IMPACT OF INTERACTİVE E-REFERRAL ON TOURIST ENGAGEMENT, VISIT INTENTION AND E-REFERRAL SHARING BEHAVIOR
AMEEN MOHAMMAD ALHTIBAT ; Supervisor Asst. Prof. Dr. Zanete Garanti
- 211 sheets : tables ; 30 cm 1 CD-ROM
Thesis (Ph.D)--Cyprus International University Instıtute of Graduate Studies and Research Business Administration Department
Includes bibliography (sheets 150-208)
ABSTRACT Practitioners and scholars around the world have come to recognize the relevance of electronic referral (e-Referral) in shaping tourist’s behavioral intentions. Despite this, little attention has been paid to explore the underlying process in which e-Referral operates to alter behaviors and intention. The little research conducted in this domain has failed to provide a frame of reference, rather generated an increased inconsistency concerning the superiority of interactive e-Referral over e-WOM. By using three important cognitive behavioral theories (i.e., social ties theory, trust transfer theory and social identification theory) as theoretical framework, this dissertation scrutinizes associations between interactive e-Referral, tourist’s engagement, intention to visit and e-Referral sharing behavior. Using a variance-based structural equation modeling (VBSEM) on survey data obtained from snow tourists in Bursa, Turkey, we found: that (1) interactive e-Referral exerts a significant influence on tourist engagement, e-Referral sharing behavior and visit intention; (2) the relationship between interactive e-Referral, and e-Referral sharing behavior was mediated by tourist engagement and (3) the relationship between interactive e-Referral and intention to visit was mediated by tourist engagement. This work contributed to the literature and service practices by providing insight on the significance of interactive e-Referral on various consumers’ behaviors. Several theoretical and managerial implications are highlighted; limitations and future research recommendations are offered.