THE EFFECT OF WORD-OF MOUTH ON THE TRAVEL DECISION MAKING OF OMANI HONEYMOONERS Aaisha Sulaiman Al Shuaili ID: 650059675
This dissertation is an original piece of work, and I acknowledge that I have read and understood university rules concerning plagiarism. …………………... September 2016
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Contents ......................................................................................................................................... 1 List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... 5 List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ 6 List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................ 7 Acknowledgment ..................................................................................................................... 8 Abstract .................................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter One: Introduction ..................................................................................................... 10 1.1.
Research background:............................................................................................ 10
1.2.
Research aim and objectives: ................................................................................ 12
1.3.
Research structure: ................................................................................................ 14
Chapter Two: Literature Review ............................................................................................ 15 2.1.
Introduction: .......................................................................................................... 15
2.2.
WOM: ..................................................................................................................... 15
2.2.1.
WOM in tourism: ........................................................................................... 16
2.2.2.
Positive and negative WOM: ......................................................................... 18
2.3.
Electronic WOM (E-WOM): .................................................................................... 19
2.4.
Dimensional differences between WOM and E-WOM in tourism: ....................... 21
2.5.
Travel decision making:.......................................................................................... 24
2.6.
Push and Pull Factors: ............................................................................................ 28
2.7.
Honeymoon Tourism: ............................................................................................ 29
2.8.
Sultanate of Oman: ................................................................................................ 31
2.8.1.
Tourism in Oman: ........................................................................................... 32
2.8.2.
Omani outbound tourists:.............................................................................. 33
2.9.
Conclusion: ............................................................................................................. 34
Chapter Three: Methodology ................................................................................................ 35 3.1.
Introduction: .......................................................................................................... 35
3.2.
Research topic:....................................................................................................... 35
3.3.
Primary and secondary research: .......................................................................... 36
3.4.
Research design and strategy: ............................................................................... 37
3.5.
Questionnaire: ....................................................................................................... 40
3.5.1.
Design:............................................................................................................ 41
3.5.2.
Sampling:........................................................................................................ 41
3.5.3.
Data collection and analysis: .......................................................................... 43
3.6.
Semi-structured interviews:................................................................................... 44
3.6.1.
Design:............................................................................................................ 44 2
3.6.2.
Sampling:........................................................................................................ 45
3.6.3.
Data collection and analysis: .......................................................................... 47
3.7.
Research ethics: ..................................................................................................... 48
3.8.
Conclusion: ............................................................................................................. 49
Chapter Four: Results and discussions................................................................................... 50 4.1.
Introduction: .......................................................................................................... 50
4.2.
Results and discussion: .......................................................................................... 51
4.2.1.
Honeymoon destinations selected by Omani honeymooners: ..................... 51
4.2.2.
Travel motivations that encourage Omani honeymooners to travel: ........... 54
4.2.3. Sources of WOM that have the most impact on Omani honeymooners’ travel decision: 56 4.2.4. The level of trust that Omani honeymooners place on WOM compared to EWOM sources of information: ....................................................................................... 60 4.2.5. The effect of WOM compared to other destination promotions on Omani honeymooners’ travel decisions: ................................................................................... 64 4.2.6. The effect of WOM on the travel behaviour of Omani honeymooners at the destination: .................................................................................................................... 66 4.2.7. The effect of cultural and religious norms on the destination selection and enjoyment of Omani honeymooners:............................................................................ 68 4.2.8. The relationship between WOM and the Islamic and cultural norms of Omani society: ............................................................................................................... 70 4.3.
Research main findings: ......................................................................................... 73
Chapter Five: Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 75 5.1.
Introduction: .......................................................................................................... 75
5.2.
Implications of the research findings: .................................................................... 75
5.3.
Research contribution:........................................................................................... 77
5.4.
Limitations and recommendations: ....................................................................... 77
Appendices............................................................................................................................. 79 Appendix 1: ........................................................................................................................ 79 Appendix 2: ........................................................................................................................ 83 Appendix 2.1: ................................................................................................................. 84 Appendix 3: ........................................................................................................................ 89 Appendix 4: ........................................................................................................................ 90 Appendix 5: ...................................................................................................................... 101 Appendix 6: ...................................................................................................................... 102 Appendix 7: ...................................................................................................................... 103 Appendix 8: ...................................................................................................................... 104 3
Appendix 9: ...................................................................................................................... 105 Appendix 10: .................................................................................................................... 106 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 107
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List of Figures Figure Figure 112: positive, neutral and negative WOM Figure 2.2: Module of the effect of EWOM on travel decision Figure 2.3: The dimensional differences between WOM and E-WOM Figure 2.4: Maslow's hierarchy of needs Figure 2.5: The map of Oman Figure 3.1: Explanatory design of mixed method research Figure 4.1: Main themes of research Figure 4.2: Frequency of Omani honeymooners' destinations Figure 4.3: The motivational travel factors for Omani honeymooners Figure 4.4: Common push and pull factors of Omani honeymooners Figure 4.5: Travel information sources for Omani honeymooners Figure 4.6: Participants belief in the ability of the internet to provide travel information Figure 4.7: WOM influence comparing to destination promotion
Page number 18 21 22 28 31 38 50 50 53 55 59 60
64
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List of Tables Table Table 3.1: Contribution of selected methods toward the delivery of research objectives Table 3.2: Research strategy Table 4.1: The reasons for choosing Malaysia as a honeymoon destination for Omani honeymooners Table 4.2: Travel motivations for Omani honeymooners Table 4.3: Gender* honeymoon travel information Cross-Tabulation Table 4.4: Gender* honeymoon travel information Chi-Square Test Table 4.5: Omani honeymooners' sources of travel information Table 4.6: Gender* negative recommendations effect Chi-Square Test Table 4.7: Mann-Whitney U Test of consultation by gender Table 4.8: Mann-Whitney U Test of WOM influence compared to destination promotion on gender Table 4.9: The effect of Islamic, traditional and cultural aspects on the destination selection and enjoyment of Omani honeymooners Table 4.10: Islamic and cultural aspects influence on Omani honeymooners' destination selection and enjoyment Table 4.11: Taking other Omanis' travel recommendations under consideration Table 4.12: Mann-Whitney Test on taking other Omani's recommendations to be under consideration
Page number 39
40 53
55 57 58 58 62
63 66
68
70
71 72
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List of Abbreviations ads:
Advertising
E-WOM:
Electronic word of mouth
GCC:
Gulf Cooperation Council
GDP:
Gross Domestic Product
H0:
Null hypothesis
H1:
Alternative hypothesis
NCSI:
National Centre for Statistics
and Information OMR:
Omani Rial
P:
Asymptotic significance
WOM:
Word of mouth
WWW:
World Wide Web
X2:
Chi-Square Test
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Acknowledgment
To my father’s soul. To the beloved mother who I will never forget her strong support and pure prayers to me. To my dear husband who always encourage me to be at my best. To every member of my beloved family. I would like to say thank you to all of them. Special thanks to my supervisor Dr. Joanne Connell for her great assistance and support. Finally, I would like to send my warm thanks to the government of Oman for giving me the chance to have this great educational experience.
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Abstract Honeymoon tourism is considered as one of the most profitable types of tourism, since it has no marketing limitations and it has a year-round business market. Nowadays, honeymoon travel is becoming a noticeable trend in Omani society. Word of mouth (WOM) is playing an influential role in tourism, especially in the travel decision-making process. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate the effect of WOM on the travel decisions of Omani honeymooners. The study's primary data collection was based on a mixed method approach, consisting of a questionnaire and interviews. The research surveyed 341 respondents, all of whom had experience of honeymoon travel either in or outside of Oman. Moreover, four semi-structured interviews were conducted with previous honeymooners to reflect a deeper understanding and clarification of the questionnaire’s findings. While a frequency test, cross tabulation, Chi-Square Test and Mann-Whitney U Test were used to analyse the survey’s findings, an inductive content analysis was used to analyse the interview results. The results of the research reflect that WOM is playing an important role in affecting the travel decisions of Omani honeymooners. Moreover, it has a high level of relationship with the Islamic and cultural norms of Omani society. Hence, this relationship affects the travel decision-making of Omani honeymooners.
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Chapter One: Introduction 1.1.
Research background:
According to Hamidizadeh et al. (2016), word of mouth (WOM) is considered the most trusted source of information in tourism, where consumers reflect their previous travel experiences to their friends and families. Consequently, people construct a positive or negative reputation for the tourism product or service depending on their friends’ levels of satisfaction. Due to the intangibility of tourism services, which cannot be assessed before consumption, consumers tend to have more dependency on others’ recommendations. WOM recommendations play a significant role in mitigating the perceived risk
when making travel decisions (Hernández-Méndez et al., 2014). Moreover, it has a substantial effect on tourists’ behaviour and their travel decision-making. Nowadays, honeymoon tourism has seen a remarkable growth among the various types of tourism. According to Wedding Honeymoons (2012), research has illustrated that
newly married couples spend lots of time searching prior to making their decision on their honeymoon destination. One of the reliable sources of information for honeymooners is WOM, due to its credibility and objectivity. In Oman, honeymoon travel is becoming a noticeable social trend where many honeymooners spend their time away from their family either in or outside of Oman. Unfortunately, there has been a lack of research studying the travel
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decision-making of Omani honeymooners, and the factors affecting that decision. Therefore, this research has been conducted to fill that gap in the literature, and to highlight this salient tourism market that never previously been studied in Oman. This study is being presented to provide a conceptual framework on how much Omani honeymooners are affected by the
recommendations of those who surround them, either close friends or family, social media, or other promotional tools. Particularly, the research has been positioned to provide a base for the effect of WOM on Omani honeymooners’ travel decision-making compared to other informational resources, such as EWOM or other types of destination marketing. Furthermore, due to the lack of research into the motivational travel factors of Omani honeymooners, this research will contribute by reflecting the significant travel motivations of Omani honeymooners. Overall, to the findings of this research will provide a deep insight for tourism marketing authorities in Oman to develop future marketing plans for destinations in or outside of the country, based on real primary findings from Omani honeymooners themselves. Moreover, this research can
benefit future honeymooners by providing a general overview of the effect of WOM and other factors on the travel decision-making of former honeymooners, as well as how WOM was combined with religious and cultural aspects to affect the destination selection of those honeymooners.
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1.2.
Research aim and objectives:
My aim in this research is to evaluate the effect of WOM on the travel decisionmaking of Omani honeymooners. I set out to achieve four objectives through providing critical answers to the research questions. The first research objective is to determine and evaluate the importance of the sources of WOM that affects the travel decision-making of Omani honeymooners, such as friends and relatives and previous travellers. The research question that will be answered in this context is: Which source of WOM has the most impact on Omani honeymooners’ travel decision-making? The second objective is to establish whether there is a relationship between WOM and the travel behaviour of Omani honeymooners at their destination. This objective is going to reflect whether WOM contributes in affecting honeymooners’ behaviour at their destination, for instance if it affects the way they are treated by locals there, or their participation in certain activities. The
research question of this objective is: How
does
WOM
influence
the
travel
behaviour
of
Omani
honeymooners at their destination? The third objective is to determine the level of trust that Omani honeymooners place in WOM compared to E-WOM sources of information. Achieving this
objective will assist in establishing the most preferred source of information for 12
Omani honeymooners. Several questions will need to be answered, and they are as follows: How does the internet help to create the inspiration of travel for Omani honeymooners? What is the most widely used application or type of social media that
Omani honeymooners use as a source of E-WOM, and why? What are the standards that Omani honeymooners have in order to trust others’ views? How credible and reliable are WOM and E-WOM sources of information for making honeymoon travel decisions?
The fourth and final objective is to establish whether there is a relationship between the effect of WOM and the Islamic and cultural context of Omani honeymooners. This objective will illustrate the level of importance of Islamic, traditional and cultural aspects on affecting the power of WOM’s influence on Omani honeymooners. This will include several questions: What are the travel motivations that encourage Omani honeymooners to travel? To what extent do cultural and religious constraints affect the destination selection and enjoyment of Omani honeymooners? Is there a relationship between WOM and the Islamic and cultural norms of Omani society?
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1.3.
