Online information search, familiarity, hotel expectation, perceived safety, and destination image of Thailand: a comparison between Asian and Western tourists

Abstract

This study examines the effect of tourists’ online information search and familiarity on destination hotel expectation, perceived safety, and destination image of Thailand between Asian and Western tourists. A theoretical model was proposed and tested via a structural equation modeling approach. For both Asian and Western tourists, findings suggest that online information search positively affects hotel expectation, tourists’ perceived familiarity positively affects perceived destination safety, and hotel expectation is positively associated with perceived safety. For Asian tourists, hotel expectation positively affects destination image, while for Western tourists, destination safety is positively associated with destination image. A culture difference is demonstrated.