A Review of Research on Electronic Word-of-Mouth in Hospitality and Tourism Management

ABSTRACT

Social networks have presently become a global phenomenon. Social media offers interactive platforms where people can create, share, and exchange information. In hospitality and tourism, word-of-mouth (WOM) plays a prominent role in influencing the purchase intentions of customers because some aspects of products are intangible before consumption. Through the digitization of WOM, customer feedback is circulated at an unprecedented speed in social media. Positive product reviews are free advertising for companies and increase business potential; however, undesirable comments can severely destroy the image and reputation of a company. This article conducts a review on electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in the field of hospitality and tourism. The findings indicate that research conducted from 2008–2013 mainly explored the characteristics of eWOM and examined its antecedents and influence from the customers’ perspective. Opportunities for future research are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• electronic word-of-mouth
• hospitality and tourism
• online reviews