Jingbo Xi, Fei Hao, Danting Cai, Chen Jason Zhang, Hengyun Li
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
A luxury hotel's cover photo is pivotal on online travel agency (OTA) platforms, influencing initial attention and downstream booking behaviors. Investigating the strategic choice between emphasizing hedonic versus utilitarian value, this study examines the impact of cover photo type on consumer behavioral intentions. Findings from three experiments reveal that cover photos conveying hedonic value significantly outperform utilitarian ones in boosting click-through intentions, booking intentions, and willingness to pay. Drawing on customer perceived value and mental simulation theories, this study demonstrates this occurs because hedonic visuals enhance perceived luxuriousness by facilitating mental pre-experiencing. This mediating pathway is further moderated: the effect is stronger for consumers with hedonic purchase motivations and for hotels with lower brand awareness. The research provides a comprehensive view of the interplay between visual content, consumer characteristics, and brand perceptions. The findings offer actionable insights for OTAs and hotel managers seeking to optimize online booking performance.
期刊介绍:
Tourism Management Perspectives is an interdisciplinary journal that focuses on the planning and management of travel and tourism. It covers topics such as tourist experiences, their consequences for communities, economies, and environments, the creation of image, the shaping of tourist experiences and perceptions, and the management of tourist organizations and destinations. The journal's editorial board consists of experienced international professionals and it shares the board with Tourism Management. The journal covers socio-cultural, technological, planning, and policy aspects of international, national, and regional tourism, as well as specific management studies. It encourages papers that introduce new research methods and critique existing ones in the context of tourism research. The journal publishes empirical research articles and high-quality review articles on important topics and emerging themes that enhance the theoretical and conceptual understanding of key areas within travel and tourism management.