The effect of user-generated content on tourist behavior: the mediating role of destination image

Authors

  • María del Carmen Hidalgo Alcázar Departamento de Comercialización e Investigación de Mercados. Facultad de Economía y Empresa, Universidad de Murcia
  • María Sicilia Piñero Departamento de Comercialización e Investigación de Mercados. Facultad de Economía y Empresa, Universidad de Murcia
  • Salvador Ruiz de Maya Departamento de Comercialización e Investigación de Mercados. Facultad de Economía y Empresa, Universidad de Murcia

Keywords:

User-generated content, destination image, cognitive image, affective image, tourist destination.

Abstract

The importance of the Internet on the image formation process has been widely recognised by both academic and practitioners. Despite the increasing use of user-generated electronic content as an information source for tourists, its influence on destination image formation is not yet fully understood. In order to bridge this knowledge gap in tourism management, we conducted an empirical study to identify the impact of online user generated reviews on the two dimensions of destination image: affective and cognitive.
The results of this study extend previous works by demonstrating how user-generated content affects the image of a tourist destination. This study also analyses the mediating effects of the cognitive and affective dimensions of destination image on behavioural intentions.

Author Biography

  • María del Carmen Hidalgo Alcázar, Departamento de Comercialización e Investigación de Mercados. Facultad de Economía y Empresa, Universidad de Murcia
    PhD, Adjunct Professor, ESGHT/University of Algarve Web Manager of the Journal Encontros Científicos - Tourism & Management Studies  Director of the undergraduate Course in Hotelmanagement, ESGHT/University of Algarve

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Published

10.01.2024

Issue

Vol. 10 (2014): Special Issue

Section

Tourism/Hospitality: Research Papers

License

Copyright (c) 2016 Tourism & Management Studies

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The journal retains published articles’ copyrights, but they are simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-ND), which allows individuals’ to share the relevant papers as long as authorship and publication in this journal are duly acknowledged.

How to Cite

Hidalgo Alcázar, M. del C., Sicilia Piñero, M., & Ruiz de Maya, S. (2024). The effect of user-generated content on tourist behavior: the mediating role of destination image. Tourism & Management Studies, 10, 158-164. https://tmstudies.net/index.php/ectms/article/view/616

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