Abstract
User Generated Content (UGC) exerts a great influence on tourists’ choices, sometimes driving them to change the accommodation previously suggested by a street travel agency. In this context travel agencies need to proactively use both the Internet and UGC to build and maintain their competi-tive advantage. Despite this, there is no published paper profiling travel agencies based on how they use social media (SM). This study was therefore carried out to profile a sample of 281 Italian street travel agencies based on their perceived strategic value, perceived usefulness, emotional engagement, perceived ease of use, intention to use, satisfaction and intention to recommend SM use to others. Four segments were identified, namely: “Passive users”, “Enthusiasts”, “Strategically myopics” and “Active users”. Hence, chi square analysis was run to ascertain significant differences among clusters based on business-related variables. Findings show that significant differences among clus-ters exist only based on the frequency of SM use and the overall travel agencies’ attitude towards the importance of marketing and promotion tools for their competitiveness. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are discussed, providing suggestions for further research.
References
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Law, R., Buhalis, D., & Cobanoglu, C. (2014). Progress on information and communication technologies in hospitality and tourism. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 26(5), 727-750. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-08-2013-0367
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Michaelidou, N., Siamagka, N. T., & Christodoulides, G. (2011). Usage, Barriers and Measurement of Social Media Marketing: A n Exploratory Investigation of Small and Medium B2B Brands. Industrial Marketing Management, 40 (4), 1153-1159.
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Nie, J. (2007). A study of information technology adoption for small and medium sized enterprises strategic competitiveness. Paper presented at the 2007 International Conference on Wireless Communications, Networking and Mobile Computing, WiCOM 2007, Shanghai.
O'Brien, H. L. and Toms, E. G. (2008), What is user engagement? A conceptual framework for defining user engagement with technology. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 59(6), 938-955. doi:10.1002/asi.20801
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Pencarelli, T., Cioppi, M., & Forlani, F. (2015). L’impatto del Web 2.0 sul marketing delle piccole imprese alberghiere. Piccola Impresa/Small Business, 2, 11-32.
Prayag, G., & Del Chiappa, G. (2014). Hotel disintermediation in France: Perceptions of students from Generation Y. Anatolia—An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research, 25(3), 417-430.
Quayle, M. (2002). E-commerce: the challenge for UK SMEs in the twenty-first century. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 22(10), 1148-1161.
Rogerson, C. (2005). Unpacking tourism SMMEs in South Africa: Structure, support needs and policy responses. Development South Africa, 22(5), 623–642.
Roult, R., Gaudette, M., Auger, D., & Adjizian, J. (2016). Site Management and Use of Social Media by Tourism Businesses: The Case of Quebec, Czech Journal of Tourism, 5(1), 21-34. doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/cjot-2016-0002
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Schumacher, P., & Morahan-Martin, J. (2001). Gender, Internet and computer attitudes and experiences. Computers in Human Behavior, 17, 95–110.
Shah Alam, S. (2009). Adoption of internet in Malaysian SMEs. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 16(2), 240-255.
Simpson, M., & Docherty, A. (2004). E-commerce adoption support and advice for UK SMEs. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 11, 315-328.
Sin Tan, K., Choy Chong, S., Lin, B., & Uchenna, C. E. (2010). Internet-based ICT adoption among SMEs: Demographic versus benefits, barriers, and adoption intention. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 23(1), 27-55.
Spencer, A. J., Buhalis, D., & Moital, M. (2012). A hierarchical model of technology adoption for small owner-managed travel firms: an organizational decision-making and leadership perspective. Tourism Management, 33(5), 1195-1208.
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