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This paper aims to investigate the impact of online identity orientation and online friendship homophily on online socializing, online information search and ethnic guests’ hospitality experiences.

The study uses structural equation modeling to test a conceptual model developed after reviewing hospitality literature. Data is collected from a sample of 514 Turkish-Dutch ethnic guests living in the Netherlands using a self-administered questionnaire.

The results show that online identity orientations aligned with minority and majority cultures impact online friendship homophily and online socializing, which subsequently impact online information search and hospitality experiences of ethnic guests.

On the whole, ethnic communities have considerable spending power. The findings point to heritage and mainstream cultural socialization accounting for travel and hospitality experiences within an ethnic minority group. The findings supply relevant information for hospitality sectors on services to endorse or promote to guests from ethnic communities.

The study examines the simultaneous effects of online identity orientations and online friendship homophily on online socialization and hospitality experiences of ethnic guests. It highlights the role of culture in explaining the use of social networking sites and its potential impact on hospitality-related behaviors and experiences of ethnic guest consumers.

This paper aims to explore the causal relationship of user-generated content (UGC) on trust in UGC (TUGC), destination image (DI) and tourist visit intention (VI) guided by the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory. This work further examined the mediating effect of TUGC and DI between UGC and VI.

Data were collected through online and personal-administered surveys and randomized sampling. This work employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the proposed model empirically.

In line with the SOR Theory, this work found UGCs that induce positive emotions and connection to the users motivate VI rather than UGCs that are predominantly factual. Furthermore, UGCs are considered reliable, authentic and less biased than brand-generated content. The findings of this work contribute to the theoretical understanding of UGC to VI in a destination.

This work proposes that destination marketers prioritize UGC that evokes positive emotions and connections with users, as it is more effective in encouraging VI. Strategies such as incentivizing content creators, improving online presence and engaging influencers can maximize UGC. Enhancing online traffic quality, visibility and interaction and implementing content policies are crucial for UGC's effectiveness. Marketers should align destination products with tourists' interests and collaborate with influencers for affiliate marketing to increase tourist-generated UGC. Furthermore, improved connectivity encourages UGCs about the destination.

In tourism marketing, UGC has become a valuable information source for tourists in making informed travel decisions. UGC is a tourist-generated content that offers factual information and authentic experiences through images, videos or text posted through social media platforms. UGC is considered more reputable than travel firms and the mainstream media as an information source. Due to the limited works on UGC in the literature, the influence of UGC on tourists' VIs has remained unexplored at the time of writing. This work bridges this gap by empirically examining the impact of UGC on Gen Z tourists' VI guided by the SOR theory.

Free knowledge sharing in the online health community has been widely documented. However, whether free knowledge sharing can help physicians accumulate popularity and further the accumulated popularity can help physicians attract patients remain unclear. To unveil these gaps, this study aims to examine how physicians' popularity are affected by their free knowledge sharing, how the relationship between free knowledge sharing and popularity is moderated by professional capital, and how the popularity finally impacts patients' attraction.

The authors collect a panel dataset from Hepatitis B within an online health community platform with 10,888 observations from April 2020 to August 2020. The authors develop a model that integrates free knowledge sharing, popularity, professional capital, and patients' attraction. The hierarchical regression model is used to for examining the impact of free knowledge sharing on physicians' popularity and further investigating the impact of popularity on patients' attraction.

The authors find that the quantity of articles acted as the heuristic cue and the quality of articles acted as the systematic cue have positive effect on physicians' popularity, and this effect is strengthened by physicians' professional capital. Furthermore, physicians' popularity positively influences their patients' attraction.

This study reveals the aggregation of physicians' popularity and patients' attraction within online health communities and provides practical implications for managers in online health communities.

Anchored in the theories of brand gestalt and stakeholder perspectives, this study aims to undertake a comprehensive examination of the brand gestalt concept, emphasizing its multidimensional nature and the process of co-creation.

Focused within the context of the Wonderful Indonesia brand, the research draws upon a rich qualitative data set derived from in-depth interviews conducted with 18 international tourists, supplemented by netnography (or internet ethnography) of websites, social media and online articles related to Wonderful Indonesia. Using grounded theory methodology, the qualitative data undergo rigorous analysis to identify emergent themes and patterns.

The research elucidates the four dimensions (4S) comprising brand gestalt: storyscapes, sensescapes, servicescapes and stakeholderscapes. Each dimension is further delineated into essential categories, providing a comprehensive understanding of brand gestalt. This study highlights the collaborative nature of brand gestalt, emphasizing the involvement of multiple stakeholders in shaping the brand's identity and perception. Consumer perceptions of co-creation are identified as significant contributors to brand gestalt, enhancing the brand's value proposition.

Destination management and practitioners can use the insights from the research to refine their brand management and marketing strategies by leveraging the dimensions of brand gestalt. Recognizing the collaborative construct of brand gestalt can guide businesses in fostering meaningful relationships with stakeholders and aligning branding efforts with collective visions. Understanding the role of consumer co-creation in brand development can inform strategies aimed at enhancing brand equity and fostering consumer loyalty.

