Influence of Electronic Word-of-Mouth on Destination Image of Chinese Tourists Travelling to Phuket

Abstract

In this era of internet popularity, electronic word-of-mouth has become an important way for modern people to search for travel information. This research aims to examine the perception of Chinese tourists on the destination image of Phuket, the influence of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on the destination image of Phuket, and the influence of demographic factors on the image of the destination. In addition, the study attempts to compare the destination image of Phuket from social media and the destination image from the post-trip stage, and to determine the relationship between the destination image of Phuket and future intention. The research of this article is mainly divided into two stages. In the first phase, a survey of Chinese tourists on vacation in Phuket was conducted to study the impact of demographic factors and electronic word-of-mouth on Phuket's image. Questionnaires were distributed to 400 Chinese tourists returning to China from Phuket International Airport. Results indicated that age, education, and income affect the destination’s image among demographic factors. Furthermore, the study found that electronic word-of-mouth also affected the image of the destination. The second stage of this research is an online comment analysis. These online reviews were selected from Ctrip, and the “Octoparse” was used to collect a total of 21,511 valid reviews. Finally, these data were further analyzed by Nvivo. The results obtained from both methods were compared. It is found that the image of Phuket as written in electronic word-of-mouth is similar to the destination image of Phuket when studied quantitatively. Particularly, both methods provide complementary results and pointed out that Chinese tourists felt positive about Phuket. However, there is some difference between the destination image from the post-trip stage and social media on price issues and Phuket performances. In the end, this article provides suggestions to relevant stakeholders for the future development of Phuket's tourism industry.