The role of social media in influencing tourist consumer behaviour within the holiday travel process.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Social media impacts on how people articulate and communicate ideas, and the manner whereby they participate with commodities, products, and institutions or establishments. Numerous studies have revealed the role and influence of social media on consumer behavior during the travel process that is before, during, and after the trip. Other studies engage in a specific type of social method, a specific application or on a particular stage of the decision-making process. Although such micro approaches have advantages, the overall illustration of the ways that consumers use social media and their influence, during all phases of the travel process and during all stages of the decision- making process continues to be ambiguous. In order to address this gap, this study aimed to investigate the role of social media on consumer behaviour within the holiday travel process. To achieve this aim, qualitative research employing semi-structured interviews were conducted through purposive sampling of twelve active social media users. It was revealed that social media are used during all stages of the travel process, and during all stages of holiday related decision- making processes. The finding of this research has shown simply that consumers’ social media use before and during travel is largely associated with gaining data regarding the destination choice, while the usage of social media after the trip embraced activities associated with sharing and uploading photos and experiences and by posting textual reviews, in addition to recommending the trip to others. Based on this, it is proposed by this study that consumers’ travel decision-making process requires the understanding that each stage of the decision-making process is not independent; they are connected and influence each other, this understanding can enable tourism promoters such as N’taba River Lodge to provide pertinent marketing stimuli to consumers at various stages of their travels.