The digital tourist: examining user experience in travel apps using machine learning approach

The rapid digitalization of the tourism industry has significantly transformed how travellers engage with online travel platforms, making user experience a crucial determinant of success for travel applications. The study seeks to explore the factors that influence user experience in travel apps through the lens of User Experience (UX) and the UTAUT2 theory. The study applied topic modelling and regression analysis on user reviews from Goibibo and MakeMyTrip to identify key determinants such as trust, service experience, customer care, service quality, app performance, ease of use, and app usage. The findings of the study indicate that all these factors positively influence user experience, aligning with the UX perspective that seamless design, functionality, and usability enhance user experience. Furthermore, the study result also supports the UTAUT2 principle, which helps the study from different aspects. The study theoretically contributes by bridging technology-driven and service-driven approaches to digital tourism. Practically, the insights also offer actionable recommendations for app developers and service providers to improve service design and optimize performance.