This study extends existing literature on brand gestalt by providing a comprehensive examination of its four dimensions and essential categories. By emphasizing the collaborative nature of brand gestalt, this study contributes to advancing the understanding of brand co-creation paradigms. The identification of consumer perceptions of co-creation as a significant factor in brand gestalt adds novel insights to the literature, offering valuable implications for brand management and marketing strategies.

The article investigates different types of strategies for managing user-generated content (UGC) and provides some insights into their implications.

A unique sample of Italian hotels with current and prospective customers in the digital environment is investigated. A taxonomy of user-provider interactions mediated by UGC is developed. A mixed approach was designed to meet the study aims. Firstly, an exploratory factor analysis was performed in order to illuminate different strategies of UGC and electronic word-of-mouth (E-WOM) management. Secondly, a cluster analysis was implemented in order to explain hoteliers' behavior toward users' contents.

The study results suggested the existence of three clusters, which reflected three different types of interactions between hotels and customers in the digital domain. Interestingly, most of Italian hotels were found to adopt a reductionist approach to UGC and E-WOM management, turning out to be ineffective to exploit them for the purpose of quality improvement and hospitality service excellence.

Hotels were found to be largely unaware of the importance of UGC and web-based communication with customers to improve their digital business strategy. Tailored management approaches are needed to realize the full potential of hotels' online content responsiveness for the purpose of value co-creation and service co-production.

This is one of the first studies investigating the strategic and management perspectives embraced by hotels to handle their interactions with customers in the digital arena.

In tourism live streaming (TLS), streamers strive to capture viewers’ attention by responding quickly to viewers’ requests and providing tourism-related knowledge. However, the effectiveness of such practices in the TLS context remains unclear. Accordingly, based on flow theory, this study aims to uncover the effects of responsiveness and knowledge spillover on viewers’ travelling intentions.

The authors collected 319 valid questionnaires to examine the proposed model. Followingly, the authors used a partial least squares structural equation modelling approach using SmartPLS 4 to analyse the survey data.

The authors found that responsiveness could enhance viewers’ flow experience and destination attachment, fostering travelling intentions. The authors further found that knowledge spillover strengthened the relationship between responsiveness and travelling intentions and responsiveness and flow experience.

This study broadens the scope of extant tourism research by juxtaposing the effects of responsiveness and knowledge spillover on viewers’ travelling intentions in the TLS context. Practically, the findings provide valuable insights for streamers to conduct appropriate viewer–streamer interaction strategies by providing instant responses and tourism-related knowledge to viewers.

在旅游直播中, 主播常常通过快速响应观众并提供目的地知识, 以吸引观众注意。然而这种策略是否有效地提升了观众的旅游意愿仍需进一步验证。因此, 本研究基于心流理论验证了响应性及知识溢出效应对观众旅游意愿的影响。

我们通过评估319份有效问卷来检验所提出的模型, 采用了SmartPLS软件构建偏最小二乘结构方程模型（PLS-SEM）分析问卷数据。

我们发现, 响应性将增强观众的心流体验和目的地依恋感, 从而促进旅游意愿。此外, 知识溢出效应强化了响应性和旅游意愿及响应性和心流体验之间的关系。

本研究同时关注响应性及知识溢出在旅游直播情境下对观众旅游意愿的影响机制。从实践层面, 本研究为旅游主播提供了高效互动及目的地推广的策略。

En las retransmisiones turísticas en directo (TLS), los organizadores se esfuerzan por captar la atención de los espectadores respondiendo de forma rápida a sus peticiones y aportando conocimientos relacionados con el turismo. Sin embargo, la eficacia de estas prácticas en el contexto de la retransmisión turística en directo sigue sin estar clara. Por consiguiente, este estudio, basado en la teoría del flujo, trata de descubrir los efectos de la capacidad de respuesta y la difusión de conocimientos en la intención de viajar de los espectadores.

Se recogieron 319 cuestionarios válidos para examinar el modelo propuesto. Seguidamente, se aplicó la técnica de ecuaciones estructurales con mínimos cuadrados parciales (PLS-SEM) mediante el software SmartPLS para analizar los datos de la encuesta.

Se concluye que la capacidad de respuesta mejoraría la experiencia de flujo de los espectadores y el apego al destino, fomentando su intención de viajar. Además, se comprueba que la difusión de conocimientos fortalece la relación entre (1) la capacidad de respuesta y la intención de viajar y (2) la capacidad de respuesta y la experiencia de flujo.

La presente investigación amplía el enfoque de los estudios existentes en la investigación turística al aproximar los efectos de la capacidad de respuesta y la difusión de conocimientos sobre la intención de viajar de los espectadores en el contexto de retransmisiones turísticas en directo. Desde el punto de vista práctico, los resultados aportan ideas para que los streamers empleen estrategias de interacción apropiadas con los espectadores, proporcionándoles respuestas instantáneas y transmitiéndoles conocimientos relacionados con el turismo.

