Abstract—The applications of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in the tourism social networks (TSNs) can not only enhance the corporate image of travel agencies and or tourism firms, but also promote the revisiting rate of sightseeing spots as well as facilitate the potential business opportunities in the tourism industry. However, there is rare literature investigating how trust on eWOM in TSNs influences consumers’ purchase intentions toward group package tours (GPTs). By integrating the theoretical perspective of technology acceptance model (TAM) with the construct of trust on eWOM in TSNs, the study developed a nomological framework to examine the causal relationships among the critical influencing antecedents on online consumer attitudes and purchase intentions toward GPTs in the fast-growing TSNs. The analytical results indicate that: (1) trust on eWOM in TSNs has a positive impact on perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and consumer attitudes toward GPTs; (2) perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use will positively affect consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions toward GPTs; (3) consumer attitudes will positively affect their purchase intentions toward GPTs in TSNs. The research findings are expected to provide practical implications for the marketers and managers of TSNs and travel agencies and help the tourism industry to gain new insights regarding the potential values of eWOM.

Index Terms—Tourism social network, eWOM, group package tour, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, purchase intention.

Yi-Chien Lin, Chiung-Li Li are with Department of Tourism, Meiho University, Pingtung, Taiwan (email: yc_bear@nttu.edu.tw).
Ya-Wen Hsiao is with Far-Away from Home Bed and Breakfast Accommodations Co., Taitung, Taiwan.
Yi-Cheng Chen is with Department of Information Science & Management Systems, National Taitung University, Taiwan.

Cite: Yi-Chien Lin, Chiung-Li Li, Ya-Wen Hsiao, Yi-Cheng Chen, "Predicting How Trust on eWOM Influences Consumer Purchase Intentions toward Group Package Tours in Tourism Social Networks," International Journal of e-Education, e-Business, e-Management and e-Learning vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 160-176, 2019.