CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) is everywhere. This research explores whether and how travelers’ upfront exposure to a CAPTCHA influences their subsequent behaviors. In the travel decision-making context, we investigated the relationship between CAPTCHA and travelers’ hotel preferences and intent to use cryptocurrency during the trip. In two experimental studies, we found that travelers exposed to a CAPTCHA (vs. not) preferred a robot-staffed to a human-staffed hotel (Study 1) and a pro-environmental to a quality hotel (Study 2). Exposure to a CAPTCHA also influences travelers’ intent to use cryptocurrency during travel (Study 2). Preference for a pro-environmental hotel does not depend on the formats of CAPTCHA (“I am not a robot” or “I am human”) while intent to use cryptocurrency is higher when travelers were exposed to the “I am not a robot” than “I am human” CAPTCHA. The results of two exploratory studies suggest several potential mechanisms by which CAPTCHAs affect travelers’ behaviors and call for more research on this topic.
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