Use and Impact of Online Travel Reviews for Planning Free and Easy Holidays

Abstract

Online travel reviews (OTRs) are used by travelers to plan and book their holiday particular by the free and easy traveler. Hence, it is essential for hoteliers to understand the factors that affect and empower travelers when using OTRs to plan their holidays. This study has adopted three theories: dual-process theory, psychological empowerment (PE) and TPB. These theories were used to test additional dimensions of the informational and normative social influence, its links with perceived empowerment, and their impact on the intention to use OTRs. Using SmartPLS to analyze the data collected from 392 Malaysian, the results show that PE is significantly affected by informational and normative social influence, from travelers’ perception of PE positively affects their attitude toward using OTRs, and attitude significantly influences intention to use OTRs when plans for travel. Furthermore, the research findings contribute to the literature on travelers’ behavioral intention; this study also has direct implications for online travel providers.