Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2222-6990

The Mediating Role of Electronic Word of Mouth (e-WOM) on Tourist Decisions Using (TAM) Model

Alaa Adel Alrefai, Shida Irwana Omar, Irhanida Abdul Kadir

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v15-i3/24696

Open access

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived ease of use) on the mediator electronic word of mouth (e-wom) on Tourist decision in Jordan. Based on the literature and review of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The population of this study is tourists who use e-WOM for tourism decisions in Jordan. A random sampling technique was used to collect data from both Jordanian and non-Jordanian tourists. The questionnaire was validated, and a pilot study was conducted prior to data collection. The data was collected from 504 tourists who use electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) for making tourism decisions in Jordan. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 22.0 and Partial Least Square (PLS) version 3.2.7. The findings revealed that perceived usefulness had significant positive effects on tourist decision-making, while perceived ease of use did not. Additionally, these factors were found to significantly enhance e-WOM communication. Importantly, e-WOM was shown to have a strong positive influence on tourist decisions and acted as a mediator in the relationships between the aforementioned factors and tourist decisions, Discussion of the findings as well as the limitation and direction of future work were given.

Abubakar, A. M., & Ilkan, M. (2016). Impact of online WOM on destination trust and intention to travel: A medical tourism perspective. Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, 5(3), 192–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2015.12.005
Al-Adwan, A. S., Kokash, H., Al Adwan, A., Alhorani, A., & Yaseen, H. (2020). Building customer loyalty in online shopping: The role of online trust, online satisfaction and electronic word of mouth. International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, 11(3), 278–306. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJEMR.2020.108132
Al-Okaily, M., Alsharairi, M., Natour, A. R. Al, Shishan, F., Al-Dmour, A., & Alghazzawi, R. (2021). Sustainable fintech innovation orientation: A moderated model. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(24). https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413591
Alghizzawi, M. (2019). A Survey of the Role of Social Media Platforms in Viral Marketing: The Influence of eWOM. International Journal of Information Technology and Language Studies (IJITLS), 3(2), 54–60. http://journals.sfu.ca/ijitls
Amani, D. (2022). I Have to Choose This University: Understanding Perceived Usefulness of Word of Mouth (WOM) in Choosing Universities among Students of Higher Education. Services Marketing Quarterly, 43(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332969.2021.1982851
Ayeh, J. K., Au, N., & Law, R. (2013). Predicting the intention to use consumer-generated media for travel planning. Tourism Management, 35, 132–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2012.06.010
Baber, P., Williams Jr, R. L., & Williams, H. A. (2022). The influence of e-WOM via social media platforms on e-Reputation and the selection of tourist destinations. In Handbook on Tourism and Social Media. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Balroo, S. A., & Saleh, M. A. H. (2019). Perceived eWOM and Students’ University Enrolment Intentions: The Corporate Image as a Mediator. Journal of Economics, Management and Trade, 24(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.9734/jemt/2019/v24i130152
Berné Manero, M. del C., Moretta Tartaglione, A., Russo, G., & Cavacece, Y. (2022). The impact of electronic word-of-mouth management in hotel ecosystem: insights about managers’ decision-making process. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 24(1), 227–256. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIC-07-2021-0201
Bickart, B., & Schindler, R. M. (2001). Internet forums as influential sources of consumer information. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 15(3), 31–40.
Bilal, M., Jianqiu, Z., Akram, U., Tanveer, Y., Sardar, T., & Rasool, H. (2020). Understanding the effects of internet usage behavior on ewom. International Journal of Information Systems in the Service Sector, 12(3), 93–113. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJISSS.2020070106
Bronner, F., & De Hoog, R. (2011). Vacationers and eWOM: who posts, and why, where, and what? Journal of Travel Research, 50(1), 15–26.
