The use of smartphone for the search of touristic information. An application of the theory of planned behavior

Abstract

The study highlighted some of the current trends in tourism, showing that smartphone use was profoundly changing the tourism industry, including hotel customers’ information search behavior. The aim of the research was to test the applicability of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in explaining the formation of tourists’ intention to use smartphones to search for touristic information. One contribution of this research was the identification of the most relevant behavioral outcomes, referent groups and control beliefs for the targeted population. Moreover, the study revealed that, within the investigated group, the final model included two more causal paths compared to the original TPB model: from normative beliefs to attitude and from normative beliefs to intention. The results implied that, within studied population, the modified model of the TBP might be a good predictor of hotel customers’ intentions to use the smartphone for information search. Thereby, from a practical perspective, the investigation provides insights into tourists’ decision-making processes, allowing hotels and other companies to develop effective marketing strategies.