The impact of online reviews on trust and hotel booking intentions  among Chinese visitors in Thailand

Kanyapat  Pattanapokinsakul; Uraiporn  Kattiyapornpong; Warakorn  Angsumalee; Morakot  Ditta-apichai

Authors

Kanyapat Pattanapokinsakul Faculty of Management Science, Phuket Rajabhat University, Phuket 83000, Thailand
Uraiporn Kattiyapornpong School of Business, Faculty of Business and Law, University of Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2522, Australia
Warakorn Angsumalee Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Phuket Rajabhat University, Phuket 83000, Thailand
Morakot Ditta-apichai Faculty of Multidisciplinary Sciences and Entrepreneurship. Thaksin University, Phatthalung 93210, Thailand

Keywords:

Chinese tourists, hotel booking intention, online reviews, Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model, trust

Abstract

The growth of social media platforms and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) has
made it easier for Chinese visitors to access and contribute to online reviews.
Applying the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model, this study aims to
understand how online reviews impact trust and hotel booking intentions among
Chinese tourists in Phuket, Thailand. It investigates to what extent online
reviews, including review quality and positive and negative reviews, impact the
trust and hotel booking intentions of 400 Chinese tourists who booked hotels
online. The Structure Equation Modeling (SEM) findings showed that positive
and negative reviews strongly affect trust among Chinese tourists, while
reviewing quality, negative reviews, and trust directly affect hotel booking
intentions. This study provides valuable insights for hotels to understand
Chinese tourists’ online booking behavior and intentions. It also highlights
the influence of online reviews on Chinese tourists’ booking intentions, which
aided in managing tourists’ overall services and experience in drawing Chinese
tourists for hotel booking and tourism recovery.