Figure 1
Figure 2
The research hypotheses acceptance table
| Hypothesis | Result |
|---|---|
| H.1 PQ has an impact on IU. | Supported |
| H.2 PQ has an impact on WOM Intention. | Supported |
| H.3 CST has an impact on IU. | Supported |
| H.4 CST has an impact on WOM Intention. | Supported |
| H.5 Demographic factors moderate the strength of association between PQ and IU. | Not supported |
| H.5a Sex moderates the strength of association between PQ and IU. | Not supported |
| H.5.b Age moderates the strength of association between PQ and IU. | Not supported |
| H.5.c Income level moderates the strength of association between PQ and IU. | Not supported |
| H.5.d Education level moderates the strength of association between PQ and IU. | Not supported |
| H.6 Demographic factors moderate the strength of association between CST and IU. | Partially supported |
| H.6a Sex moderates the strength of association between CST and IU. | Partially supported |
| H.6.b Age moderates the strength of association between CST and IU. | Not supported |
| H.6.c Income level moderates the strength of association between CST and IU. | Not supported |
| H.6.d Education level moderates the strength of association between CST and IU. | Not supported |
| H.7 Demographic factors moderate the strength of association between PQ and WOM. | Not supported |
| H.7a Sex moderates the strength of association between PQ and WOM. | Not supported |
| H.7.b Age moderates the strength of association between PQ and WOM. | Not supported |
| H.7.c Income level moderates the strength of association between PQ and WOM. | Not supported |
| H.7.d Education level moderates the strength of association between PQ and WOM. | Not supported |
| H.8 Demographic factors moderate the strength of association between CST and WOM. | Partially supported |
| H.8a Sex moderates the strength of association between CST and WOM. | Supported |
| H.8.b Age moderates the strength of association between CST and WOM. | Not supported |
| H.8.c Income level moderates the strength of association between CST and WOM. | Not supported |
| H.8.d Education level moderates the strength of association between CST and WOM. | Not supported |
Indicators of reliability and validity
| PA | CST | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CT.1 | CT.2 | CT.3 | CT.4 | CT.5 | CT.6 | CT.7 | CT.8 | U.2 | U.3 | U.4 | U.5 | P.1 | P.2 | P.3 | P.4 | P.5 | P.6 | P.7 | P.8 | VA.2 | VA.3 | VA.4 | CN.1 | CN.2 | CN.3 | CN.4 | CN.5 | CN.6 | R.1 | R.2 | R.3 | R.4 | TS.1 | TS.2 | TS.3 | |
| PQ | 0.052 | 0.047 | 0.053 | 0.067 | 0.051 | 0.044 | 0.069 | 0.03 | 0.07 | 0.071 | 0.061 | 0.063 | 0.04 | 0.035 | 0.038 | 0.047 | 0.047 | 0.047 | 0.063 | 0.044 | 0.064 | 0.069 | 0.06 | 0.002 | 0.004 | 0.011 | 0.003 | 0.000 | 0.000 | −0.002 | −0.001 | −0.002 | −0.001 | −0.002 | 0.002 | 0.002 |
| CST | −0.011 | −0.002 | −0.011 | −0.008 | −0.006 | −0.001 | 0.001 | 0.004 | 0.006 | 0.004 | 0.004 | 0.004 | 0.006 | 0.006 | 0.003 | 0.004 | 0.009 | 0.007 | 0.009 | 0.005 | −0.005 | −0.002 | 0.001 | 0.076 | 0.119 | 0.144 | 0.133 | 0.137 | 0.078 | 0.062 | 0.08 | 0.064 | 0.066 | 0.088 | 0.088 | 0.087 |
Sample structure
| Frequency | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | Female | 293 | 49.6 |
| Male | 298 | 50.4 | |
| Age | 18–24 | 106 | 17.9 |
| 25–34 | 158 | 26.7 | |
| 35–44 | 165 | 27.9 | |
| 45–54 | 133 | 22.5 | |
| 55–65 | 29 | 4.9 | |
| Place of living | Village | 171 | 28.9 |
| City having up to 100,000 inhabitants | 200 | 33.8 | |
| City having more than 100,000 inhabitants | 220 | 37.2 | |
