User-generated videos and tourists’ intention to visit

ABSTRACT

In pursuit of better travel decisions, potential tourists are not only exposed to online destination marketing content but are also exposed to user-generated content (UGC) which are based on the subjective evaluation of people's travel experiences. These user-generated contents have been observed to significantly influence tourist travel intentions, vlogs in particular. This paper aims to further our understanding of how tourists perceive user-generated videos and their influence on their travel intentions. A survey was conducted among tourists (n = 274) in Cape Coast Castle, Ghana and analysed using a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique. Results suggest that tourist's perception of user-generated videos in relation to their perceived credibility and perceived fairness influenced their travel intentions.

KEYWORDS:

• User-generated content
• vlogs
• perceived credibility
• perceived fairness
• travel intentions

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

David Adeloye

David Adeloye is a PhD graduate of the Department of Tourism, University of Otago. His research focuses on spatial perceptions of terrorism, domestic tourism, tourist behaviour, risk perception and travel intentions.

Kudzai Makurumidze

Kudzai Makurumidze recently graduated with his MSc in Global Business & Entrepreneurship in the Department of Global Business Administration Track, at Gachon University. His research focused on tourism marketing. He currently serves as a consultant for a multinational consultancy firm in southern Africa.

Christian Sarfo

Christian Sarfo is a PhD Candidate at Otago University, New Zealand with a keen interest in innovation, performance measures, financing innovation strategies, and strategic entrepreneurship. He has published in the Academy of Management Proceedings and International Journal of Electronic Business, Journal of Management and Organization among others.