The influence of interactive web applications in tourism communication on travel motivation and intention. Tested on a self-developed web application

Abstract

Tourism is a strong economic branch for many countries. Exposing the right destinations to the right tourists can be challenging in a time where distribution technology for communication is as quickly obsolete as one got used to them and information is forgotten after the next click. But it is not just the distribution technology that is changing, also how people perceive and experience destinations is changing as tourists’ expectations change. A new tourist generation with different values and habits than the generations before will soon be the main focus in tourism communication. This thesis focuses on the role interactive features of web interaction play on tourists’ motivation and intention of this new generation of tourists. For this, an interactive map including videos was developed and evaluated through user-testing and qualitative interviews with eleven informants. The result was that interactive features have an influence on the user experience of the communication technology and therefore influence on the perception and satisfaction of the destination which then leads to an increasing chance of visit intention. The findings increase the understanding of the complex decision-making process of tourists, especially the ones that took part in the evaluation and how to use new and interactive technologies in order to influence the destinations they will choose for future trips