Research structure:
The rest of this research is divided into four chapters. The second chapter contains a literature review. It illustrates the previous literature on WOM in tourism and its dimensional differences with E-WOM. It also demonstrates the travel decision-making process in tourism, and the role of the ‘push and pull
factors’ theory with regards to travel motivation. Finally, it provides an overview of honeymoon tourism and tourism in Oman. The third chapter is about research methodology. This section represents the research approach used, which is the mixed method approach. This consists of a questionnaire and interviews as the methods of collecting primary data.
This chapter also presents the strategy and design of the research, as well as the analysis methods of the primary data. The fourth chapter is about the research analysis, in which all of the findings are analysed and discussed in relation to the previous literature. The last chapter concludes the research with a research summary, along with
a description of the limitations involved, and recommendations for future study.
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Chapter Two: Literature Review 2.1.
Introduction:
The main aim of this chapter is to reflect a collection of other published research that has investigated the literature related to this research issue. The chapter has been divided into seven main sections: WOM, electronic word of mouth (E-WOM), the dimensional differences between WOM and E-WOM, travel decision making, push and pull factors of motivation and honeymoon tourism, and the last section is about the Sultanate of Oman.
2.2.
WOM:
WOM is one of the most important tools of promotion, and it is a double-edged sword. It may help in increasing the positive reputation of a certain business organisation, or it may generate the opposite. Hanna & Wozniak (2009), as quoted by Grubor et al. (2015, p. 120), defined word of mouth communication as “personal communication between individuals, where one of them plays the role of message recipient, whereas
the other acts as the source, i.e. sender of a message that is regarded as noncommercial and relates to products, services or brands”. Word of mouth is a synonym for personal or face-to-face communication between customers. It can flow through various types of media such as telephone, radio, mail or the internet.
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Previous research has confirmed that WOM has a strong impact on customer’s purchasing behaviour and their satisfaction with products or services. Researchers have agreed that “what others say about a brand is stronger than what a brand says about itself” (Hamidizadeh et al., 2016, p. 111). In other words, the influence of other customers is often greater than the influence of
other marketing campaigns, and this can generate a huge impact on the sales of a brand’s products or services (Goldsmith & Tsiotsou, 2012). Baggio, Cooper, Scott & Antonioli Corigliano (2009) examined the effect of WOM compared to paid advertising (ads) when promoting a tourism service to a certain population. The results showed that more intensive effort is needed for ads to reach the same level of informed people than WOM. In a short period of time, 74% of people became informed through WOM, while a very intense advertising campaign was needed to reach the same level at the same time. Hence, no external intensity is needed for WOM. On the other hand, the higher effectiveness of WOM depends on a moderate social cohesion among the target group. Therefore, when an appropriate medium is chosen, the success
of WOM will only depend on the set of relationships among the members of the social group involved (Baggio et al., 2009). 2.2.1.
WOM in tourism:
The importance of WOM is not just exclusive to a specific industry. However, many industries depend on WOM as an essential tool to promote their
products or services. According to Allsop, Bassett & Hoskins (2007), WOM is 16
becoming the most powerful source that influences consumer’s purchasing decisions across various industries, for instance films, technology, food, tourism and the hospitality industry. According to Boston Consulting Group research, the impacts of WOM are more important in industries with a strong emotional participation from their customers (Perreau, 2013), for example
when a customer feels more closely connected to his or her smart phone than his or her toothpaste. The tourism industry is highly dependent on WOM as an essential tool for marketing. It creates a great impact in the promotion of tourism service organisations like hotels, because the intangibility of this service makes it impossible for customers to try the product before purchasing (“The relationship marketing,” 2015). Additionally, researchers have suggested that WOM recommendations of friends and relatives are considered as the most important
sources
in
the
process
of
destination
(Hamidizadeh, Cheh, Moghadam & Salimipour, 2016).
image
formation
Moreover, focusing
on WOM in tourism is essential as it assists in reducing the time, effort and money spent on promotions for destinations and services. On the other hand, WOM could have an effect on the products or services provided, as well as on employee performance within the tourism organisation (Naz, 2014). However, sales growth in tourism services, or in any other industry’s products and services, is dependent on whether or not the diffusion process of WOM is positive or negative.
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2.2.2.
Positive and negative WOM:
The effect of WOM can be positive, neutral or negative (Sweeney, Soutar, & Mazzarol, 2005). Figure 2.1 illustrates the three types of WOM effects and how the sender transfers the image of a product or service depending on the effect.
Figure 112: positive, neutral and negative WOM (Gibson, 2015)
A neutral WOM effect is considered to be the least powerful one, as its influence is not as strong compared to the other two effects (Gibson, 2015). On the other hand, positive WOM is considered as a very strong tool that can boost the sales of products and services, and can generate very satisfactory results for both the consumer and the operator. According to Hamidizadeh et al., (2016), positive WOM is originated from an accurate marketing programme (File & Prince, 1992, p. 25), and they illustrated the effect of positive WOM as “…a side-benefit of satisfaction and can be viewed as either a boost to overall marketplace image or as a low budget promotional alternative”.
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Sweeney, Soutar & Mazzarol (2005) explained that if WOM is positive, this means that it will be highly effective for several reasons. The first reason is because it is customised, as the sender will create the information in a relevant way to the recipient. The second reason is that as the WOM is positive, this will save the recipient time, effort and money in identifying the suitable
information. Finally, if positive WOM is offered through informal sources, this will increase its level of credibility as the informer (or sender) is not seeking any interest in the sale of the service. The last type of WOM effect is negative WOM. Grubor et al. (2015, p. 122) quoted Mowen (1993), who regarded negative WOM as more powerful, frequent and effective than positive WOM. He believed that this type of WOM communication is a result of the basic needs of the sender and recipient in order to provide and give information. Sweeney, Soutar & Mazzarol (2005) illustrated that negative WOM is highly sensitive as it is driven by strong emotions like sadness, anger or regret. Therefore it has double the effect of and a wider diffusion than positive WOM, as dissatisfied customers are more likely to tell many people about their disfavour for a service or product of a specific brand or organisation.
2.3.
