Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Web 2.0: A study of online travel community

  • Conference paper
Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2008

Abstract

Online communities have been increasingly recognised as important information sources for consumers and as an effective marketing channel for marketers. It is critical therefore to understand what actually makes members participate in online communities. Accordingly, the fundamental benefits of online community members and how those benefits influence the level of participation and attitudes in the online community were examined in this study. Using the data collected by an online survey, three main benefits were identified, namely: information acquisition, socio-psychological, and hedonic. It was found that online community members perceive functional benefits, including information acquisition and experience sharing, as the most influential element on level of participation and attitude. This study also provides managerial implications regarding how to utilise and operate an online travel community whilst providing significant inspirations for future study.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Andereck, K. L., & Caldwell, L. L. (1993). The influence of tourist’s characteristics on ratings of information sources for an attraction. In M. Uysal & D. R. Fesenmaier (Eds.), Communication and Channel Systems in Tourism Marketing (pp. 171–190): The Haworth Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Angehrn, A. (1997). Designing Mature Internet Business Strategies: The ICDT Model. European Management Journal, 15(4), 361–369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong, A., & Hagel, J. (1996). The Real Value of On-line Communities. Harvard Business Review (May–June), 74(3), 134–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong, A., & Hagel, J. (1997). Net gain: expanding markets through virtual communities. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bagozzi, R. P., & Dholakia, U. M. (2002). Intentional social action in virtual communities. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 16(2), 2–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beith, M. (2004). Living like locals. Newsweek, 19 April.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bray, J., Schetzina, C., & Steinbrink, S. (2006). Six travel tech trends for 2006: PhoCus Wright.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bressler, S. E., & Grantham, C. E. (2000). Communities of commerce: building internet business communities to accelerate growth, minimize risk, and increase customer loyalty. New York: McGraw Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buhalis, D. (1998). Strategic use of information technologies in the tourism industry. Tourism Management, 19(5), 409–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buhalis, D. (2003). eTourism: information technologies for strategic tourism management. Harlow; New York: Financial Times Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernback, J., & Thompson, B. (1995). Virtual Communities: Abort, Retry, Failure? Retrieved 19 May, 2006, from http://www.well.com/user/hlr/texts/VCcivil.html

    Google Scholar 

  • Gitelson, R. J., & Crompton, J. (1983). The planning horizons and sources of information used by pleasure vacationers. Journal of Travel Research, 21(3), 2–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grace-Farfaglia, P., Dekkers, A., Sundararajan, B., Peters, L. and Park, S.-H. (2006). Multinational web uses and gratifications: Measuring the social impact of online community participation across national boundaries. Electronic Commerce Research 6(1): 75–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gretzel, U., Fesenmaier, D. R., & O’Leary, J. T. (2006). The transformation of consumer behaviour. In D. Buhalis & C. Costa (Eds.), Tourism Business Frontiers. Amsterdam; London: Buttterworth Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haythornthwaite, C., & Wellman, B. (1998). Work, friendship, and media use for information exchange in a networked organization. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 49(12), 1101–1114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G. (1991). Cultures and organizations: software of the mind. London, McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holloway, J. C., & Robinson, C. (1995). Marketing for tourism (3rd ed. ed.). Harlow: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, W. G., Lee, C., & Hiemstra, S. J. (2004). Effects of an online virtual community on customer loyalty and travel product purchases. Tourism Management, 25(3), 343–355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kozinets, R. V. (1999). E-Tribalized Marketing?:The strategic implications of virtual communities of consumption. European Management Journal, 17(3), 252–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mansfeld, Y. (1992). From motivation to actual travel. Annals of Tourism Research, 19(3), 399–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayo, E. J., & Jarvis, L. P. (1981). The Psychology of Leisure Travel. Boston: CBI Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • McMillan, D. W. (1996). Sense of community. Journal of Community Psychology, 24(4), 315–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Messmer, D. J., & Johnson, R. R. (1993). Inquiry conversion and travel advertising effectiveness. Journal of Travel Research, 31(4), 14–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mill, R. C., & Morrison, A. M. (2002). The tourism system (4th ed. ed.). Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Pub.

