The Impact of Social Networking Sites on the Purchasing Behaviours of Online Travel Community Members

Abstract

The social networking websites have become quite popular in recent times. Millions of people have grasped the concept and embedded their lives in the interactions on these websites. Academics and businesses have begun to study how information that spreads through these loose associations and the way in which some people become particularly important disseminators of information with their regular postings perhaps would be replacing the traditional marketing communication channels.  The purpose of this study is to investigate how the interactions on these websites impact on the decision making process of participants.  Through content analysis of fifty (50) individual cases reported on TripAdvisor travel review websites at Greece forums of Tripadvisor.com.  The study finds that the online travel community has members that come to the site to search and share travel information and these postings has influenced on community members in their decision making process on planning, purchasing and use of travel products and services. The implications of the findings are discussed and future social networking websites research for the hospitality industry is suggested.

Keywords: social networking sites, purchasing behaviour, travelers.