Electronic WOM (E-WOM):
One of the most important results of the huge development of the World Wide Web (WWW) is the immense use of digital social networking, which has affected the growth of traditional WOM into Electronic-WOM (E-WOM). 19
Cheung & Thadani (2010, p. 329) quoted Hennig-Thurau et.al. (2004) in their definition of E-WOM communication as referring to “any positive or negative statement made by potential, actual, and former customers about a product or a company via the Internet”. Social media, social networks, blogs and online discussion forums are all
examples of web 2.0 tools where E-WOM communication has been hosted and spread. In tourism, social media has empowered the consumer, where he or she has the ability to review previous travellers’ experiences to make more accurate travel decisions. This decision is based on official websites for destinations and hotels, or unofficial websites such as booking.com and TripAdvisor.com (Mariani et al., 2014). Hamidizadeh et al. (2016) quoted the results of Jalilvand’s and Samiei’s (2012) investigation into tourists’ behaviour in the process of destination choice. The results showed that E-WOM in social networking has a considerable effect on a tourist’s subjective norms and attitude towards a certain destination, and therefore it affects destination choice. Figure 2.2 illustrates the module of the effect of E-WOM on travel decisions.
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Figure 2.2: Module of the effect of E-WOM on travel decision (Hamidizadeh et al., 2016)
2.4. Dimensional differences between WOM and E-WOM in tourism: Tham, Croy & Mair (2013) studied the main differences between WOM and EWOM, based on various literature. They illustrated that whilst E-WOM and WOM have some similar characteristics, in that they have the same components of a source, a message and a receiver, there are however some recognisable differences between them in five areas, as illustrated in figure 2.3.
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Figure 2.3: The dimensional differences between WOM and E-WOM (Author)
The first distinctive difference between WOM and E-WOM is the sourcereceiver relationships. In traditional or offline WOM, the source is known and
the purpose of information is clear. Moreover, the close relationship between the source (or sender) and receiver assists in increasing the level of trust and credibility. However, in E-WOM, the information providers and receivers are interpreting the provided content on social media without knowing the real source of information and who is reviewing it. They don’t even know the real purpose of the diffused information. Therefore, this will lead the receiver to rely on other users’ reviews and comments. On the other hand, the gap in the relationship between the information provider and the receiver will cause a degree of detachment between them, as it will affect the level of influence and credibility. Channel variety is the second difference when comparing WOM with E-WOM. A channel is identified as the forum in which communication takes place. In 22
offline WOM, the channel is personal and elegant. In other words, the communication often occurs either face-to-face or via the phone with another person with whom the receiver has a relationship. Hence, Tham, Croy & Mair (2013, p. 149) quoted Buttle (1998) in saying that such WOM channels assist in providing precise personal credibility cues.
In contrast, E-WOM
communication occurs through various channels on the internet, where the personal cues are lost and greater interpretation is required. Therefore, this will contribute to reducing the receiver’s perception of credibility. The third dimensional difference involves information solicitation. The authors demonstrated that soliciting information is very important for decision makers who are facing an unfamiliar travel decision in order to reduce the perceived risks. In offline WOM, the receiver solicits the information from known sources for a specific travel purpose. Moreover, due to the foreknowledge and preselection of the sources, solicited WOM is conducted in an efficient manner and considered as more credible than unsolicited WOM. On the other hand, E-WOM information is solicited from a wide range of friends through online communication. In this case, the receiver needs to be attentive to who is providing the information and from which sources. This is because E-WOM solicitation within social media is surrounded by a high level of perceived risk, especially in the case of information contradiction. The fourth distinction between WOM and E-WOM is that of message retention.
In offline WOM, messages are retained based on the ability of receiver to recall 23
previous discussions, whilst in E-WOM messages can be stored and are available to a wider range of the public than with WOM. This allows social media users to use the stored information based on their convenience and when they need it for their decision making process. The final difference between offline WOM and E-WOM refers to the
motivations for disclosing information. The authors clarified that in both WOM and E-WOM, the disclosure of information takes place through providing positive and negative comments to assist receivers in making a travel decision. In offline WOM, the disclosure of information occurs between people that have some existing family or social ties, where the level of trust is high, whilst in EWOM the information is passed between a wide range of users. Hence, that can open the doors for social media users to create various relationships with different people from all around the world and benefit from their previous travel experiences.
2.5.
Travel decision making:
Lunenburg (2010, p. 2) quoted Eisenfuhr’s (2011) definition of decision making as “a process of making a choice from a number of alternatives to achieve a desired result”. Marketers need to understand that a consumer’s decision to purchase is a multi-staged process which describes the journey the consumer goes through before buying the product (Johnston, 2016).
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Hanlan, Fuller & Wilde (2005, p. 2) cited Kotler’s (1998) classic decision making process model, where the consumer passes through the following five stages: 1-
Need recognition
2-
Information search
3-
Evaluation of alternatives
4-
Choice of product or service
5-
Post-purchase evaluation
However, it should be noted that not every consumer follows all of the listed
stages. Hung & Petrick (2012) illustrated the reasons behind skipping some of the stages of the above model, including brand loyalty, previous experience, familiarity with the product or service, routine decisions, and when the consumer is more involved in his decision making process. In tourism, the travel decision is considered as a complex decision associated with high costs (Hernández-Méndez et al., 2014), and is surrounded by a high level of perceived risk due to the intangibility of the product. Therefore, Sirakaya & Woodside (2005) suggested that the majority of tourism decisions may be described as ill-defined choice situations that generally involve risk because of the uncertainty of the outcomes.
