• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.216-232
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• 2017

This study's objective is to use the construal-level theory (CLT) to explore the effect of the utility of online travel reviews on tourists' perception. To accomplish this goal, online travel reviews are divided into two different categories based on concreteness, and the usefulness of each review is compared with the temporal dimension of psychological distance. The results show that close future tourists are more influenced by concrete reviews than abstract reviews; however, the far future tourists are more influenced by abstract reviews than concrete reviews. Based on these results, theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and suggestions are made for future research.

• Korean Management Science Review
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.1-18
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• 2009

Recent market environment shows a new relationship between customer and company. You can easily observe customers take initiatives to get involved in the marketing activities such as product development, pricing and distribution etc. Despite the fact there are a lot of marketing activities initiated by customers in the online travel market, customer participation has been given little attention in the academic literature. Our research is grounded in the well-known commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing, originally proposed by Morgan and Hunt(1994). According to the theory, trust is central to successful relationship marketing. This study explores the effect of trust on customer participation in the online travel market. Consequently, this study suggests some managerial implications for marketing strategies in response to customer initiative In the marketing activities on the online travel market.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.21-34
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• 2018

Purpose - The objective of this research is to a) examine the effects of online reviews, posted on online distribution channels, on the change of consumers' attitudes and booking intention by distinguishing three types of online review valence: positive, negative and neutral review valence, and b) to investigate the combined effect of the inclination of online review and perceived usefulness of reviews on consumers' attitude change. Research design, data, and methodology - An experimental design was used by creating a mimicked hotel company's website and online reviews extracted from several online distribution channels such as online travel agencies (OTAs). A total of 414 respondents were randomly assigned to a type of review valence. Results - The results showed that the valence of positive reviews has a significant effect on the positive change of attitude and booking intention. However, the effect of the valence of negative reviews on the change of booking intention was not statistically significant compared to that of the valence of neutral reviews. Conclusions - The results offer some insights into the effect of online reviews on consumers' decision making processes and have important managerial implications for companies that operate online distribution channels in terms of their online marketing and the distribution of service products.

• Journal of Smart Tourism
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.5-15
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• 2023

Given the increasing information overload among users of online review websites, understanding the manner in which cognitive costs are reduced and efficient information is made reliable has become increasingly important. This study targets a unique consumer review design and explores how reviews from an external peer-to-peer site embedded in an online travel agency (OTA) website influence subsequent evaluation behaviors. The empirical results indicate that (1) embedded external reviews with a high average valence tend to strengthen the influence of the positive evaluation ratio while diminishing the effect of the review volume, and (2) embedded external reviews with a large variance strengthen the positive effect of the review volume while weakening the effect of the positive evaluation ratio on subsequent positive evaluations. The findings provide practical insights for consumers and online platforms.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.139-149
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• 2018

In the contemporary era of smart tourism, travelers face more accommodation options than ever before. The rapid expansions of alternative accommodation sector are partially owing to the growth of electronic commerce and the rise of online intermediary platforms. Online travel agencies serve as a critical distribution channel for tourism sectors, and the significance is further increased for small and micro entrepreneurs whose direct communication channels are scarce. Considering the holistic process of customer experience started with a third-party online intermediary, this study explores basic and extended attributes of small and medium-sized alternative accommodation where the comparative value is created. In order to achieve the objective, a research design was developed to synthesize the qualitative evidence. The synthesis encompasses both theoretical and practical perspectives, from a systematic review and opinions of academic professionals to an in-depth interview with an industry expert and the current practices of online travel agencies. This study suggests that the sources of value creation for alternative accommodation are not always consistent with those of the traditional. Accounting for the temporal and spatial dynamics in customer experience, the findings of this study provide insights on the comparative value of alternative accommodation, to both academic and industry audiences.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.175-193
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• 2018

As a new type of business model in the market competition situation of tour companies, this study has developed to the online form of the travel industry to the business form which is the combination of the electronic commerce function and the mobile service process in the provision of the simple web-site, This study explores the difficulties of change for the development of the travel industry from the point of view that recognition is not a simple marketing strategy diversification means but a change of recognition as a business model for expanding new markets or creating new markets. The factors affecting the choice of online travel agent (OTA) and the factors that influence the choice of online travel agency were analyzed. Were used for the empirical survey. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors influencing the choice of online travel agents who have experience with or experience using online travel agency (OTA), what factors are important to them, and how they differ in importance when visiting again. The results of this study are as follows: First, there was a significant difference between the first and second visitors of online travel agencies. The results of this study were as follows: Attitude toward resolving complaints, convenience of change and cancellation, delivery of tickets and documents, convenience of complaints, The emphasis should be on establishing and strengthening service environments such as the speed of updating the latest information, the simplicity of the booking procedure, the degree of satisfaction of the past, the ability of employees to handle their work, the safety of various payment methods and settlement, The results of this study are as follows: First, the satisfaction of the online travel agency is influenced by the selection factors of the selected online tour agency, and the A/S such as the convenience of prompt delivery, Environmental factors contributed to satisfaction. It is suggested that the systematic service structure such as customer satisfaction and ease of use is a necessary marketing strategy for survival and development of online travel agencies. It is suggested that the marketing concentration strategy with the first visitors as the target market is effective and this is a part of the marketing strategy for the survival of online travel agencies.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.127-158
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• 2021