Chen, C. H., Nguyen, B., Klaus, P. “Phil,” & Wu, M. S. (2015). Exploring Electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM) in The Consumer Purchase Decision-Making Process: The Case of Online Holidays – Evidence from United Kingdom (UK) Consumers. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 32(8), 953–970. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2014.956165
Chen, L., & Yang, X. (2019). Using EPPM to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Fear Appeal Messages Across Different Media Outlets to Increase the Intention of Breast Self-Examination Among Chinese Women. Health Communication, 34(11), 1369–1376. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2018.1493416
Cheung, C. M. K., & Thadani, D. R. (2012). The impact of electronic word-of-mouth communication: A literature analysis and integrative model. Decision Support Systems, 54(1), 461–470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2012.06.008
Chu, S.-C., & Kim, Y. (2011). Determinants of consumer engagement in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in social networking sites. International Journal of Advertising, 30(1), 47–75.
Cunningham, M. S. (1967). The major dimensions of perceived risk. Risk Taking and Information Handling in Consumer Behavior.
Davis F., Bagozzi R., & Warshaw P. (1989). Aceptación de los usuarios de la tecnología informática: una comparación de dos modelos teóricos. Management Science, 35(8), 982–1003.
Davis, F. D. (n.d.). September 1989,“. Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology” MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 318–340.
Decrop, A., & Snelders, D. (2005). A grounded typology of vacation decision-making. Tourism Management, 26(2), 121–132.
Digital 2022: Jordan — DataReportal – Global Digital Insights. (n.d.). Retrieved January 8, 2023, from https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2022-jordan
Eneizan, B., Alsaad, A., Alkhawaldeh, A., Rawash, H. N., & Enaizan, O. (2020). E-WOM, trust, usefulness, ease of use, and online shopping via websites: The moderating role of online shopping experience. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, 98(13), 2554–2565.
Faqih, K. M. S. (2011). Integrating perceived risk and trust with technology acceptance model: An empirical assessment of customers’ acceptance of online shopping in Jordan. 2011 International Conference on Research and Innovation in Information Systems, ICRIIS’11. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRIIS.2011.6125686
Filieri, R., Acikgoz, F., Ndou, V., & Dwivedi, Y. (2021). Is TripAdvisor still relevant? The influence of review credibility, review usefulness, and ease of use on consumers’ continuance intention. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(1), 199–223. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2020-0402
Filieri, R., Lin, Z., Pino, G., Alguezaui, S., & Inversini, A. (2021a). The role of visual cues in eWOM on consumers’ behavioral intention and decisions. Journal of Business Research, 135(July), 663–675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.06.055
Filieri, R., Lin, Z., Pino, G., Alguezaui, S., & Inversini, A. (2021b). The role of visual cues in eWOM on consumers’ behavioral intention and decisions. Journal of Business Research, 135(June), 663–675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.06.055
Filieri, R., & McLeay, F. (2014). E-WOM and Accommodation: An Analysis of the Factors That Influence Travelers’ Adoption of Information from Online Reviews. Journal of Travel Research, 53(1), 44–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287513481274
Fong, J., & Burton, S. (2008). A cross-cultural comparison of electronic word-of-mouth and country-of-origin effects. Journal of Business Research, 61(3), 233–242.
Gosal, J., Andajani, E., & Rahayu, S. (2020). The effect of e-WOM on travel intention, travel decision, city image, and attitude to visit a tourism city. 17th International Symposium on Management (INSYMA 2020), 261–265.
Gretzel, U., & Yoo, K. H. (2008). Use and impact of online travel reviews. In Information and communication technologies in tourism 2008 (pp. 35–46). Springer.
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019a). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019b). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24.
