The relationship between potential Chinese tourists' motivation, exposure to eWOM and intention to travel to Thailand

Abstract

The objectives of this research are to examine the potential Chinese tourists’ internal and external motivation to travel to Thailand, exposure to eWOM about tourism in Thailand, and intention to travel to Thailand, as well as the relationship between tourists’ motivation and exposure to eWOM, and the relationship between exposure to eWOM and travel intention. The quantitative research was conducted by an online survey, collecting data from 218 Chinese male and female respondents aged between 18 and 70 years old who have not visited Thailand before but have the intention to travel there.

The results show that (1) the sample’s strongest internal motivation to travel to Thailand is gaining knowledge while the strongest external motivation is current decision factors such as promotions; (2) the respondents are exposed to eWOM more from weak-tie information sources; and (3) they intend to travel to Thailand with a favorable attitude toward traveling to Thailand. Moreover, the research results demonstrate exposure to eWOM is highly related to tourists’ motivation (r = 0.721) and their travel intention (r = 0.720).