Many online travel agencies (OTAs) provide average ratings and time-relevant information or the most recently posted reviews regarding hotels to satisfy customers. To identify these two factors' relative influence on behavioral decision-making processes, we conducted two studies: (1) an experimental research design to explore the relative influence of the two on online review consumption and (2) an empirical approach to examine their relative impact on online review generation. The results show that when review posters observe an inconsistency between average ratings and recent reviews, they tend to deviate from the recent reviews regardless of the overall direction (reactance behavior). Meanwhile, review consumers tend to conform to the opinions presented in recent reviews (herding behavior). Additionally, in both cases, the effects are amplified in case of a negative aberration. Based on the findings, this study provides theoretical and practical implications regarding the relative influences of average rating and recently posted reviews and their different impacts on online review consumption and generation.

• Korean Management Science Review
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.39-54
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• 2004

This paper presents a multi-agent system for intelligent recommendation of travel plans to users. The goal of the system is to provide alternative and preferable travel plans to users when the availability of tickets is low such as in vacations, holidays, weekends, or peak seasons. The multiple agents in the system search for available alternatives for a target travel in collaboration with other agents and recommend best alternatives by analyzing them using a multi-criteria decision-making model. A prototype online travel support system was constructed and a simulation experiment was performed for evaluation and comparison with different travel planning strategies.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.11
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• pp.381-391
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• 2020

This research article investigates the way eWOM in social media influences the formation of destination image through development of trust and satisfaction for the potential tourist. The research involved administering an 18-point questionnaire taking online reviews, tourist involvement, and eWOM, destination image components of trust and satisfaction as variables. Data was collected from 554 individuals forming a cross-section of social media users and analyzed using multi-variate techniques (Reliability, CFA, and SEM). Results indicate a positive and significant relationship between all except online review and destination trust and satisfaction. Indirect and direct effects indicate that eWOM fully mediates the relationship between destination satisfaction and involvement and partially mediates the relationship between destination trust and involvement. In the case of online reviews, eWOM acts as a full mediator between destination trust and destination satisfaction for the future traveler using social media. The study proposes that components of image vary depending upon the degree of involvement, volume online reviews and eWOM generated also termed as 'virality' and these in turn influence the intention to revisit or recommend a destination. The study highlights its utility for National Tourist Organizations (NTOs) and online travel intermediaries to enhance destination marketing efforts.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.171-185
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• 2017

Purpose Recently, there has been an increase in attempts to analyze social phenomena, consumption trends, and consumption behavior through a vast amount of customer data such as web search traffic information and social buzz information in various fields such as flu prediction and real estate price prediction. Internet portal service providers such as google and naver are disclosing web search traffic information of online users as services such as google trends and naver trends. Academic and industry are paying attention to research on information search behavior and utilization of online users based on the web search traffic information. Although there are many studies predicting social phenomena, consumption trends, political polls, etc. based on web search traffic information, it is hard to find the research to explain and predict tourism demand and establish tourism policy using it. In this study, we try to use web search traffic information to explain the tourism demand for major cities in Gangwon-do, the representative tourist area in Korea, and to develop a nowcasting model for the demand. Design/methodology/approach In the first step, the literature review on travel demand and web search traffic was conducted in parallel in two directions. In the second stage, we conducted a qualitative research to confirm the information retrieval behavior of the traveler. In the next step, we extracted the representative tourist cities of Gangwon-do and confirmed which keywords were used for the search. In the fourth step, we collected tourist demand data to be used as a dependent variable and collected web search traffic information of each keyword to be used as an independent variable. In the fifth step, we set up a time series benchmark model, and added the web search traffic information to this model to confirm whether the prediction model improved. In the last stage, we analyze the prediction models that are finally selected as optimal and confirm whether the influence of the keywords on the prediction of travel demand. Findings This study has developed a tourism demand forecasting model of Gangwon-do, a representative tourist destination in Korea, by expanding and applying web search traffic information to tourism demand forecasting. We compared the existing time series model with the benchmarking model and confirmed the superiority of the proposed model. In addition, this study also confirms that web search traffic information has a positive correlation with travel demand and precedes it by one or two months, thereby asserting its suitability as a prediction model. Furthermore, by deriving search keywords that have a significant effect on tourism demand forecast for each city, representative characteristics of each region can be selected.