Hao, Y. Y., Ye, Q., Li, Y. J., & Cheng, Z. (2010). How does the valence of online consumer reviews matter in consumer decision making? Differences between search goods and experience goods. Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2010.455
Hennig-Thurau, T., Gwinner, K. P., Walsh, G., & Gremler, D. D. (2004). Electronic word-of-mouth via consumer-opinion platforms: What motivates consumers to articulate themselves on the Internet? Journal of Interactive Marketing, 18(1), 38–52. https://doi.org/10.1002/dir.10073
Indarwati, T. A., Dhenabayu, R., Ramadhan, ), Pradana, M., Erta, ), Hapsari, ), Citra, S., & Dewi, P. (2023). Perceived Ease of Use on Purchasing Decisions in E-Commerce (a Case Study of TikTok Social Media). Management, Business and Social Science (IJEMBIS) Peer-Reviewed-International Journal, 2(1), 24–35. https://cvodis.com/ijembis/index.php/ijembis
Indrawati, Putri Yones, P. C., & Muthaiyah, S. (2022). eWOM via the TikTok application and its influence on the purchase intention of somethinc products. Asia Pacific Management Review, xxxx. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2022.07.007
Ismagilova, E., Slade, E., Rana, N. P., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2020). The effect of characteristics of source credibility on consumer behaviour: A meta-analysis. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53(September 2018), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.01.005
Israel, K., Tscheulin, D. K., & Zerres, C. (2019). Virtual reality in the hotel industry: Assessing the acceptance of immersive hotel presentation. European Journal of Tourism Research, 21, 5–22.
Jalilvand, M. R., & Samiei, N. (2012). The impact of electronic word of mouth on a tourism destination choice: Testing the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Internet Research, 22(5), 591–612. https://doi.org/10.1108/10662241211271563
Juniansyah, D., Hasan, S., Halim, A., & Kusuma, P. (2023). The Role of Consumer Emotional Value , and Service Innovation on Consumer Purchase Decisions?: TAM Theory Approach. 3, 52–65.
Khwaja, M. G., Mahmood, S., & Jusoh, A. (2020). Online information bombardment! How does eWOM on social media lead to consumer purchase intentions? International Journal of Grid and Utility Computing, 11(6), 857–867. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJGUC.2020.110918
Kim, S.-E., Lee, K. Y., Shin, S. Il, & Yang, S.-B. (2017). Effects of tourism information quality in social media on destination image formation: The case of Sina Weibo. Information & Management, 54(6), 687–702.
Laesser, C., Luo, J., & Beritelli, P. (2019). The SOMOAR operationalization: a holistic concept to travel decision modelling. Tourism Review, 74(3), 613–631. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-06-2018-0069
Lai, X., Wang, F., & Wang, X. (2021). Asymmetric relationship between customer sentiment and online hotel ratings: the moderating effects of review characteristics. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
Leong, C. M., Loi, A. M. W., & Woon, S. (2022). The influence of social media eWOM information on purchase intention. Journal of Marketing Analytics, 10(2), 145–157. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41270-021-00132-9
Li, H., Zhang, Z., Meng, F., & Zhang, Z. (2019). “When you write review” matters. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(3), 1273–1291. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-01-2018-0058
Litvin, S. W., Goldsmith, R. E., & Pan, B. (2008). Electronic word-of-mouth in hospitality and tourism management. Tourism Management, 29(3), 458–468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2007.05.011
Mensah, I. K. (2020). Perceived Usefulness and Ease of Use of Mobile Government Services. International Journal of Technology Diffusion, 11(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijtd.2020010101
Mohammed, A., & Al-Swidi, A. (2020). The mediating role of affective commitment between corporate social responsibility and eWOM in the hospitality industry. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(4), 570–594. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1818086
Mohammed Habes, Said A. Salloum, Mahmoud Alghizzawi, & Motteh S. Alshibly. (2018). The role of modern media technology in improving collaborative learning of students in Jordanian universities | Habes | International Journal of Information Technology and Language Studies. 2, 71–82. https://journals.sfu.ca/ijitls/index.php/ijitls/article/view/51
Nadir, M., Wardhani, W., & Setini, M. (2022). International Journal of Data and Network Science The effects of perceived ease of use , electronic word of mouth and content marketing on purchase decision. 6, 81–90. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2021.10.001
Narangajavana Kaosiri, Y., Callarisa Fiol, L. J., Moliner Tena, M. Á., Rodríguez Artola, R. M., & Sánchez García, J. (2019). User-generated content sources in social media: A new approach to explore tourist satisfaction. Journal of Travel Research, 58(2), 253–265.
