Internet as an information source and social distance: any relationship?
Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology
ISSN: 1757-9880
Article publication date: 29 July 2013
Abstract
Purpose
Findings of previous research imply that virtual contact with other social groups, such as the internet, may have an impact on sociocultural dimensions such as social distance; however, there is a lack of empirical evidence supporting this implication. To fill this void in the literature, the purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between social distance and the internet as an information source.
Design/methodology/approach
A self-administered survey was conducted on tourists from several different European countries, through random sampling, in select popular tourist destinations of Turkey.
Findings
A direct relationship between the use of the internet as an information source about the host community and social distance was not revealed within the scope of this study.
Originality/value
There is limited research on the relationship between Internet and several sociocultural aspects in tourism. This study investigates the relationship between social distance and internet empirically.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors give special thanks to Yvette Reisinger for sharing her Social Distance Scale to be used in this study.
Citation
S. Yilmaz, S. and D.A. Tasci, A. (2013), "Internet as an information source and social distance: any relationship?", Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Vol. 4 No. 2, pp. 188-196. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-10-2012-0026
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited