{"title":"What Makes Users Recommend Their Mobile Travel App? Findings From an Innovation Diffusion and Social Exchange Theory Perspective","authors":"Ziyi Gao, Jennifer Yee-Shan Chang, Xin-Jean Lim, Jun-Hwa Cheah, Tat-Huei Cham, Marianna Sigala","doi":"10.1002/jtr.70117","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n <p>This study explores the mechanisms enhancing users' intention to recommend their mobile travel app use. By drawing on innovation diffusion theory and social exchange theory, it offers a comprehensive framework for understanding how user perceptions and the trade-offs between positive and negative aspects of mobile travel app usage shape engagement and subsequent recommendation intentions. The study also sheds light on omnichannel strategies and highlights their relevance to tourism service research. A total of 387 valid responses from travel app users were analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that innovation characteristics substantially affect perceived benefits, which in turn foster high-quality relationships and lead to recommendations. Moreover, practical insights are provided on how best to manage both positive and negative factors, thereby strengthening relationships with mobile travel app users and enhancing their willingness to recommend the app to others.</p>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":51375,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Tourism Research","volume":"27 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Tourism Research","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jtr.70117","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study explores the mechanisms enhancing users' intention to recommend their mobile travel app use. By drawing on innovation diffusion theory and social exchange theory, it offers a comprehensive framework for understanding how user perceptions and the trade-offs between positive and negative aspects of mobile travel app usage shape engagement and subsequent recommendation intentions. The study also sheds light on omnichannel strategies and highlights their relevance to tourism service research. A total of 387 valid responses from travel app users were analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that innovation characteristics substantially affect perceived benefits, which in turn foster high-quality relationships and lead to recommendations. Moreover, practical insights are provided on how best to manage both positive and negative factors, thereby strengthening relationships with mobile travel app users and enhancing their willingness to recommend the app to others.
期刊介绍:
International Journal of Tourism Research promotes and enhances research developments in the field of tourism. The journal provides an international platform for debate and dissemination of research findings whilst also facilitating the discussion of new research areas and techniques. IJTR continues to add a vibrant and exciting channel for those interested in tourism and hospitality research developments. The scope of the journal is international and welcomes research that makes original contributions to theories and methodologies. It continues to publish high quality research papers in any area of tourism, including empirical papers on tourism issues. The journal welcomes submissions based upon both primary research and reviews including papers in areas that may not directly be tourism based but concern a topic that is of interest to researchers in the field of tourism, such as economics, marketing, sociology and statistics. All papers are subject to strict double-blind (or triple-blind) peer review by the international research community.