Online travel agencies: factors influencing tourist purchase decision

Résumé 0

This study aims to analyse the tourist online purchasing behaviour through Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) (Booking.com and Expedia.com), which factors have more influence on the buying decision-making and if the degree of importance given to some factors changes according to socio-demographic, economic or travel characteristics. Results show that most tourists book their accommodation through OTAs, mainly due to the easiness of browsing and the better prices. The results also suggest that the most important factor when booking accommodation is the price, although the buying process is complex, the online reviews, promotions and photos are also important. Regarding the level of importance online tourists give to price, there are differences between age groups, income and country of residence. The online reviews are important regardless of the characteristics of the tourist, except for age. It was possible, through a cluster analyses, to find three different segments of tourists considering the importance given to price, online reviews, promotions and photos.