Understanding travel information search behaviors by levels of information technology adoption

Abstract

Although the signifi cance of the Internet has been widely discussed in previous studies, the research of e-commerce has focused primarily on organizational and business perspectives (Sigala 2004). The growing number of Internet users allows a better understanding of online tourists who seek travel information and book or purchase travel products. The levels of Internet innovativeness also must be understood, since research indicated that 79 percent of Internet users have had four or more years of online experience (The Pew Internet & American Life Project 2005). In this study, 273 respondents were classified as innovators, early adopters, or late adopters by the time element of the Internet diffusion process and compared based on their travel information search behaviors, booking/purchasing of travel products, intentions of using various types of travel information sources, and perceptions and current usage of Information Technology. There were differences among the groups in terms of general information seeking and booking/purchasing, and perceptions of information technologies, whereas similarities were found in certain types of tourism products sought and booked/purchased and actual usage of information technologies.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of the 2006 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium

Citation

Kah, Junghye Angela; Vogt, Christine A.; MacKay, Kelly. 2007. Understanding travel information search behaviors by levels of information technology adoption. In: Burns, R.; Robinson, K., comps. Proceedings of the 2006 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium; 2006 April 9-11; Bolton Landing, NY. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-14. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 104-109.