CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
In recent years, the travel and hospitality sector has experienced a significant transition, moving away from traditional in-person booking techniques and towards a digital landscape dominated by online review sites (Jones & Comfort, 2020). Of these, TripAdvisor has become a significant force, transforming the way people organize and reserve their travels. TripAdvisor is a storehouse of user-generated material that weaves together a rich tapestry of visual information with images taking center stage and effectively conveys the spirit of unique experiences through textual reviews (Reilly, 2022). This transition from relying exclusively on textual information to visual representations in graphical reviews is significant. Nowadays, travelers look to other travelers’ perspectives to gain a more in-depth and sophisticated understanding of their possible destinations (Zou & Yu, 2022).
It is impossible to overestimate the impact of visual content on how consumers perceive and make decisions. A picture can portray a lot of information, such as the hotel lobby’s atmosphere or the restaurant’s food arrangement. This visual component can arouse feelings and foster a sense of familiarity or ambition, which can directly impact how decisions are made (Chan & Li, 2020). In light of this, businesses, customers, and researchers must comprehend how TripAdvisor’s visual reviews affect users’ intentions to book.
Nevertheless, despite TripAdvisor’s abundance of visual information, there needs to be more research on the precise impact of picture reviews on customer behavior. By examining the many facets of visual material, such as photo quality, credibility, the relationship between unfavorable reviews and unattractive photos, and the influence of quantity on customer booking intention, this study aims to close this gap. This research aims to provide essential insights to the academic community and industry practitioners by analyzing the dynamics of pictorial reviews on TripAdvisor. This will help people better understand how online travel platforms are changing and how they affect modern travel decision-making processes.
1.2 Problem Statement
The travel and hospitality industries’ decision-making process has taken on a new dimension due to the growing reliance on visual reviews on websites like TripAdvisor (Taecharungroj & Mathayomchan, 2019). Nonetheless, there is a significant knowledge vacuum on how particular features of these visual components affect customers’ intent to book. The issue is the need for more thorough studies that address the complex dynamics of photo quality, believability, the relationship between unflattering photos and unfavorable reviews, and the overwhelming volume of images on websites like TripAdvisor. This study looks into how these factors affect customer behavior in an attempt to close this gap. More investigation of these components needs to be done to ensure companies and customers can utilize visual content to influence travel choices. Closing this gap will help with better consumer experiences, more educated marketing strategies, and a better understanding of how online travel platforms are changing.
1.3 Research questions
- What is the effect of photo quality on consumer booking intention?
- What is the effect of photo credibility on consumer booking intention?
- How do negative reviews and unattractive photos affect consumer booking intention?
- What is the effect of the number of photos on consumer booking intention?
1.4 Research Objectives
- To determine the effect of photo quality on consumer booking intention.
- To examine the effect of photo credibility on consumer booking intention.
- To analyze the effect of negative reviews and unattractive photos on consumer booking intention.
- To assess the effect of the number of photos on consumer booking intention.
1.5 Significance of the study
The travel and hotel industries can significantly benefit from this study’s insightful analysis of how internet customer behavior changes. Businesses can better customize their marketing strategy and increase client engagement by knowing how TripAdvisor’s visual reviews affect booking intentions. This study provides consumers a road map for navigating the visually driven decision-making process, resulting in better-informed and fulfilling travel selections. Furthermore, the study advances the scholarly debate by deepening our understanding of the relationship between digital-era visual content and consumer behavior. Ultimately, this research equips researchers and industry stakeholders to effectively navigate and leverage the visual terrain of online travel platforms by illuminating the importance of particular factors like photo quality and credibility, negative reviews, and the number of photos.
References
Chan, G. S. H., & Li, J. (2020). Re-Examination of Servicescape Model: Food Expectation and Patronage to Macau’s Restaurant from Chinese Visitors’ Perspectives. Journal of Service Science and Management, 13(03), 470. https://www.scirp.org/html/4-9202342_100392.htm
Jones, P., & Comfort, D. (2020). The COVID-19 crisis and sustainability in the hospitality industry. International journal of contemporary hospitality management, 32(10), 3037-3050. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJCHM-04-2020-0357/full/html
Reilly, E. C. (2022). Bearing Witness to One’s Life: Autoethnography in Asia. The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research in the Asian Context, 264. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=PKptEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA264&dq=TripAdvisor+is+a+storehouse+of+user-generated+material+that+not+only+weaves+together+a+rich+tapestry+of+visual+information%E2%80%94with+&ots=yp1NfbQFnl&sig=f5veWKHMOMarS0i2Gb7F236DWXM
Taecharungroj, V., & Mathayomchan, B. (2019). Analysing TripAdvisor reviews of tourist attractions in Phuket, Thailand. Tourism Management, 75, 550-568. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517719301359
Zou, Y., & Yu, Q. (2022). Sense of safety toward tourism destinations: A social constructivist perspective. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 24, 100708. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212571X22000208
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