S. R. (2020). The impact of tourism activity type on emotion and storytelling: The moderating roles of travel companion presence and relative ability. Tourism Management, 81, 104138. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TOURMAN.2020.104138
Su, L., Stepchenkova, S. & Kirilenko, A. P. (2019). Online public response to a service failure incident: Implications for crisis communications. Tourism Management, 73, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TOURMAN.2019.01.011
Su, L., Tang, B. & Nawijn, J. (2021). How tourism activity shapes travel experience sharing: Tourist well-being and social context. Annals of Tourism Research, 91, 103316. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ANNALS.2021.103316
Su, L., Tang, B. & Nawijn, J. (2020). Eudaimonic and hedonic well-being pattern changes: Intensity and activity. Annals of Tourism Research, 84, 103008. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ANNALS.2020.103008
Tavakoli, S., Malekian, S. & Nurbakhsh M. (2013). Factors determining knowledge-sharing tendency and knowledge-sharing behavior. Journal of Human Resources management, 4(6), 105-118. (in Persian)
Varkaris, E. & Neuhofer, B. (2017). The influence of social media on the consumers’ hotel decision journey. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 8(1), 101–118. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-09-2016-0058
Wang, S., Kirillova, K. & Lehto, X. (2017). Travelers’ food experience sharing on social network sites. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 34(5), 680–693. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2016.1224751
Wong, J. W. C., Lai, I. K. W. & Tao, Z. (2019). Sharing memorable tourism experiences on mobile social media and how it influences further travel decisions. Current Issues in Tourism, 23(14), 1773–1787. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2019.1649372
Wu, M. Y. & Pearce, P. L. (2014). Tourism Blogging Motivations. Journal of Travel Research, 55(4), 537–549. Http://Dx.Doi.Org/10.1177/0047287514553057
Xu, W. & Zhang, X. (2021). Online expression as well-be(com)ing: A study of travel blogs on nepal by chinese female tourists. Tourism Management, 83, 104224. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TOURMAN.2020.104224
Yu, C. E. & Sun, R. (2019). The role of Instagram in the UNESCO’s creative city of gastronomy: A case study of Macau. Tourism Management, 75, 257–268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.05.011
Zauberman, G., Ratner, R. K. & Kim, B. K. (2009). Memories as assets: Strategic memory protection in choice over time. Journal of Consumer Research, 35(5), 715–728. https://doi.org/10.1086/592943
Ziaei, S., Haghirosadat, S. J. & Alipour, O. (2019). Investigating the impact of personality and situational characteristics on the knowledge sharing attitude case study: Public library librarians. Knowledge Retrieval and Semantic Systems, 6(19), 17-37. doi: 10.22054/jks.2019.45885.1248. (in Persian)
Media Management Review
Volume 2, Issue 1
2023
Pages 110-136

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics