The impact of social network on tourist attitude towards ecotourism: a case of Vietnam

Abstract

As a result of the increase in global climate change and the development of social networks, the study of ecotourism and the impact of social networks has been getting greater attention. Nonetheless, research examining the impact of social networks on ecotourism has been limited. This study investigates the relationship between ease of use, perceived usefulness, wordof-mouth (WOM), perceived trust, and tourist attitude towards ecotourism, and examines the moderating role of perceived risk on these relationships in the context of Vietnam. The regression analysis was conducted with data from answers of 231 respondents. The results show that perceived trust has the largest impact on tourist attitude towards ecotourism, which is followed by perceived usefulness. WOM communication has the least impact. The study also highlights the role of perceived risk in moderating the relationship between social networks and tourist attitudes.

Keywords

• tourist attitude
• social network
• ecotourism
• vietnam