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Clawson & Knetch (1966), as cited in Hanlan, Fuller & Wilde (2005, p. 4), identified these five stages in their recreational behaviour model: 1-
Anticipation
2-
Travel to the site
3-
On-site behaviour
4-
Return travel
5-
Recollection
The first stage in this travel decision process is about planning and thinking about the trip. This includes the recognition of needs alongside an information
search. Murphy, et al. (2007) quoted Vogt’s & Stewart’s (1998) argument regarding travel information. They argued that travellers need different types of information at different stages of the travel decision making process, from pre-trip planning to travelling home. The ’travelling to the site’ stage could involve various experiences and services that the traveller may encounter, depending on the mode of transport. The third stage concerns the behaviour at the destination, which could be affected by a variety of factors such as accommodation facilities, weather and interaction with other travellers. The last stage is about the post-purchase evaluation of the travel decision, and how it will affect the next purchasing decision. Destination choice is contended to be a very cognitive decision making process (Crompton, 1992). The cognitive and efficient processes include 26
elimination of destinations to effectively choose the final one that meets the decision makers’ needs (Crompton, 1992). According to Tham, Croy & Mair (2013), every destination choice decision is influenced by different factors known as agents. These agents contribute to the formulation of the destination image, which is considered a critical element of the destination choice process
(Molina et al., 2010). Tham, Croy & Mair (2013, p. 146) mentioned the three different agents that influence the formulation of destination image. The first one is organic, and comes from general life experience. The second one is induced, which is provided by the destination and is considered as the least credible agent. The last one is real, and is about the actual experience at the destination. Moreover, it is considered as the most credible agent in affecting the destination image. On the other hand, organic agents (WOM and media) have a very strong influence on the formulation of destination image, with high levels of credibility. WOM is one of the main aspects that influence the destination decision making process (Tham, Croy & Mair, 2013). Furthermore, WOM recommendations have become one of main factors that alleviate risk when making a travel decision (Hernández-Méndez et al., 2014), because tourism products cannot be evaluated prior to travel and that leads consumers to rely on others’ recommendations and views.
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2.6.
Push and Pull Factors:
Studying tourists’ travel motivation and destination selection plays an important role in predicting the future patterns of travel (Jang & Cai, 2002). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is one of the most applied theories in tourism that is used to study the tourist motivations (Mohammad & Som,
2010). This theory is modelled as a pyramid which consists of five levels as illustrated in figure 2.4, where each lower need must be satisfied before moving to the above levels of needs (Huitt, 2007).
Figure 2.4: Maslow's hierarchy of needs (McLeod, 2007)
Tourists’ motivation to travel can be classified into push and pull factors (Prayag & Ryan, 2011). According to Jönsson & Devonish (2008), push factors (internal forces) are intangible factors that push tourists away from home to satisfy a social or physical need, while pull factors (external forces) are tangible attributes that pull tourists toward a destination, such as beaches and hotels, to reinforce the travel experience. The interaction between internal push factors and external pull factors plays an essential role in the tourism decision making process (Alsawafi, 2013), because tourists travel in order to 28
satisfy their internal needs that push them away from home and their external needs that pull them to experience a destination’s attributes. Crompton (1979) classified the push factors into seven categories of motivation, which are as follows: escape from a perceived mundane environment; self-exploration and evaluation; relaxation; prestige; regression; enhancement of kinship
relationships; and facilitation of social interaction. On the other hand, Crompton (1979) classified the external pull factors (cultural motives) into the categories of education and novelty. According to Alsawafi (2013), studying the relationship between push and pull factors is important to help destination marketers match the attributes of the destination with the socio-psychological motivations of potential tourists. Push and pull motivations have a dependent relationship, where the destination attributes reinforce the influence of push factors and thus lead to the travel action (Alsawafi, 2013).
2.7.
Honeymoon Tourism:
A honeymoon is defined as an “indefinite period of tenderness and pleasure experienced by a newlywed couple" (Kerley, 2014, para. 1). Many decades ago, honeymoon travel was considered to be only for wealthy people. However, the massive advances in transportation means and cheaper travel have contributed to the increased amount of honeymoon travel. Nowadays, there has been huge growth in the global size of the wedding and honeymoon market, and it is worth an estimated three to six million trips annually (Lee et 29
al., 2010). Just in the United States, the honeymoon tourism market generated $13 billion annually in 2008 and was expected to increase to $23 billion annually in 2012 (Martin, 2008). Johnson (n.d.) demonstrated that honeymooners are considered the perfect customers for several reasons. They pay an average of $4,000, which is three
times more than the average payment of US leisure travellers. Furthermore, honeymooners often pay full price, as 72% of engaged women say they are less concerned with the price as long as they get what they want. On the other hand, honeymoon tourism has no seasonal limitations and the market is a year round business. Finally, honeymooners have more disposable income, and they purchase various goods and services to enrich the trip of a lifetime. In the honeymoon destination selection process, tourists are motivated to travel by push and pull factors. According to Dann (1977), tourists are firstly pushed by their needs and wants to make the decision of whether to travel or not. They are then pulled by a destination’s attributes that attract them to travel, such as the weather or beaches. Laws (1995) as cited in Lee et al. (2010, p. 678), classified a destination’s attributes into two main categories. The primary attributes include natural characteristics such as beaches, climate and culture. The secondary attributes include the services that are developed and introduced specifically for tourists, such as hotels, transport and entertainment facilities. Laws claimed that the main purpose of tourists is to
30
enjoy the primary attributes, but the presence of secondary attributes is important to reinforce the travel experience.
2.8.
Sultanate of Oman:
Oman is one of the Gulf countries that is located in the southwest of Asia and on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It has borders with three countries: the United Arab Emirates from the northwest, Saudi Arabia from the west, and Yemen from the southwest. Figure 2.4 illustrates the map of Oman.
Figure 2.5: The map of Oman (González, 2008)
Oman has a coastline of almost 1,700 km, from the strait of Hormuz in the north to its southwest borders with Yemen (Piontkovski, n.d.). This country has a strategic location due to its overlooking the Arabian Sea, the Sea of Oman and the Arabian Gulf. Moreover, it controls the Strait of Hormuz, which is considered to be an important gateway to all ships coming from the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea (Oman Tourism, 2016).
31
According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) (2016), Oman has a population of 4,473,678, where 54.50% are Omanis and 45.50% are expatriates. Arabic is the official language in Oman, and there are other languages used, such as English, Baluchi and Swahili. Islam is the official religion in Oman. Omani society is known for its cultural and traditional
richness with a high sense of Arabic hospitality.