Nilashi, M., Ali Abumalloh, R., Alrizq, M., Alghamdi, A., Samad, S., Almulihi, A., Althobaiti, M. M., Yousoof Ismail, M., & Mohd, S. (2022a). What is the impact of eWOM in social network sites on travel decision-making during the COVID-19 outbreak? A two-stage methodology. Telematics and Informatics, 69(August 2021), 101795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2022.101795
Nilashi, M., Ali Abumalloh, R., Alrizq, M., Alghamdi, A., Samad, S., Almulihi, A., Althobaiti, M. M., Yousoof Ismail, M., & Mohd, S. (2022b). What is the impact of eWOM in social network sites on travel decision-making during the COVID-19 outbreak? A two-stage methodology. Telematics and Informatics, 69(February), 101795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2022.101795
Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric Theory, 3r ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.
Pan, B., MacLaurin, T., & Crotts, J. C. (2007). Travel blogs and the implications for destination marketing. Journal of Travel Research, 46(1), 35–45.
Park, C., & Lee, T. M. (2009). Information direction, website reputation and eWOM effect: A moderating role of product type. Journal of Business Research, 62(1), 61–67.
Park, Y., & Gretzel, U. (2010). Shopping Proneness and Perceived Usefulness of Comparison Shopping Tools. 342–354.
Pop, R. A., S?pl?can, Z., Dabija, D. C., & Alt, M. A. (2022). The impact of social media influencers on travel decisions: the role of trust in consumer decision journey. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(5), 823–843. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1895729
Rahaman, M. A., Hassan, H. M. K., Al Asheq, A., & Islam, K. M. A. (2022). The interplay between eWOM information and purchase intention on social media: Through the lens of IAM and TAM theory. PLoS ONE, 17(9 September), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272926
Rahimizhian, S., Ozturen, A., & Ilkan, M. (2020). Emerging realm of 360-degree technology to promote tourism destination. Technology in Society, 63(September), 101411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101411
Reyes-Menendez, A., Correia, M. B., & Matos, N. (2020). Understanding online consumer behavior and ewom strategies for sustainable business management in the tourism industry. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(21), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12218972
Rondovi?, B., Djuri?kovi?, T., & Kaš?elan, L. (2019). Drivers of e-business diffusion in tourism: A decision tree approach. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 14(1), 30–50. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-18762019000100104
Rouidi, M., Elouadi, A. E., Hamdoune, A., Choujtani, K., & Chati, A. (2022). TAM-UTAUT and the acceptance of remote healthcare technologies by healthcare professionals: A systematic review. Informatics in Medicine Unlocked, 32(June), 101008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imu.2022.101008
Sabapathy, S. K., & Selvakumar, J. J. (2018). Impact of Facebook Marketing on E - Word of Mouth?: With Reference To the Hotel Industry. 8(116), 116–132.
Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Hair, J. F. (2017). Treating Unobserved Heterogeneity in PLS-SEM: A Multi-method Approach. In H. Latan & R. Noonan (Eds.), Partial Least Squares Path Modeling: Basic Concepts, Methodological Issues and Applications (pp. 197–217). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64069-3_9
Sekaran, U. (2016). Research methods for business: A skill building approach. John Wiley & Sons.
