Acceptance and Use of Artificial Intelligence in Online Tourism Services by Generation Z in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The Saudi Tourist Authority is boosting its investment in the tourist sector to help achieve its 2030 Vision. Furthermore, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) was established to direct the national agenda and propel the Kingdom to the forefront of data-driven economies. As a result, Saudi Arabia has employed artificial intelligence (AI) to make tourism more enticing and accessible while also increasing revenue and diversity. Saudi Arabia is also considered a ’youth’ country, with 36.7% of its population being under the age of 30. This, in turn, led the current study to investigate Generation Z behavioral intentions and usage of AI in online tourism services in Saudi Arabia. The study used the technology acceptance model (TAM) and DeLone and McLean’s Information Systems Success (D&M ISS) Model as theoretical foundations to collect data from a survey of 430 Saudi Arabian Generation Z customers. The proposed model and hypotheses were examined using structural equation modeling (SEM). Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use had a substantial impact on attitudes regarding behavioral intention and usage behavior. Furthermore, within the IS Success Model, the study’s findings revealed that system quality, service quality, and information quality influence user perceived usefulness and ease of use. This study enriches the literature on Generation Z consumers’ behavioral intention and usage behavior to use AI in online tourism services, a topic that requires additional investigation. In addition, this study broadens the TAM’s theoretical potential by incorporating DeLone and McLean’s Information Systems Success Model, which examines AI in Saudi Arabian internet tourism.

Keywords

• Artificial intelligence
• chatbots
• adoption
• consumers
• Gen Z
• tourism