Author(s): Malek Kohli, Ayoub Nefzi
The current study addresses the impact of social media on the formation of tourist destination image in order to identify which information quality is most appropriate to influence the intention to visit a country. Several empirical steps have been followed to validate the conceptual model put forward. A qualitative study has made it possible to refine our hypotheses whereas a quantitative led to the validation of our conceptual model. Data were obtained from a survey of 310 participants that was carried out to test the impact of information quality on destination image formation. Three major data analysis techniques were used: exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and multi-group analysis. In general, the results support most of our hypotheses. The findings show that the quality of information on Facebook web pages has an impact on the cognitive image, but not on the affective one. Furthermore, results also show that both word of mouth and risk perception moderate the relationship between the previously mentioned images.