Characteristics and influencing factors of internet word-of-mouth of tourist attractions: evidence from Jiangxi, China

The rapid development of virtual social networks has transformed word-of-mouth (WOM) communication, breaking traditional spatial and temporal constraints and profoundly influencing consumer decision-making and corporate image-building. Internet word-of-mouth (IWOM) in tourist attractions is a mediated context formed through the interaction between tourist groups and the environmental settings of tourist destinations, significantly influenced by the interplay of media and physical spatial environments of the attractions. This study constructs a multidisciplinary framework to analyze the mechanisms driving IWOM, employing machine learning to measure the impact of environmental factors. Additionally, it explores the characteristics of IWOM from macro and micro perspectives. The key findings are as follows: (a) Tourists exhibit high satisfaction and positive experiential perceptions toward the scenery of attractions, with tourist attractions, management services, and transportation facilities being the core elements of concern. The spatial distribution of IWOM in tourist attractions is dependent on the destination, displaying a pattern of “large agglomeration with small dispersion” within regions. (b) The distribution of IWOM in natural ecology, historical and cultural, and modern amusement tourist attractions exhibits a multi-center pattern, while industrially integrated tourist attractions demonstrate a single-center distribution. Scenery, history, projects, and porcelain are the core high-frequency terms in the IWOM of various typical tourist attractions. (c) Scenery has emerged as a decisive factor in the IWOM of tourist attractions, particularly significant in industrially integrated attractions. Government attention and internet popularity are identified as the primary media environmental factors influencing IWOM. The impact of various factors on IWOM shows significant spatial heterogeneity. Systematically identifying the characteristics and mechanisms influencing IWOM in tourist attractions can provide effective theoretical support for the management and sustainable development of tourist destinations.