| Education | Lower: primary and vocational | 31 | 5.2 |
| Medium: completed high school | 289 | 48.9 | |
| Higher: bachelor, master, or higher | 271 | 45.9 |
Standardized regression coefficients and significance levels for regression paths
| Regression paths | |
|---|---|
| IU ⇐ PQ | β = 0.794; p < 0.001 |
| WOM ⇐ PQ | β = 0.629; p < 0.001 |
| WOM ⇐ CST | β = 0.180; p < 0.001 |
| IU ⇐ CST | β = 0.111; p < 0.001 |
Factor loadings of measurable variables
| Source | Factor loadings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLATFORM QUALITY | Content | These websites provide accurate information about the tourist products I want to buy. | Bonsón et al. [2015], Park et al. [2007], Tsang et al. [2010], and Duman and Tanriesevdi [2011] | 0.827 |
| These websites provide enough information to make a transaction. | 0.777 | |||
| OTAs are very good sources of information. | 0.829 | |||
| OTAs always present content correctly. | 0.854 | |||
| It is possible to book all travel services in one transaction. | 0.802 | |||
| OTAs give me enough information so that I can identify what I’m looking for just as well as offline. | 0.759 | |||
| Information available on OTAs is intuitively categorized. | 0.834 | |||
| I am able to compare many offers in one place. | 0.646 | |||
| Privacy and security | I feel my privacy is protected by OTAs. | Park et al. [2007], Tsang et al. [2010], Bernardo et al. [2012], Martinez-Costa et al. [2018], and Bonsón Ponte et al. [2015] | 0.711 | |
| I trust OTAs will not share my personal information with other sites without my consent. | 0.683 | |||
| I trust OTAs will not misuse my personal information. | 0.714 | |||
| OTAs have adequate security features. | 0.752 | |||
| These platforms are well-known. | 0.733 | |||
| I trust OTAs. | 0.741 | |||
| These platforms have a good reputation. | 0.794 | |||
| Comments published on OTAs’ websites are reliable. | 0.738 | |||
| Utility and functionality | Search functions on OTAs’ websites are helpful. | Park et al. [2007], Tsang et al. [2010], and Kim et al. [2007] | 0.822 | |
| Thanks to OTAs I can match the right offer with my needs. | 0.829 | |||
| Payment methods are convenient. | 0.805 | |||
| OTAs send me recommendations adjusted to my needs and wants. | 0.810 | |||
| Visual aspect | OTAs’ websites look attractive. | Park et al. [2007] and Tsang et al. [2010] | 0.839 | |
| OTAs use multimedia features properly. | 0.843 | |||
| OTAs’ websites seem to be professionally designed. | 0.812 | |||
| CST | Convenience | I can make reservations at any time, 7 days/week. | Park et al. [2007], Tsang et al. [2010], Duman and Tanriesevdi [2011], Kim et al. [2007], and Agag and El-Masry [2016] | 0.728 |
| I get from OTAs exactly what I booked. | 0.803 | |||
| OTAs get bookings correctly. | 0.802 | |||
| Booking on OTAs is easy | 0.827 | |||
| Booking on OTAs is quick. | 0.850 | |||
| Time spent filling in all necessary documents is short. | 0.747 | |||
| Responsiveness | When I have problems, OTAs show a sincere interest in solving them. | Park et al. [2007] and Tsang et al. [2010] | 0.710 | |
| OTAs customer service personnel is always willing to help me. | 0.762 | |||
| Inquiries are answered promptly. | 0.719 | |||
| It is easy to cancel or change the reservation. | 0.721 | |||
| Transaction Security | OTAs adequately protect the information on my credit card. | Tsang et al. [2010] and Bernardo et al. [2012] | 0.788 | |
| OTAs protect the information about my purchase behavior. | 0.763 | |||
| I feel safe about my transactions with OTAs. | 0.758 | |||