2.8.1. Tourism in Oman: Oman has a great variety of different gorgeous natural attractions. The majestic mountains, wide brown sand dunes, magical beaches and distinctive
wildlife all contribute to enriching the tourism experience in Oman. In addition, this country introduces the richness of a great history and traditions beside modern tourism facilities like hotels and resorts. According to the statistics of the NCSI, the number of inbound tourists to the Sultanate has grown by around 40% every half decade. It increased from 1.1
million in 2005 to 2.1 million in 2014. Furthermore, the government is seeking to attract 7 million inbound tourists by 2040 (NCSI, 2016). The government has focused on developing the tourism sector, as it is one of the most important economic sectors in Oman. According to the NCSI, the total value added to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the tourism sector in 2014 was OMR 724.5 million, or 2.2% of the GDP. By 2040, the government
32
is planning to increase the tourism contribution to 6% of GDP. In 2014, the total Omani tourism revenue was OMR 1.22 billion, with 20.5% derived from inbound tourism and 79.5% generated from domestic tourism (NCSI, 2016). In terms of the accommodation sector, the total number of hotels reached 287 in 2014, with 12 five star hotels, 23 four star hotels, 29 three star hotels, 58
two star hotels, and the rest classified as others (one star hotels, unclassified hotels, guesthouses and hotel apartments) (NCSI, 2016). 2.8.2. Omani outbound tourists: Although there are no exact statistics about the number of outbound Omani tourists, there has been an increase of about 25% in the outbound travel
movements of Omani people (Times of Oman, 2015). The trend of travelling has increased in comparison to the last several years. Omanis are travelling to many destinations, whether in groups, families or as individuals. They prefer to travel to European countries, especially the UK, where the visa procedures are becoming simpler than before (Times of Oman, 2015). Moreover, the Omani tourism market is becoming a target for the UAE’s tourism industry (Alsawafi, 2013). For instance, the number of Omani tourists who stayed in Dubai’s hotels was around 163,000 visitors in 2014, with an increase of 12% compared to 2013 (The First Group, 2014).
33
2.9.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, in this chapter I have discussed other published studies and articles on the main research issue, which concerns the effect of WOM on the travel decision making of Omani honeymooners. I have attempted to cover the topic from various dimensions, starting with a reflection on the effect of WOM
on tourism. I then moved to provide a general review of the electronic development of WOM to become E-WOM, and I investigated the main differences between both of them. It was necessary to discuss the travel decision making process and the internal (push) and external (pull) factors of motivations, and how they affect travel decisions. Honeymoon tourism was discussed, as it is one of the most profitable tourism markets that operates throughout the year. Finally, since the research participants are all Omanis, it was essential to discuss Oman and its tourism industry. In the next chapter I will discuss the adopted methods that the research applies.
34
Chapter Three: Methodology 3.1.
Introduction:
The purpose of this research is to explore a tourism phenomenon in Oman relating to the effect of WOM on the travel decision-making of Omani honeymooners. The research has been carried out using a mixed method approach, as it combines two different methods - quantitative questionnaires and qualitative semi-structured interviews. According to Bazeley, (2002), mixed method research can create greater validity for the results generated from the two combined methods. In this chapter I will provide a brief overview of the research topic, the primary and secondary research, and the research design and strategy. Moreover, I will outline the design, sampling, data collection and analyses of the research questionnaire and interviews. At the end, a brief description of the research ethics will be provided.
3.2.
Research topic:
There is no doubt that there is a noticeable deficiency in the availability of research into the place of tourism within society in Oman. Particularly, there has been no research focusing on the effect of WOM on the travel decisionmaking of Omani honeymooners. Several reasons stand behind the selection of this niche topic, and they are as follows: • This topic was selected due to the importance of the honeymoon tourism market worldwide, as it has no seasonal limitations and is a year round business that generates high levels of profitability (Johnson, n.d.).
35
• To provide a conceptual frame work on how much Omani honeymooners’ travel decision-making is affected by the recommendations of WOM. • To benefit future Omani honeymooners by providing them with a general overview of the effect of WOM on the travel decision-making of previous honeymooners. • To provide an insight for tourism marketing agents in Oman to develop future marketing plans for destinations in or outside of the country, based on real primary findings from Omani honeymooners themselves. • To draw the attention of the international honeymoon tourism field to the characteristics of Omani honeymooners and the factors that affect their travel decisions.
3.3.
Primary and secondary research:
This research consists of primary research and secondary research. Primary research is an original piece of research which involves the collection of original and new data, through the use of various accepted methods such as interviews, questionnaires and observations, in which the researcher is the first user of the data. According to (Driscoll & Brizee, 1995), primary research is any type of research where the researcher goes out and collects the data by him or herself. In contrast, secondary research is “an analysis and interpretation of primary research” (Kowalczyk, 2003, para.1), where the data is drawn from existing sources, for example the use of existing statistical data or published studies. Various studies, articles, books and official government statistics are used in the literature review of this research as sources of secondary data. The use of secondary data will assist in providing a strong 36
context to this study. Moreover, it will help in filling any important gaps which may appear in the primary data. This research is dependent mainly on primary research – a questionnaire and interviews - as it is studying a new topic. Therefore, the need for primary research is essential to produce credible results. Moreover, this kind of research assists in generating accuracy and depth to the content of the research. On the other hand, it creates an opportunity to compare the results with other previous studies into the same subject. Finally, primary research helps in providing justifications for any new findings which might result in new information which could change previous beliefs (Jennifer, 2014).
3.4.
Research design and strategy:
This research uses a mixed method approach, which is called also methodological triangulation. It mixes quantitative (questionnaire) with qualitative methods (interviews). Questionnaires and interviews have been chosen as the primary research approaches. The reason behind this is to obtain a deeper understanding of the responses from the quantitative questionnaires via the qualitative interviews (Moonga, 2007). Furthermore, the use of interviews with questionnaires is useful, as this assists in providing more credible analysis of the research issue. According to Creswell (2009), as cited by Puhakka, Cottrell & Siikamäki, (2014), mixed method research represents an advance in research methodology, as it combines the strength of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Several reasons led to the adoption of this method for this research. Due to the nature of this research, which requires answers to be 37
generated from a number of perspectives, a mixed method approach is used to generate a deep coverage and understanding of the research topic. Moreover, it is used to alleviate the weaknesses of the two approaches and exploit their strengths, to develop a novel theoretical perspective (Venkatesh, Brown & Sullivan, 2014) of an issue that has not previously been studied in Oman. The interpretation of the quantitative and qualitative data in this research will depend on the explanatory design, which is one of the types of the sequential mixed method designs (Bulsara, n.d.). As illustrated in figure 3.1, qualitative
Figure 3.1: Explanatory design of mixed method research (Bulsara, n.d.)
