Understanding the eWOM mechanism towards online travel agency adoption intention: A computational perspective using elaboration likelihood model

In the tourism industry, online travel agencies (OTAs) have become a popular and relatively affordable distribution channel. During vacation planning, people seek and peruse online information about a specific destination and package tour, and subsequently, they actively disseminate their travel experiences. The advancement of e-commerce is heavily dependent on shared information called electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). This study aims to investigate, within the context of the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), a moderated-mediation approach that uses positive eWOM stimuli to promote the adoption of OTA. In total, 687 valid responses were received through online (n = 302) and offline (n = 385) surveys conducted in four major Indian metropolitan cities. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and PROCESS macro were applied to test the proposed hypotheses. The study focuses on three key aspects of eWOM dimensions like argument quality, consistency and volume. The intention to use OTAs is vastly triggered by argument quality and consistency. In addition, trust was found to be a mediator among eWOM and OTA adoption intention, and the moderation effects for different involvement levels of travelers. These insights also supplement the existing sources of literature in tourism, especially in the domains of eWOM and ELM theory. Some recommendations based on the results are provided for travel organizations to leverage positive eWOM to increase the sustainable adoption of their services as OTA. This finding suggests that OTAs should emphasize enhancing the quality and consistency of reviews, invest in review-verification mechanisms, and highlight trustworthy user experiences rather than relying solely on generating high review volumes.