Trust in E-Tourism: Antecedents and Consequences of Trust in Travel-Related User-Generated Content

Abstract

The intangible characteristics of tourism services may cause concern for travel risks and anxiety to trip planners. In order to reduce uncertainty, an increasing number of trip planners are reading experiences shared by other travelers online. Notably, user-generated content (UGC) is considered more trustworthy than information provided by tourism providers. However, a rise in fake and sponsored online content makes travelers question the trustworthiness of UGC. As many factors account for evaluating the credibility of UGC, past E-tourism studies have aimed to identify the drivers, antecedents, and consequences of trust in UGC. This chapter offers a comprehensive literature review of past research on trust in E-tourism, focusing on UGC. We synthesize theories and frameworks used and discuss major concepts of trust as they relate to information and communication technology in tourism. This review of the literature shows that research in this area has made substantial progress but has not reached its level of maturity yet. Finally, the chapter suggests future directions for research in this area.