Explaining tourist behavioral loyalty toward mobile apps

Abstract

Purpose

The overall tourist experience is changing because of the development of mobile devices, ubiquitous internet access and applications (apps) designed specifically for tourism. The aim of this study is to identify the determinants of continued use and recommendation of such apps (loyalty), framed within the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) model, considering innate user traits (innovativeness) and one of the principal attributes of mobile phones (portability).

Design/methodology/approach

The sample comprised 285 Spanish tourists who owned a smartphone and were using some kind of mobile app in connection with their stay.

Findings

The results show that the UTAUT2 model is effective in explaining loyalty toward tourism apps and that its variables mediate the effect of user and mobile device characteristics.

Research limitations/implications

To ensure continued use of a tourism app, it should possess the following core attributes: deliver a positive cost–benefit trade-off, be fun to use, provide up-to-date and useful information and generate a degree of dependency in the user.

Originality/value

The present research is particularly relevant because of its focus on the use of apps during the stay, given that most of the extant literature centers on previous stages (such as service booking).

研究目的

游客整体感受正在因为移动终端、全网覆盖网络、以及旅游APP应用的发展而改变着。本论文旨在找到对于移动APP持续使用和推荐行为的成因，本论文采用UTAUT2模型，考虑了用户本身的创新性特点，和移动手机其中一个核心特点（便捷携带性）。

研究设计/方法/途径

研究样本为285名西班牙游客，他们均持有一部智能手机，并且在旅游途中使用过某种旅游APP。

研究结果

研究结果表明UTAUT2模型在解释旅游APP忠诚度方面是有效的。此外，本论文还发现其模型变量是用户特性对移动终端特点作用的中介变量。

研究理论意义

为了保证用户对旅游APP的持续使用，这个APP需要具体几点核心特点：性价比高；娱乐性；及时性；有用信息；对用户有依赖性。

研究原创性/价值

本论文针对用户在旅游途中的APP使用进行了研究，这有别于之前大多数文献仅集中对旅游前期（比如服务预定）等方面的研究。

关键词

移动APP、忠诚度、旅游业、UTAUT2、游客行为

Citation

Castañeda, J.-A., Martínez-Heredia, M.-J. and Rodríguez-Molina, M.-Á. (2019), "Explaining tourist behavioral loyalty toward mobile apps", Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Vol. 10 No. 3, pp. 415-430. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-08-2017-0057