The impact of online reviews on inbound travellers’ decision making

Ruwan Jayathilaka (), Thanuja Dharmasena (), Nizamuddin Rezahi () and Sukheetha Haththotuwegama ()
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Ruwan Jayathilaka: Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology
Thanuja Dharmasena: United Nations Human Settlements Programme
Nizamuddin Rezahi: Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology
Sukheetha Haththotuwegama: Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology

Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, 2020, vol. 54, issue 3, No 13, 1005-1021

Abstract: Abstract This paper explores the hotel experience of inbound travellers to five-star boutique hotels of Sri Lanka and ascertains how hotels have satisfied their customers’ expectations through assessment of the positive and negative reviews. A qualitative research method of content analysis incorporating quantitative elements is engaged for this study. Data comes from a survey conducted by the TripAdvisor website. This study reveals that all dimensions of service quality played an equally important role from the perspective of customers. However, consumers are not satisfied due to the presence of perceived quality gaps. It was revealed that to maximise customer satisfaction, boutique hotels need to refer to online reviews to obtain authentic information from their guests. Sri Lanka is making strong efforts to support its tourism industry which got affected by the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, therefore the findings of this paper will undoubtedly be useful for the trade.

Keywords: Word of mouth; Satisfaction; User-generate content; Inbound travellers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11135-020-00971-1

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