data (interviews) will be used to help explain the findings of the quantitative data (questionnaires), and this will provide a better interpretation and understanding of the research issue. The research is a combination of exploratory, descriptive and explanatory research. It is exploratory as it has been designed to study a new issue in Oman where there has been no previous research carried out. Descriptive research has been used to describe the data on the population being studied (University of Guelph, 2016). The research encompasses a collection of quantitative information, such as frequencies and the measures of central 38
tendencies like mean, median and mode (Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 2001). Through the use of SPSS 23, as part of this research I am going to measure the frequencies of various variables such as honeymoon destination and travel motivations, as well as measuring the mean rank. Explanatory research is used to provide explanations for observed patterns and trends (Veal, 2006). In this research, explanations will be provided to justify the causes of the relationships or differences between the independent and dependent variables. The questions used in the questionnaires and interviews were selected in order to assist in achieving the research objectives and answer the research questions. The following table illustrates the contributions of the selected approaches towards the delivery of the research objectives. The larger ( √) tick indicates a high contribution to deliver the particular objective, while the smaller (√) tick reflects a low contribution of information. Table 3.1: Contribution of selected methods toward the delivery of research objectives (Based on Coles, Duval, & Shaw, 2013, p. 148)
Method Objective
Questionnaire
Interviews
Determine and evaluate the importance of the sources of WOM that affect travel decision making for Omani honeymooners
√
√
Establish whether there is a relationship between WOM and travel behaviour at the destination
√
√
Determine the level of trust that Omani honeymooners place on others’ views (WOM) compared with E-WOM sources
√
√
39
Establish whether there is a relationship between the effect of WOM and the Islamic and cultural context of Omani honeymooners
√
√
There is no doubt that many researchers have studied the effect of WOM on travel decision making. However, it is a new concept to have research focusing on Omani travellers, and particularly honeymooners, and how WOM affected their travel decision making. The research strategy is summarised in table 3.2
Table 3.2: Research strategy (Based on Al-Salehi, 2015, p.22)
Strategy
Aim
Sample
Type of questions
Method of analysis
Quantitative online questionnaire
Evaluate the impacts of WOM on the travel decision making of Omani honeymooners
341 respondents (224 females) (117 males)
Closed format questions
Frequency Test, Cross-tabulation, Chi Square Test, Mann Whitney Test
4 interviews (3females &2males)
Structured and Open questions
Inductive content analysis
Qualitative semi-structured interviews
3.5.
Questionnaire:
A questionnaire is a simple tool for collecting and recording primary data about a specific issue. Veal (2011, p. 255), defined a questionnaire as, “A written/printed or computer-based schedule of questions and a pro forma for recording answers to the questions.” This research was primarily carried out using an online questionnaire, as it allows for a wide coverage of data in a very limited time. Furthermore, online questionnaires are easy and straightforward to analyse, simple to administer and respondents have the time to think about
40
their answers with no rush (Machell, 2006). Due to the fact that online questionnaires can encounter the problem of a low response rate as a result of the length of questions and the use of time, this research questionnaire was simple, short and could be answered in five minutes in order to reach the required number of respondents. 3.5.1.
Design:
The questionnaire involved a variety of structured questions that were considered a vehicle to assist in achieving the research objectives and answering the research questions. All of the questions were closed format questions. There were also multiple choice questions, where the respondents have to choose one of the given answers. The main advantage of using this type of question is the ease in performing a preliminary analysis, and they are excellent for calculating statistical data and percentages (Types of questions, 2016, para. 3). The questionnaire included Yes/No questions, Likert questions, and single answer and multi answer questions. It is in two languages: Arabic which is the main language of participants - and English. Appendix 1 contains a copy of the questionnaire. 3.5.2.
Sampling:
Since the research is of an exploratory nature, as there have been no studies done previously on Omani honeymooners, it is impossible to gather all of the data of Omani honeymooners across all age ranges, therefore choosing a suitable sampling technique is noteworthy. The sampling procedure is deemed important in terms of the supply of reliable data, since it affects the collected
41
data analysis. According to Bryman (2008), non-probability sampling has three main types: convenience sampling, snowball sampling and quota sampling. Due to the time constraints of the study period, the nature of the exploratory research conducted, the nature of people being surveyed, and their commitment in responding to the questioner correctly, a convenience sampling technique was implemented for this study. In addition, convenience sampling is resource-efficient, and it is available to a researcher by virtue of its accessibility (Bryman, 2008). It is noteworthy that the study’s findings cannot be generalised, since the sample cannot be considered a representative sample of the whole population of Omani honeymooners. The questionnaire was piloted on a small sample of people to examine its validity and coherence. Consequently, minor changes were applied to the presentation and wording of the questionnaire in order to deliver the research aim and objectives. The primary data of the questionnaire is based on a sample of (341) male and female participants. All of the participants are Omanis who have had the experience of honeymoon travel in or outside Oman. As Civil law in Oman stipulates that the legal age for marriage is 18 years (Al-Azri, 2013), participants ages have been categorised into the following ranges: 18 to 22, 23 to 27, 28 to 32 and 33 and above. The reason behind selecting these age ranges is that most of the participants are relatively young, and with the increased level of outbound tourists in Oman, it has been noticed that honeymoon tourism is becoming a trend for many new young couples. The sample of the research comprises other demographic characteristics,
42
including educational level and income range, where half of the participants have bachelor degrees, and the income range for most of them is between 500 and 1100 Omani Rials (OMR) per month. 3.5.3.
