“Do We Believe in TripAdvisor?” Examining Credibility Perceptions and Online Travelers’ Attitude toward Using User-Generated Content

TLDR

Press reports and hotel complaints have questioned the credibility of travel‑related UGC, yet understanding of credibility perceptions remains limited despite growing social media interest. The study uses an online survey of 661 travel consumers and PLS‑SEM to examine how travelers’ perceptions of UGC credibility affect attitudes and intentions toward using UGC in travel planning. The authors apply PLS‑SEM and incorporate the theory of homophily to predict antecedents of UGC credibility. Results validate Source Credibility Theory in UGC, highlight attitude as a central mediator, and confirm perceptual homophily as a key determinant of credibility and attitude, with theoretical and managerial implications.

Abstract

Recent press reports and complaints by hoteliers have called into question the credibility of travel-related user-generated content (UGC). Yet our understanding of the role of credibility perceptions in the context of UGC is limited, notwithstanding the rising interest in social media. Using an online survey of 661 travel consumers, this study applies the component-based structural equation modeling technique of partial least squares to examine online travelers’ perceptions of the credibility of UGC sources and how these perceptions influence attitudes and intentions toward UGC utilization in the travel planning process. The model also draws on the theory of homophily to make predictions about the antecedent of credibility. Results validate the Source Credibility Theory in the context of UGC but also accentuate the central mediating role of attitude. In addition, the study finds support for perceptual homophily as a critical determinant of both credibility and attitude. Theoretical and managerial implications are highlighted.