    Google Scholar 

  • Money, R. B., & Crotts, J. C. (2003). The effect of uncertainty avoidance on information search, planning, and purchases of international travel vacations. Tourism Management, 24(2), 191–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niininen, O., March, R., & Buhalis, D. (2006). Consumer Centric Tourism Marketing. In D. Buhalis & C. Costa (Eds.), Tourism management dynamics: trends, management and tools (pp. xxiii, 279 p.). Amsterdam; London: Buttterworth Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nishimura, S., Waryszak, R., & King, B. (2006). Guidebook use by Japanese tourists: a qualitative study of Australia inbound travellers. International Journal of Tourism Research, 8(1), 13–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olsen, M. D., & Connolly, D. J. (2000). Experience-based Travel. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 41(1), 30–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poon, A. (1993). Tourism, technology and competitive strategies. Wallingford: CAB International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Powers, M. J. (1997). How to program a Virtual Community. Emeryville, Calif.: Ziff-Davis Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Preece, J. (2000). Online communities: designing usability, supporting sociability. New York: John Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reichheld, F. F., & Schefter, P. (2000). E-Loyalty: your secret weapon on the web. Harvard Business Review, July–August, 78(4), 105–113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rheingold, H. (1991). Virtual reality, New York: Summit Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodgers, S., & Sheldon, K. M. (2002). An improved way to characterize internet users. Journal of Advertising Research, 42(5), 85–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenblatt, B. (1997). Virtual Communities: The benchmark for success online? Retrieved 18 May, 2006, from http://sunsite.uakom.sk/sunworldonline/swol-04-1997/swol-04-bookshelf.html

    Google Scholar 

  • Schiffman, L. G., & Kanuk, L. L. (2000). Consumer behavior (7th ed. ed.). Upper Saddler River, NJ: Prentice Hall; London: Prentice-Hall International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheldon, P. J. (1997). Tourism information technology. Wallingford: CAB International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shelton, K., & McNeeley, T. (1997). Virtual communities companion. Albany, N.Y.: Coriolis Group Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sirakaya, E., & Woodside, A. G. (2005). Building and testing theories of decision making by travellers. Tourism Management, 26(6), 815–832.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, M. A., & Kollock, P. (1999). Communities in cyberspace. London; New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stigler. (1961). The economics of information. Journal of Political Economy, 69, 213–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Urry, J. (1990). The tourist gaze: leisure and travel in contemporary societies. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vogt, C. A., & Fesenmaier, D. R. (1998). Expanding the functional information search model. Annals of Tourism Research, 25(3), 551–578.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Y., & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2004a). Modeling participation in an online travel community. Journal of Travel Research, 42(3), 261–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Y., & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2004b). Towards understanding members’ general participation in and active contribution to an online travel community. Tourism Management, 25(6), 709–722.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Y., Yu, Q., & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2002). Defining the virtual tourist community: implications for tourism marketing. Tourism Management, 23(4), 407–417.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wellman, B. (1982). Studying personal communities. In P. V. Marsden & N. Lin (Eds.), Social structure and network analysis. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications. 61–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wellman, B. (1997). An electronic group is virtually a social network. In S. Kiesler (Ed.), Culture of the Internet (pp. 179–205). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Werry, C. (1999). Imagined Electronic Community: Representations of virtual community in contemporary business discourse. First Monday, 4(9).

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodside, A. G. (1990). Measuring Advertising Effectiveness in Destination Marketing Strategies. Journal of Travel Research, 29(2), 3–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences, Texas A&M University, USA

    Jin Young Chung

  2. School of Services Management, Bournemouth University, UK

    Dimitrios Buhalis

Authors
  1. Jin Young Chung
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dimitrios Buhalis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales Business School, Institut de Management Hotelier International, Cergy-Pontoise, France

    Peter O’Connor

  2. eTourism Competence Center Austria, Innsbruck, Austria

    Wolfram Höpken

  3. Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA

    Ulrike Gretzel

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2008 Springer-Verlag Wien

About this paper

Cite this paper

Chung, J.Y., Buhalis, D. (2008). Web 2.0: A study of online travel community. In: O’Connor, P., Höpken, W., Gretzel, U. (eds) Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2008. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-77280-5_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-77280-5_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-211-77279-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-211-77280-5

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation