The Effect of Word of Mouth on Inbound Tourists’ Decision for Traveling to Islamic Destinations (The Case of Isfahan as a Tourist Destination in Iran)

Abstract

Word of mouth (WOM) is becoming recognized as an important form of promotion influencing consumer’s attitudes and purchase behavior. WOM is especially important in tourism industry, whose intangible products are difficult to evaluate prior to consumption. The purpose is to survey the effect of WOM on tourists’ decision for traveling to an Islamic destination. Findings indicate that WOM affects traveling decision. Further, nationality, gender, trip purpose, and previous experience of traveling were associated with using WOM.