Can AI Chatbot Adoption Bridge the Gap Between Intention and Behavior in Tourism Service E-Booking: A Moderated Mediation Model Analysis

Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this research examines how attitudes influence intentions and behaviors, and whether AI Chatbot serves as a contextual moderator that strengthens this linkage. Data were collected from 607 tourists at major destinations in Vietnam using systematic sampling. The hypotheses were tested with SPSS 26, AMOS 20, and the PROCESS macro to examine mediation and moderated mediation effects. The results show that e-booking intention partially mediates the relationship between e-booking attitudes and behavior. More importantly, AI Chatbot Adoption significantly enhances the intention–behavior linkage, thereby reducing the well-documented intention–behavior gap in e-booking. This result implies that tourism businesses and hotel managers can integrate AI Chatbot to provide real-time support, reduce customer hesitation, and improve booking conversion rates. Policymakers and AI developers are also encouraged to promote responsible adoption of AI in tourism to enhance service quality and customer trust.