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Personal Profile Information as Cues of Credibility in Online Travel Reviews

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Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2013

Abstract

Given the importance of travellers’ reviews as a source of travel-related information, source credibility is becoming an increasingly crucial issue in terms of research and application. This study examines the role of self-disclosed personal profile information (PPI) as cues of source credibility in the context of travellers’ use of online reviews for trip planning purposes. The results show that the perceived congruence between PPI, i.e., reviewer location and travel interest, and the textual content of the review influences subjects’ judgements of the reviewer’s credibility. The findings suggest that the availability of the reviewer’s self-disclosed PPI serves as credibility cues for travellers’ assessments of travel reviewers. The implications of the study, as well as directions for future research, are discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Mechanising, Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of North Texas, Denton, USA

    Hee Lye Park

  2. The Faculty of Mechanising, Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of North Texas, Denton, USA

    Zheng Xiang, Bharath Josiam & Haejung Maria Kim

Authors
  1. Hee Lye Park
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  2. Zheng Xiang
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  3. Bharath Josiam
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  4. Haejung Maria Kim
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hee Lye Park .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Faculty of Communication Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, Via Giuseppe Buffi 13, Lugano, 6904, Switzerland

    Lorenzo Cantoni

  2. , College of Merchandising,, University of North Texas, Union Circle 1155, Denton, 76203-1100, Texas, USA

    Zheng (Phil) Xiang

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Park, H.L., Xiang, Z., Josiam, B., Kim, H.M. (2013). Personal Profile Information as Cues of Credibility in Online Travel Reviews. In: Cantoni, L., Xiang, Z. (eds) Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2013. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36309-2_20

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