The Power of Buzz: What Makes a Factory Fabulous? A Study on College Students' Tourism Behavior in Visiting Tourism Factories

Abstract

Amid Taiwan's growing domestic tourism market, understanding college students’ travel behavior toward tourism factories has become crucial for operators. Previous studies have primarily focused on experiences and satisfaction associated with tourism factories, yet have generally neglected a systematic investigation into how word of mouth influences the transformation process from behavioral intention to actual visit behavior among younger populations. Using the theory of planned behavior, this study investigates how word of mouth influences attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, further affecting behavioral intention and actual visit behavior. To explore the research objectives, data were collected from 161 college students who had previously visited tourism factories, and analyzed using the structural equation modeling method via Smart-PLS software. The results of the PLS-SEM analysis indicate that word of mouth exerts a significantly positive influence on college students' attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. In turn, these three variables significantly impact behavioral intention, demonstrating a strong positive effect on actual visit behavior. For college students' choices about where to travel, the importance of external social influences and practical considerations is greater than that of individual attitudes, which played a role in influencing behaviour, highlighting the important influence of word-of-mouth on decision-making again. Findings address the research gap in tourism factory studies targeting young consumers and provide managerial insights for developing marketing strategies. The results offer practical guidance for tourism factory operators to attract college students, contributing to strategic development in Taiwan's post-pandemic tourism industry.