Abstract
This study aimed at relating tourists’ Internet behaviours and the Big Five Factors (BFF) of personality to identify personality items that better predict tourists’ Internet behaviours. Survey data from 288 domestic tourists to Busan, South Korea, was used to empirically examine the relationship between the BFF and Internet behaviours. Results indicate that Internet travel information sources vary with the BFF with the exception of extraversion, and the Internet channels used for travel information search also varied with the BFF with the exception of conscientiousness. The Internet is more widely used as a source of travel information but less for travel purchases. The results also suggest that the responses to some BFF items can substantially improve the predictability of tourists’ Internet behaviours. Implications for the use of the BFF in designing travel information systems are addressed.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Allport, G. W. (1937). Personality: A Psychological Interpretation. New York: Henry Holt.
Bandura, A. (1999). Social Cognitive Theory of Personality. In Pervin, L.A. and John, O.P. (Eds.), Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research (2nd edition), The Guildford Press, New York.
Beldona, S., Morrison, A. M. & O’Leary, J. (2005). Online Shopping Motivations and Pleasure Travel Products: A Correspondence Analysis. Tourism Management 26: 561–570.
Bigne, E., Sanz, S., Ruiz, C. & Aldas, J. (2010). Why Some Internet Users Don’t Buy Air Tickets Online. In Gretzel, U., Law, R. And Fuchs, M. (Eds.), Information Communication Technologies in Tourism (pp. 209–222), SpringerWiens, NY.
Card, J. A., Chen, C, Y. & Cole, S. T. (2010). Online Travel Product Shopping: Differences between Shoppers and Non Shoppers. Journal of Travel Research 42(November): 133–139.
Costa, P. T. Jr. & McCrae, R. R. (1988). Personality in Adulthood: A Six-year Longitudinal Study of Self-reports and Spouse Ratings on the NEO Personality Inventory. Journal of Personal and Social Psychology 54(5): 853–863.
Fesenmaier, D. R, Werther, H. & Wober, K. W. (2006). Destination Recommendation Systems: Behavioral Foundations and Applications. CABI Publishing, Oxfordshire, UK.
Fesenmaier, D. R., Xiang, Z., Pan, B. & Law, R. (2010). An Analysis of Search Engine Use for Travel Planning. In Gretzel, U., Law, R. And Fuchs, M. (Eds.), Information Communication Technologies in Tourism (pp. 381–392), SpringerWiens, NY.
Fodness, D. & Murray, B. (1999). A Model of Tourist Information Search Behavior. Journal of Travel Research 37(February): 220–230.
Gitelson, R. J. & Crompton, J. L. (1983). The Planning Horizon and Sources of Information Used by Pleasure Vacationers. Journal of Travel Research 21(3): 2–7.
Gretzel, U., Mitsche, N., Hwang, Y. H. & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2004). Tell Me Who You Are and I Will Tell You Where To Go: Use of Travel Personalities in Destination Recommendation Systems. Information Technology and Tourism 7: 3–12.
Gursoy, D. & McCleary, K. W. (2004). An Integrative Model of Tourists’ Information Search Behavior. Annals of Tourism Research 31(2): 353–373.
Gursoy, D. & Umbreit, W. T. (2004). Tourist Information Search Behavior: Cross-cultural Comparison of European Union Member State. International Journal of Hospitality Management 23: 55–70.
Goossens, C. (2000). Tourism Information and Pleasure Motivation. Annals of Tourism Research 27(2): 301–321.
Heinstrom, J. (2005). Fast Surfing, Broad Scanning and Deep Diving: The Influence of Personality and Study Approach on Students’ Information-seeking Behavior. Journal of Documentation 61(2): 228–247.
Heung, V. C. S. (2003). Internet Usage by International Travelers: Reasons and Barriers. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 15(7): 370–378.
John, O. P., Donahue, E. M. & Kentle, R. (1991). The Big-five-Version 4a and 54. Institute of Personality and Social Research, University of California, Berkley.
