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        Word of Mouth, the Importance of Reviews and Ratings in Tourism Marketing

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        Author
        Mellinas, Juan Pedro
        Reino, Sofia
        Attention
        2299/20520
        Abstract
        The Internet and social media have given place to what is commonly known as the democratization of content and this phenomenon is changing the way that consumers and companies interact. Business strategies are shifting from influencing consumers directly and induce sales to mediating the influence that Internet users have on each other. A consumer review is “a mixture of fact and opinion, impression and sentiment, found and unfound tidbits, experiences, and even rumor” (Blackshaw & Nazarro, 2006). Consumers' comments are seen as honest and transparent, but it is their subjective perception what shapes the behavior of other potential consumers. With the emergence of the Internet, tourists search for information and reviews of destinations, hotels or services. Several studies have highlighted the great influence of online reputation through reviews and ratings and how it affects purchasing decisions by others (Schuckert, Liu, & Law, 2015). These reviews are seen as unbiased and trustworthy, and considered to reduce uncertainty and perceived risks (Gretzel & Yoo, 2008; Park & Nicolau, 2015). Before choosing a destination, tourists are likely to spend a significant amount of time searching for information including reviews of other tourists posted on the Internet. The average traveler browses 38 websites prior to purchasing vacation packages (Schaal, 2013), which may include tourism forums, online reviews in booking sites and other generic social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter.
        Publication date
        2018-08-28
        Published in
        Strategic Perspectives in Destination Marketing
        Published version
        https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-5835-4
        License
        Unspecified
        Other links
        http://hdl.handle.net/2299/20520
        Relations
        Hertfordshire Business School
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