Nline Travel Review Study

Online Travel Review Study
Role & Impact of Online Travel Reviews

Project Director:
Dr. Ulrike Gretzel
Director
Laboratory for Intelligent Systems in Tourism
Texas A&M University

Research Staff:
Kyung Hyan Yoo
Melanie Purifoy

Supported By:

February, 2007

Table of Contents
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................. 3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY........................................................................................................................ 4
1

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 8

2

STUDY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................ 9

3

METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................................... 9

4

FINDINGS.................................................................................................................................... 10
4.1
TRIP PLANNING BEHAVIOR ..................................................................................................... 10
4.2
USE OF OTHER TRAVELERS’ ONLINE REVIEWS........................................................................ 17
4.3
EVALUATION OF OTHER TRAVELERS’ ONLINE REVIEWS ........................................................... 21
4.4
INFLUENCE OF OTHER TRAVELERS’ ONLINE REVIEWS ............................................................. 25
4.5
MOTIVATIONS TO WRITE/POST REVIEWS ................................................................................ 27
4.6
SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS.................................................................................................... 31
4.7
CHARACTERISTICS OF FREQUENT TRAVEL REVIEW READERS...