Singh, S., & Srivastava, P. (2019). Social media for outbound leisure travel?: a framework based on technology acceptance model ( TAM ). 5(1), 43–61. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-10-2018-0058
Sparks, B. A., & Browning, V. (2011). The impact of online reviews on hotel booking intentions and perception of trust. Tourism Management, 32(6), 1310–1323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2010.12.011
Suleman, D., Zuniarti, I., Sabil, Setyaningsih, E. D., Yanti, V. A., Susilowati, I. H., Sari, I., Sofyan, M., Seno, S. H., & Lestiningsih, A. S. L. (2019). Decision Model Based on Technology Acceptance Model (Tam) for Online Shop Consumers in Indonesia. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 23(4), 1–14. https://repository.bsi.ac.id/index.php/repo/viewitem/22868
Sweeney, J. C., Soutar, G. N., & Mazzarol, T. (2012). Word of mouth: Measuring the power of individual messages. European Journal of Marketing, 46(1), 237–257. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090561211189310
Sweeney, J., Soutar, G., & Mazzarol, T. (2012). Factors enhancing word-of-mouth influence?: positive and negative service-related messages. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-06-2012-0336
Sweeney, J., Soutar, G., & Mazzarol, T. (2014). Factors enhancing word-of-mouth influence: positive and negative service-related messages. European Journal of Marketing.
Thrash, T. M., Moldovan, E. G., Oleynick, V. C., & Maruskin, L. A. (2014). The psychology of inspiration. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 8(9), 495–510. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12127
Venkatesh, V., & Davis, F. D. (2000). A theoretical extension of the technology acceptance model: Four longitudinal field studies. Management Science, 46(2), 186–204.
Verma, D., Prakash Dewani, P., Behl, A., Pereira, V., Dwivedi, Y., & Del Giudice, M. (2023). A meta-analysis of antecedents and consequences of eWOM credibility: Investigation of moderating role of culture and platform type. Journal of Business Research, 154(September 2022), 113292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.08.056
Verma, S., & Yadav, N. (2021). Past, Present, and Future of Electronic Word of Mouth (EWOM). Journal of Interactive Marketing, 53, 111–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2020.07.001
Walle, A. H. (1997). Quantitative versus qualitative tourism research. Annals of Tourism Research, 24(3), 524–536. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0160-7383(96)00055-2
Xia, M., Zhang, Y., & Zhang, C. (2018). A TAM-based approach to explore the effect of online experience on destination image: A smartphone user’s perspective. Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, 8(January 2017), 259–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2017.05.002
Yadav, N., Verma, S., & Chikhalkar, R. D. (2021). eWOM, destination preference and consumer involvement – a stimulus-organism-response (SOR) lens. Tourism Review, 77(4), 1135–1152. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-10-2020-0506
Yan, Q., Wu, S., Zhou, Y., & Zhang, L. (2018). How differences in eWOM platforms impact consumers’ perceptions and decision-making. Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce, 28(4), 315–333. https://doi.org/10.1080/10919392.2018.1517479
Ye, Q., Law, R., Gu, B., & Chen, W. (2011). The influence of user-generated content on traveler behavior: An empirical investigation on the effects of e-word-of-mouth to hotel online bookings. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(2), 634–639. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.04.014
Yuan, L., Deng, X., & Zhong, W. (2021). Encouraging Passive Members of Online Brand Communities to Generate eWOM Based on TAM and Social Capital Theory. IEEE Access, 9, 12840–12851. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3050162
Zarifah Dhabitah Mahat, N., & Hafiz Hanafiah, M. (2020). Help me tripadvisor! Examining the relationship between Tripadvisor e-WOM attributes, trusts towards online reviews and travellers behavioural intentions. Journal of Information and Organizational Sciences, 44(1), 83–112.
Zhang, L., Tan, W., Xu, Y., & Tan, G. (2012). Dimensions of perceived risk and their influence on consumers’ purchasing behavior in the overall process of B2C. In Engineering education and management (pp. 1–10). Springer.

Alrefai, A. A., Omar, S. I., & Kadir, I. A. (2025). The Mediating Role of Electronic Word of Mouth (e-WOM) on Tourist Decisions Using (TAM) Model. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 15(3), 116–140.