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What Factors Make Online Travel Reviews Credible? The Consumers’ Credibility Perception-CONCEPT Model

Author

Listed:
  • Tiziana Guzzo

    (Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies, National Research Council, 00185 Rome, Italy)

  • Fernando Ferri

    (Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies, National Research Council, 00185 Rome, Italy)

  • Patrizia Grifoni

    (Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies, National Research Council, 00185 Rome, Italy)

Abstract

Online reviews have become a fundamental element in searching for and buying a tourism service. In particular, in the phase of post-pandemic caused by the COVID-19, social media are important channels of inspiration of dreams and encouragement to begin envisioning future trips. However, the growing trend of fake reviews is becoming a big issue for consumers. This study proposes and empirically validates a new model that enables predicting consumers’ Credibility Perception of Online Reviews (CPOR) related to tourism, considering all integrated factors of the communication process. A survey was carried out via a structured questionnaire. In particular, 615 answers from Italian travel groups were collected, and correlation and regression analyses were conducted. Results show that the website brand, advisor’s expertise, reviews’ sidedness and consistency, and consumer experience are significant predictors of CPOR. Website usability and reputation are instead weak predictors. This study provides the design and test of a credibility model, contributing to the theoretical and empirical advancement of the literature and enhancing the knowledge on consumer behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Tiziana Guzzo & Fernando Ferri & Patrizia Grifoni, 2022. "What Factors Make Online Travel Reviews Credible? The Consumers’ Credibility Perception-CONCEPT Model," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-16, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:12:y:2022:i:2:p:50-:d:772108
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Patrizia Grifoni & Fernando Ferri & Tiziana Guzzo, 2017. "CREMOR: CREdibility Model on Online Reviews-How people Consider Online Reviews Believable," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(7), pages 56-66, July.
    2. Rezaei, Sajad, 2015. "Segmenting consumer decision-making styles (CDMS) toward marketing practice: A partial least squares (PLS) path modeling approach," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 1-15.
    3. Hung, Kam & Law, Rob, 2011. "An overview of Internet-based surveys in hospitality and tourism journals," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 717-724.
    4. Hee Lye Park & Zheng Xiang & Bharath Josiam & Haejung Maria Kim, 2013. "Personal Profile Information as Cues of Credibility in Online Travel Reviews," Springer Books, in: Lorenzo Cantoni & Zheng (Phil) Xiang (ed.), Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2013, edition 127, pages 230-241, Springer.
    5. Soo Young Rieh, 2002. "Judgment of information quality and cognitive authority in the Web," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 53(2), pages 145-161.
    6. Sullivan, Yulia W. & Kim, Dan J., 2018. "Assessing the effects of consumers’ product evaluations and trust on repurchase intention in e-commerce environments," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 199-219.
    7. Filieri, Raffaele, 2016. "What makes an online consumer review trustworthy?," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 46-64.
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    Cited by:

    1. K. Pooja & Pallavi Upadhyaya, 2024. "What makes an online review credible? A systematic review of the literature and future research directions," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 74(2), pages 627-659, June.

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