Preliminary communication

WORD OF MOUTH IN TOURISM - A SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS

Aleksandar Grubor ; University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Economics in Subotica, Subotica, Republic of Serbia
Dražen Marić orcid.org/0000-0002-8904-2834 ; University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Economics in Subotica, Subotica, Republic of Serbia
Ksenija Leković ; University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Economics in Subotica, Subotica, Republic of Serbia

Abstract

In spite of the efforts of tourism marketers to encourage consumers to revisit particular tourist destinations, other factors contribute to this decision-making process. In this way, recommendations from family members and friends are considered to be trustful source of information in the process of choosing a tourist destination. Regardless of whether or not they have visited a tourist destination themselves, consumers recommend it to their family members and friends. This study represents an analysis of consumers’ socio-demographic characteristics (gender, age, education) differentiating between those who recommend, those who intend to recommend and those who do not. The aim of the paper is to point to the existence of differences of consumers in tourist destination decision making, according to socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. The sample included 250 respondents from the territory of the Province of Vojvodina. In order to test proposed hypothesis statistical methods such as t test for independent samples and ANOVA were used. Key results of this research can be summarised as respondents in the sample do not show statistically significant differences in terms of demographic characteristics – gender, age and education level by any form of interpersonal behaviour and word-of-mouth communication in the process of choosing a tourist destination.

Keywords

word of mouth; recommendations; tourism; decision making process

Hrčak ID:

238559

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/238559

Publication date:

1.6.2020.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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