The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors associated with TikTok use among Bulgarian users as a source of travel-related information when making a travel decision. This study applied the UTAUT2 model with an additional factor, perceived trust, as a replication of an earlier study by Zhou et al. (2023). A quantitative research approach was adopted and primary data was collected via self-completed questionnaires, distributed online. The findings indicate that habit, perceived trust and intention are the most influential factors associated with actual travel behaviour within the sample. Altough participants admit to having visited a destination after watching a TikTok video, it could not be determined by this study whether TikTok was the sole influential factor contributing to travel decisions. It is discussed that TikTok plays a complementary role in travel decision-making, with more inspirational and informing role. The study focused on Bulgaria, as a developing and contemporary European tourism market and aimed at providing an additional insight to the existing body of knowledge on social media and travel decision-making.
Kristin Borisova (Thu,) studied this question.