The purpose of this study is to enhance the understanding of the drivers of participation in online business forums (OBFs). Specifically, it examines how reciprocity and three distinct types of needs (functional, psychological and hedonic) shape the participation behaviour of members in OBFs.

This study employs a multilevel analysis, integrating Social Exchange Theory and Uses and Gratification Theory to develop and validate a research framework. Data were collected via online questionnaires (N = 596) from 48 business forums on LinkedIn. The data analysis was carried out using PLS-SEM in stages. A confirmatory factor analysis was carried out to assess the measurement model, including validating the reliability and validity of the measurement items. The direct hypotheses were tested, followed by a post ad-hoc analysis to test the mediation and moderation hypotheses.

This study shows the impact of three need factors – functional, psychological and hedonic – and reciprocity on community members' participation behaviour in OBFs. The findings indicate that fulfiling functional, psychological and hedonic needs are key determinants driving active participation. The study further highlights the coexistence of two types of reciprocity: direct and indirect. However, the data analysis results show that only indirect reciprocity motivates participation in OBFs. Furthermore, the study reveals that indirect reciprocity not only precedes participation but also acts as a pivotal factor interacting with the interrelationship between the need factors and participation levels in OBFs.

This research advances theoretical understanding of participation in OBFs by offering novel insights into its complex, multi-faceted nature. Unlike some previous simplistic models, this study employs innovative multilevel analysis, uniquely demonstrating the synergistic impact of need factors and reciprocity on participation. It offers a nuanced perspective previously unexplored by addressing reciprocity’s paradoxical role and uncovering interconnections between various factors. This approach provides groundbreaking insights into OBF dynamics, advancing theoretical understanding while offering actionable strategies for enhancing member engagement and community development.

This study utilised Mehrabian and Russel's stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model to investigate the inter-relationship between perceived social media information qualities (IQ) of online UGC, destination image, perceived travel risk and behavioural intentions.

A total of 255 responses from international tourists were collected. The data collection via an online survey was performed from October 2020 to February 2021. The study model and hypotheses were examined using partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).

The result indicated that social media intrinsic, representational, and social IQ significantly influenced tourists perceived cognitive image, while only contextual and social IQ significantly predicted the perceived affective image. This study also confirms the significant effect of cognitive image on the affective image. In addition, the authors found that both destination image components, cognitive and affective, significantly affect tourists' behavioural intentions. However, surprisingly, tourists' perceived travel risk did not moderate the effect of destination image components on behavioural intentions.

This study contributes to the body of knowledge by extending Mehrabian and Russel's SOR model in the tourism behaviour context.

From a practical perspective, this study proves that UGC significantly affects destination image and plays an integral part in luring tourists to visit a destination.

Previous research in this area is limited, making this study particularly novel. This study represents one of the initial attempts to evaluate the dimensions of information quality in UGC on social media and online review platforms, particularly within the field of tourism. Treating online travel UGC seriously could assist organisations in leveraging tourist behaviour and enhancing destination image.

This study combines perceived knowledge, perceived psychologic risk with Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to examine the influence on tourists' intention to choose a safe destination and willingness to pay (WTP) more for safety measures. An online survey was conducted in 2021 to approach tourists globally. After 10 weeks, we received 365 valid responses. SmartPLS software version 3.3 was applied to run structural equation modelling to test the proposed hypotheses. Research results reveal that intention to choose a safe destination mediates the relationship between perceived knowledge of COVID-19, perceived psychological risk and the WTP more for safety measures while moderating role of educational level is also addressed. In turn, perceived psychological risk mediates the relationship between perceived knowledge of COVID-19 and intention to choose a safe destination. As a result, this study implies that destination managers should take actions to promote their WTP more for safety measures.

Online food delivery service has evolved swiftly and stretched the bounds of the catering business. In the gig economy, being a food delivery rider draws employees with the promise of flexibility and independence. To this end, the purpose of this paper is to explore the main themes shared in online reviews by food delivery riders and which of these themes are linked to positive and negative ratings.

The authors used 729 employee reviews posted on the Glassdoor website. In addition, they used content analysis to examine reviews of Uber Eats online food ordering company shared by food delivery riders on an online platform.

The results of this study include seven main themes: “earning,” “customers,” “orders,” “tips,” “car,” “flexible schedule” and “app” (navigation). Positive concepts are associated with “earning,” “orders,” “tips” and “flexible schedule.” Negative themes are linked to the “app” (navigation), “car” and “customers.”

Management should consider online reviews as employees’ opinions and voices. Specifically, management should provide financial support to employees for car maintenance, offer insurance for income stability and arrange training programs to enable them to use several tip-enhancing behaviors.

No research has been conducted using online reviews from an employment search engine to investigate employees’ experiences of online food delivery. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first attempts using user-generated content from an employment search engine to explore employees’ experiences.