Abstract (150 Words)
One of the major factors influencing consumer decisions to purchase a product or service is information sources about the product or service. Awareness of a particular product or service and resulting purchase decisions largely depend on the information consumers are able to gather and the credibility of such information. Often, purchase decisions that are considered risky or about which consumers have more uncertainty result in information search. Travel purchase decisions generally have attributes that encourage consumers to engage in information search. Numerous factors may influence a consumer's information seeking behavior. Several researchers suggest one factor influencing information search is a consumer’s level of product involvement. This purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between product involvement and information search with respect to a tourism destination. A survey was conducted with prospective travelers to a destination in the U.S. Results suggest there is a relationship between involvement and information search, with more involved travelers having an interest in more information about a destination.
Tourism Product Involvement and Information Search
One of the major factors influencing consumer decisions to purchase a product or service is information sources about the product or service. Awareness of a particular product or service and resulting purchase decisions largely depend on the information consumers are able to gather and the credibility of such information. Often, purchase decisions that are considered risky or about which consumers have more uncertainty result in information search. Travel purchase decisions generally have attributes that encourage consumers to engage in information search. Numerous factors may influence a consumer's information seeking behavior. Several researchers suggest one factor influencing information search is a consumer’s level of product involvement. This purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between product involvement and information search with respect to a tourism destination. A survey was conducted with prospective travelers to a destination in the U.S. Results suggest there is a relationship between involvement and information search, with more involved travelers having an interest in more information about a destination.
