Tourists’ intention to use location-based services (LBS): Converging the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the elaboration likelihood model (ELM)

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the tourists’ intentions to use LBS within a tourism sector by integrating the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) into the framework of the theory of planned behavior (TPB).

Design/methodology/approach

This study is conducted by an online survey and a snowball sampling method with 353 respondents. The present study used a two-step method suggested by Anderson and Gerbing’s (1988).

Findings

Study results from structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that the new model has a better predictive ability. Additionally, study results from SEM demonstrated the causal relationships in the proposed model and identified a mediating role of attitude. Further, the moderating effects of involvement across the different relationships in ELM were also verified.

Originality/value

This study is the first to explain individuals’ decision-making process by using the TPB framework with the integration of meaningful constructs rooted in ELM. Therefore, the study results help the tourist application developers to use better marketing and service strategies through effective management of tourists’ central routes, peripheral routes, normatives and non-volitional processes of tourism LBS decision-making.

Citation

Meng, B. and Choi, K. (2019), "Tourists’ intention to use location-based services (LBS): Converging the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the elaboration likelihood model (ELM)", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 31 No. 8, pp. 3097-3115. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2018-0734