Navigating the generative AI travel landscape: the influence of ChatGPT on the evolution from new users to loyal adopters
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
ISSN: 0959-6119
Article publication date: 5 April 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This study, rooted in affordance-actualization theory and communication theory, aims to critically examine how ChatGPT influences users’ transition from new adopters to loyal advocates within the context of travel decision-making. It incorporates constructs including communication quality, personalization, anthropomorphism, cognitive and emotional trust (ET), loyalty and intention to adopt into a comprehensive model.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used quantitative methods to analyze data from 477 respondents, collected online through a self-administered questionnaire by Embrain, a leading market research company in South Korea. Lavaan package within R studio was used for evaluating the measurement model through confirmatory factor analysis and using structural equation modeling to examine the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
The findings reveal a pivotal need for enhancing ChatGPT’s communication quality, particularly in terms of accuracy, currency and understandability. Personalization emerges as a key driver for cognitive trust, while anthropomorphism significantly impacts ET. Interestingly, the study unveils that in the context of travel recommendations, users’ trust in ChatGPT predominantly operates at the cognitive level, significantly impacting loyalty and subsequent adoption intentions.
Practical implications
The findings of this research provide valuable insights for improving Generative AI (GenAI) technology and management practices in travel recommendations.
Originality/value
As one of the few empirical research papers in the burgeoning field of GenAI, this study proposes a highly explanatory model for the process from affordance to actualization in the context of using ChatGPT for travel recommendations.
Keywords
Citation
Li, Y. and Lee, S.O. (2024), "Navigating the generative AI travel landscape: the influence of ChatGPT on the evolution from new users to loyal adopters", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-11-2023-1767
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited