This research proposed and empirically tested a behavioural model of online tourist information search by integrating the consumer involvement concept, modes of cognitive processing and knowledge representation. The model identified two types of online information involvement: involvement measured by time spent online (degree of search) and by types of information sought (content of search). The results showed prior experience and knowledge with a destination influenced both by the content of search and the degree of search that a traveller engages in online while planning a trip. It appears that online search effort decreases and search content changes as a result of the different level of prior knowledge that a tourist brings to a search. The results will also have practical implications for the content, length and presentation of tourism websites that service iTravellers.
AlbaJ. W.LynchJ.WeitzB.JaniszewskiC.LutzR.SawyerA.WoodS. (1997) ‘Interactive home shopping: Consumer, retailer, and manufacturer incentives to participate in electronic marketplaces’, Journal of Marketing, 61, July, 38–53.
2.
AndersonJ. R. (1983) ‘The Architecture of Cognition’, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press.
3.
BettmanJ. R. (1979) ‘Information Processing Theory of Consumer Choice’, Addison-Wesley, Boston, MA.
4.
BiswasD. (2004) ‘Economics of information in the web economy towards a new theory?’Journal of Business Research, 57, 724–733.
5.
BogozziR. P.YiY. (1988) ‘On the evaluation of structural equation model’, Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, 16 Spring, 74–94.
6.
BrucksM. (1985) ‘The effects of product class knowledge on information search behaviour’, Journal of Consumer Research, 12, 1–16.
7.
ByrneB. M. (2001) ‘Structural Equation Modeling with AMOS: Basic Concept, Applications, and Programming’, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Mahahw, NJ.
8.
CoupeyE.IrwinR.PayneJ. (1998) ‘Product category familiarity and preference construction’, Journal of Consumer Research, 24, 459–468.
9.
DholakisU.BaggozziR. (2001) ‘Consumer behaviour in digital environments’, in WindJ.MahajanV. (eds) ‘Digital Marketing’, John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp. 163–200.
10.
EngelJ. F.BlackwellR. D.MiniardP. W. (1990) ‘Consumer Behavior’, The Dryden Press, Orlando, FL.
11.
FodnessD.MurrayB. (1999) ‘A model of tourist information search behaviour’, Journal of Travel Research, 37, February, 220–230.
12.
FodnessD.MurrayB. (1998) ‘A typology of tourist information search strategies’, Journal of Travel Research, 37, 108–119.
13.
GoldmanA. (1977) ‘Consumers knowledge of food prices as an indicator of shopping effectiveness’, Journal of Marketing, 41, 67–75.
14.
GollwitzerP. M. (1996) ‘The volitional benefits of planning’, in CollwitzerP. M.BarghJ. A. (eds) ‘The Psychology of Action: Linking Cognition and Motivation to Behavior’, Guilford Press, New York, pp. 287–312.
15.
GursoyD.McClearyK. W. (2004) ‘An integrative model of tourisrs' information search behaviour’, Annals of Tourism Research, 31, 2, 353–373.
16.
GursoyD. (2003) ‘Prior product knowledge and its influence on the traveller's informaotn search behaviour’, Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Marketing, 10, 3, 113–131.
17.
GursoyD.ChenJ. (2000) ‘Competitive analysis of cross cultural information search behaviour’, Tourism Management, 21, 583–590.
18.
HawkinsD. I.BestR. J.ConeyK. A. (2000) ‘Consumer Behavior: Building Marketing Strategy’, Irwin McGraw-Hill, Boston, MA.
19.
HeckhausenH.GollwitaerP. M. (1987) ‘Thought contents and cognitive functioning in motivational versus volitional states of mind’, Motivation and Emotion, 11, 101–120.
20.
JohnsonE. J.RussoE. J. (1984) ‘Pruduct familiarity and learning new information’, Journal of Consumer Research, 11, 1, 542–550.
21.
JohnsonR. A.WichernD. W. (1998) ‘Applied multivariate statistical analysis’, 4th edn, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
22.
KielG. C.LaytonR. A. (1981) ‘Dimensions of consumer information seeking behaviour’, Journal of Marketing Research, 18, 233–239.
23.
KlineR. B. (1998) ‘Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling’, Guildford Press, New York, NY.
24.
KoufarisM.KambilA.LaBarberaP. A. (2002) ‘Consumer behaviour in web-based commerce: An empirical study’, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 6, 2, 115–138.
25.
LaaksonenP. (1994) ‘Consumer Involvement: Concepts and Research’, Routledge, New York, NY.
LehtoX. Y.O'LearyJ.T.MorrisonA. M. (2004) ‘The effect of prior experience on vacation behaviour’, Annals of Tourism Research, 31, 4, 801–818.
28.
MarchioniniG. (1995) ‘Information Seeking in Electronic Environment’, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, MA.
29.
MarshH. W.BallaJ. R.McDonaldR. (1998) ‘Goodness-of-fit indexes in confirmatory factor analysis: The effects of sample size’, Psychological Bulletin, 103, 3, 391–410.
30.
MarvelH. P. (1976) ‘The economics of information and retail gasoline price behaviour; An empirical analysis’, Journal of Political Economy, 84, 1003–1059.
31.
MinskyM. (1975) ‘A Framework for Representing Knowledge’, in WinstonP. (eds) ‘The Psychology of Computer Vision’, McGraw-Hill, NY.
32.
MoneyB. R.CrottsJ. C. (2003) ‘The effect of uncertainty avoidance on information search, planning and purchases of international travel vacations’, Tourism Management, 24, 2, 191–202.
33.
MoorthyS.RatchfordB. T.TalukdarD. (1997) ‘Consumer information search revisited: Theory and empirical analysis’, Journal of Consumer Research, 23, 4, 263–277.
34.
NewellA.SimonH. A. (1972) ‘Human Problem Solving’, Prentice-Hall, Engle-wood Cliffs, NJ.
35.
NewmanJ. W.StaelinR. (1972) ‘Pre-purchase information seeking for new cars and major household appliances’, Journal of Marketing Research, 9, 249–257.
36.
OlshavskyR. W.GranboisD. H. (1979) ‘Consumer decison making - fact or fiction?’Journal of Consumer Research, 6, 2, 93–100.
37.
PetersonR. A.MerinoM. C. (2003) ‘Consumer information search behaviour and the Internet’, Psychology and Marketing, 20, 2, 99–121.
38.
QiuL. (1993) ‘Markov models of search state patterns in a hypertext information retrieval system’, Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 44, 413–427.
39.
RatchfordB. T. (1982) ‘Cost-benefit models for explaining consumer choice and information seeking behaviour’, Management Science, 28, 2, 197–202.
40.
RatchfordB. T.TalukdarD.LeeM. S. (2001) ‘A model of consumer choice of the Internet as an information source’, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 5, 3, 7–21.
41.
RatchfordB. T.SrinivasanN. (1993) ‘An empirical investigation of returns to search’, Marketing Science, 12, 1, 73–87.
42.
SchankR. C.AbelsonR. P. (1977) ‘Scripts, Plans, Goals, and Understanding’. Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ.
43.
SchertlerW.SchmidB.TjoaA. M.WerthnerH. (1995) ‘Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism’, Springer-VerlagWien, New York.
44.
SchumackerR. E.LomaxR. G. (1996) ‘Beginner's Guide to Structural Equation Modeling’, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Mahahw, NJ.
45.
SnepengerD.MegedK.SnellingM.WorrallK. (1990) ‘Information search strategies by destination-naïve tourist’, Journal of Travel Research, 29, 1, 13–16.
46.
StiglerG. J. (1961) ‘The economics of information’, The Journal of Political Economy, 69, 3, 213–225.
47.
StoneR. N. (1984) ‘The marketing characteristics of involvement’, Advances in Consumer Research, 11, 210–215.
48.
VogtC. A. (1993) ‘The role of touristic information in the pre-trip experience’, unpublished dissertation. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign.
49.
WerthnerH.KleinS. (1999) ‘Information Technology and Tourism — A Challenging Relationship’, Springer-VerlagWien, New York.
50.
WilliamsonO. E. (1985) ‘A History of Computing Technology’, Prentice Hall, Engle-wood Cliffs, NJ.
