Switching Barriers in Online Travel Agencies: The Impact on Positive Word of Mouth
This research attempts to clarify the different approaches followed in the literature to describe switching barriers. It helps identify and shed light on the wide variety of barriers that firms must manage. The study evaluates the role of switching barriers in online environments, distinguishing
between positive and negative barriers, and examines the factors that favor positive recommendations to other customers. To test the causal relationships between switching barriers, trust, affective commitment, and positive recommendations, a model was constructed and estimated using the SEM
methodology. The findings show that positive switching barriers affect positive recommendations both directly and indirectly through their effect on trust. Negative switching barriers, in contrast, only have a direct and negative effect on positive recommendations. It is fundamental for virtual
travel agencies to be trained to recognize when their customers are staying willingly and when they feel locked into their relationships.
Keywords: COMMITMENT; ONLINE TRAVEL AGENCIES; SWITCHING BARRIERS; TRUST; WORD OF MOUTH
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 15 May 2019
- Established in 1996, Tourism Analysis is an interdisciplinary journal that provides a platform for exchanging ideas and research in tourism and related fields. The journal aims to publish articles that explore a broad range of research subjects, including, but not limited to, the social, economic, cultural, environmental, and psychological aspects of tourism, consumer behavior in tourism, sustainable and responsible tourism, and effective operations, marketing, and management.
Tourism Analysis focuses on both theoretical and applied research and strives to promote innovative approaches to understanding the complex and dynamic nature of tourism, its stakeholders, businesses, and its effects on society. The journal welcomes articles on innovative research topics and methodologies beyond the traditional theory-testing sciences, such as robotics, computational sciences, and data analytics.
Our primary goal is to contribute to the development and advancement of new knowledge in tourism while fostering critical reflections and debates on the radical changes and evolution in tourism among scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders.
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