Integrating social capital, trust, and dispositional readiness with Technology Acceptance Model to explore social media usage by Indian travellers on an international vacation

Over the years, social media usage has become an inseparable aspect of the travel experience. This study examines the factors that influence Indian travellers' use of social media when travelling abroad for a leisure vacation by incorporating social capital, perceived trust, and dispositional readiness toward social media into the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). A survey was used to collect data from 280 Indian travellers who had taken at least one international vacation over the last one year. A Structural Equation Modelling using AMOS software revealed that the perceived usefulness (PU) of social media and social capital (SC) of an individual directly impacts the intention to use social media for travel purposes. Perceived ease of use (PEU) and perceived trust (PT) impact intention only indirectly, through their influence on usefulness. Further, the study concludes that the dispositional readiness (attitude) of the users will significantly impact all four constructs, PU, PEU, PT, and SC. Theoretically, the results of the study empirically establish the need for modification to the existing TAM. Although the current model suggests a unidirectional impact of PU and PEU on attitude, our study shows that DR (attitude) impacts PU and PEU. The study also adds to our understanding of SM usage for leisure travel purposes, in addition to providing useful insights into the Indian hospitality and tourism industry.