Herding behaviors in family travel decision-making in mothers’ online communities: a netnographic approach

ABSTRACT Mothers are crucial decision-makers regarding family travel. However, the uncertain and experience-oriented nature of tourism often drives mothers to display herding behaviors, heavily relying on others’ opinions, and making decisions similar to each other due to social influence. This study offers rich and in-depth descriptions of mothers’ online herding behaviors in their family travel decision-making. The qualitative methods of netnography and in-depth individual interviews were used to observe mothers’ online herding behaviors within one of the major non-commercial online communities for mothers in South Korea. Based on the results, this study introduces a theoretical framework regarding herding behaviors that includes both antecedents and outcomes. This study also provides implications for tourism practitioners based on a comprehensive understanding of the online herding behaviors displayed by South Korean mothers regarding their family travel decision-making.