John, O. P. & Srivastava, S. (1999). Big Five Trait Taxonomy. In Pervin, L. A. & John, O. P. (Eds.), Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research (2nd edition). The Guilford Press, New York.
Kah, J. A., Vogt, C. & MacKay, K. (2008). Online Travel Information Search and Purchasing by Internet Use Experiences. Information Technology and Tourism 10: 227–243.
Kim, D. Y., Lehto, X. Y. & Morrison, A. M. (2007). Gender Differences in Online Travel Information Search: Implications for Marketing Communications on the Internet. Tourism Management 28: 423–433.
Lee, J, Soutar, G. & Daly, T. (2007). Tourists’ Search for Different Types of Information: A Cross-national Study. Information Technology and Tourism 9: 165–176.
Luo, M., Feng, R. & Cai, L. A. (2004). Information Search Behavior and Tourist Characteristics: The Internet vis-à-vis Other Information Sources. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing 17(2): 15–25.
McCrae, R. R. & Costa, P. T. Jr. (1999). A Five Factor Theory of Personality. In Pervin, L. A. & John, O. P. (Eds.), Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research (2nd edition), The Guildford Press, New York.
McElroy, J. C., Hendrickson, A. R., Townsend, A. M. & DeMarie, S. M. (2007). Dispositional Factors in Internet Use: Personality versus Cognitive Style, MIS Quarterly 31(4): 809–820.
Mowen, J. C., Park, S. & Zablah, A. (2007). Towards a Theory of Motivation and Personality with Application of Word of Mouth Communications. Journal of Business Research 60: 590–596.
Okazaki, S. & Hirose, M. (2009). Does Gender Affect Media Choice in Travel Information Search? The Use of Mobile Internet. Tourism Management 30: 794–804.
Quintal, V. A., Lee, J. A. & Soutar, G. N. (2010). Tourist Information Search: The Differential Impact of Risk and Uncertainty Avoidance. International Journal of Tourism Research 12: 321–333.
Qi, S., Leung, R., Law, R. & Buhalis, D. (2010). Hong Kong Residents’ Perception of Travel Websites. In Gretzel, U., Law, R. & Fuchs, M. (Eds.), Information Communication Technologies in Tourism (pp. 75–86), Springer-Wiens, NY.
Pan, B. & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2006a). Online Information Search: Vacation Planning Process. Annals of Tourism Research 33(3): 809–832.
Pan, B. & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2006b). Information Search and Navigation on the Internet. In Fesenmaier, D. R., Wober, K. W. & Werthner, H. (Eds.), Destination Recommendation Systems: Behavioral Foundations and Applications. CABI International, Oxfordshire, UK.
Schul, P. & Crompton, J. L. (1983). Search Behavior of International Vacationers: Travelspecific Lifestyle and Sociodemographic Variables. Journal of Travel Research 22: 25–30.
Tidwell, M. & Sias, P. (2005). Personality and Information Seeking: Understanding How Traits Influence Information Seeking Behaviors. Journal of Business Communication 42(1): 51–77.
Tuten, T. L. & Bosnjak, N. (2001). Understanding Differences in Web Usage: The Role of Need for Cognition and the Five Factor Model of Personality. Social Behavior and Personality 29(4): 391–398.
Wong, C. K. S. & Liu, F. C. G. (In press). A Study of Pre-trip Use of Travel Guidebooks by Leisure Travelers. Tourism Management.
Yoo, K. H. & Gretzel, U. (in Press). Influence of Personality on Travel-related Consumer-Generated Media Creation. Computers in Human Behavior.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer-Verlag/Wien
About this paper
Cite this paper
Jani, D., Jang, JH., Hwang, YH. (2011). Personality and Tourists’ Internet Behaviour. In: Law, R., Fuchs, M., Ricci, F. (eds) Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2011. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-0503-0_47
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-0503-0_47
Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna
Print ISBN: 978-3-7091-0502-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-7091-0503-0