Spill-over effects of a hotel scam: how public perception influence communicative actions in social media in China

ABSTRACT

The present study defines spill-over effects in terms of forwarding and sharing negative information via social media and constructs a hypothetical model on the basis of one hotel scam that has drawn massive media coverage in China. To examine the spill-over effects of tourist scams, situational theory of problem solving is integrated with the multiple dimensions of risk perception. A total of 1167 respondents were surveyed to explore the perceptual, cognitive, and motivational antecedents of information forwarding and sharing behaviours. Results show that perceptual and motivational variables are antecedents to tourists’ communication behaviour. Furthermore, the multiple dimensions of risk perception play an important role in predicting the likelihood of information forwarding and sharing. Theoretical and practical implications and limitations for future research are likewise discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Tourist scams
• social media
• risk perception
• information forwarding and sharing
• China

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China grants (#71702180), Social Science Foundation of Jiangsu grants (#18GLC001), and Natural Science Foundation for Colleges and Universities of Jiangsu grants (#19KJB120010).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1661397094491378109&wfr=spider&for=pc

2 For example, one disgruntled traveller created a media storm in early 2012, when he posted a story on his Sina Weibo microblog about a friend’s holiday experience on the island of Hainan. At an ordinary seaside restaurant, his friend had enjoyed a simple three-course seafood meal. The bill came to over $600, a small fortune in this relatively poor region of the country. This story immediately went viral because many other Weibo users chimed in with their own experience of being fleeced while on holiday in China. When the story first emerged, Hainan officials at first bristled at the accusation. An official of the local government, quoted by local media, strenuously denied that any tourists had ever been ripped off on the island and promised to take legal action against any malicious attackers who made claims to the contrary. However, local authorities were forced into an embarrassing reversal within 24 h. Deluged with complaints of overcharging from thousands of disgruntled tourists who reported similar experiences, the authorities issued a fine of nearly $80,000 to the restaurant involved and announced a zero-tolerance policy toward local businesses that rip off tourists.

3 http://chinaplus.cri.cn/news/china/9/20180104/73592.html

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 71702180]; Natural Science Foundation for Colleges and Universities of Jiangsu grants [grant number 19KJB120010]; Social Science Foundation of Jiangsu grants [grant number 18GLC001].