Data collection and analysis:
The quantitative data was collected by distributing the link to the online questionnaire across social media. It was distributed via LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Facebook, twitter and Instagram. After the collection process, SPSS 23 was used to store the data in a spreadsheet and provide descriptive statistics and advanced statistical analysis tests. Univariate and bivariate analyses were applied through the use of four different tests, which were as follows: Frequency test, Cross-tabulation test, Chi-Square test and Mann Whitney test. However, it was essential to select the appropriate level of measurement for each variable to be conducted in a particular test. SPSS provide three levels of measurement: ordinal, scale and nominal. Frequency analysis will be used in this research to count the number of occurrences of each response, for example the most frequent honeymoon destination, or travel motivation. On the other hand, cross-tabulation analysis will be used to look at the relationships between two or three variables, and to analyse the categorical variables (nominal or ordinal). In order to have more information about these relationships, the research will use a Chi-square test (X²). This is a test of association to discover if there is a relationship between two categorical variables (Veal, 2011). It is a non-parametric test, which is not based on any assumptions or distributions of any variables (Parth, 2013). In this test it is 43
essential that the two variables should consist of two or more categorical, independent groups in order to be tested (Lund Research Ltd, 2013), for example gender (male and female). The reason behind choosing this test is that its results can easily be calculated and understood. Moreover, one of the aims of the research is to test the relationship between several variables, such as gender and source of travel information, to produce a reliable result. The final test is the Mann Whitney test. This is also a non-parametric test, which is used to test the null hypothesis (H0) for two groups coming from the same independent variable (Shier, 2004). In this research, a Mann Whitney test is used to analyse the Likert scale questions by comparing the results and mean rank of male and female groups, under the variable of gender, in order to prove or reject the null hypotheses.
3.6.
Semi-structured interviews:
The purpose of any research interview is to explore the opinions, beliefs, experiences and behaviour of the participants on a particular issue (Gill, Stewart, Treasure & Chadwick, 2008). This research uses semi-structured interviews to obtain a deeper understanding of the discussed tourism phenomenon. Moreover, the flexibility of this approach allows for more elaboration and exploration of information provided by participants. On the other hand, this research uses semi-structured interviews in order to optimise the strength of the content and support the findings of the questionnaire. 3.6.1. Design: It is essential for any researcher to understand that good questions in interviews have to be open-ended, neutral, sensitive and understandable (Gill, 44
Stewart, Treasure & Chadwick, 2008). The focus in this research was on designing the questions in that manner, and the questionnaire starts with questions that participants can answer easily. The research interviews were carried out face-to-face, and took approximately 18 minutes. There are various advantages to face-to-face interviews. First, the interviewer can assist the respondents to understand the questions. Second, it allows the interviewer to employ different techniques such as open-ended questions and visual aids. Finally, through face to face interviews, an interviewer can focus on the interviewees’ body language and reactions, which can help to understand their feelings and emotions on the issue being discussed (Becker & UBA-Team, 2011). Most of the interviews were in Arabic, but they have been translated and written as transcripts in order to be analysed easily. Appendix 2 includes an example of one interview transcript. The interview questions have been modified after a discussion with the research advisor. 3.6.2. Sampling: Bearing in mind the time constraints, a non-probability convenience strategy was used in conducting the semi-structured interviews. These interviews aimed to support the data collected in the questionnaires. Four semi-structured interviews were conducted with three women and two men, and one of the interviews was done with a couple. All of the respondents are Omanis, and their ages range from 23 33 years old.
45
The interview was piloted in order to recognise the strengths and weaknesses of the questions. As a consequence, the interview questions were altered to meet a semi-structured interview standard.
46
3.6.3. Data collection and analysis: Various data was collected from the interviewees, including general data about their honeymoons and other specific answers about the effect of WOM on their travel decision-making, besides the effects of other factors. The research took place in Oman (in July 2016), and all of the interviewees had the experience of honeymooning outside Oman. All of the interviewees were informed about the interviews and the aim of the research several days before the interviews were conducted. After selecting a suitable time and location for each interviewee, they were informed about their right to withdraw and stop the interview at any time. Moreover, they were informed about the confidentiality of the data and that it would be used solely for academic purposes. Finally, the interviewees were asked whether they agreed to the interviews being recorded or not, and they all agreed. The interviews will be analysed and interpreted through the use of the content analysis approach. Weber (1990, p. 9), defined content analysis as, “A research method that uses a set of procedures to make valid inferences from text. The inferences are about the sender of the message, the message itself or the audience of the message.” This is a group of techniques used to identify words or concepts in text. Objectivity and being systematic are the two characteristics that need to be applied in content analysis in order to reflect transparency and avoid bias (Bryman, 2008). An inductive content analysis will be used to analyse the content of the interviews. The reason behind choosing this analytical method is that there has been no previous research studying the influence of WOM on the travel
47
decision making of Omani honeymooners. Therefore, the nature of the inductive content analysis will assist in providing new general principles and theories related to that issue, as well as providing a deeper understanding of the participants’ perspectives. This method also has the ability to provide a simple and straightforward approach for obtaining results (Thomas, 2006). According to Elo et al. (2014), the inductive content analysis process consists of three main phases: preparation, organisation and reporting of findings. In the preparation stage, it is necessary to make sense of the data (Elo et al., 2014) through repeated reading of all of the interview transcripts and coding the data by writing notes and headings on a separate coding sheet (Al-Salehi, 2015). The second stage involves grouping the data by merging the headings and categorising them based on their level of importance, thus creating main and sub-categories. In the last stage, the findings need to be described and analysed based on the categories of the interview data.
3.7.
Research ethics:
All of the sources used in the research have been documented in order to preserve the rights of other researchers. In addition, all of the respondents to the questionnaire and the interviews participated voluntarily without any force. The research has caused no harm to respondents, and all of the personal information has been kept anonymous. All of the respondents knew their right to withdraw or cancel their participation at any time. They also know that all of the data will be used for the academic purposes only. The informed consent was given verbally and was recorded before starting the interviews. The participants were verbally read the form and agreed to 48
participate in the research. Informed consent is an essential requirement for the
ethical
behaviour
of
any
research
involving
human
subjects
(Shahnazarian, Hagemann, Aburto & Rose, n.d.). This reflects a researcher’s appreciation for individual autonomy. Several points were involved in the informed consent, including the potential risk, the right to withdraw at any time during the interview, the confidentiality of the personal data, and the consent to taking part in the project. Appendix 3 illustrates a sample of the verbal informed consent used in the research.
3.8.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, in this chapter I have discussed several points that are essential in building my research methodology. First, I discussed the design and strategy of this research, and an illustration of the adopted method was provided, alongside a reflection on the contribution of the selected approaches to deliver the research’s aim and objectives. Then, I provided a description of the design, sampling and analysis of the research questionnaire and interviews. Finally, a brief description was provided of how research ethics were applied in this thesis.
49
Chapter Four: Results and discussions 4.1.
Introduction:
The purpose of this chapter is to present the results and discussion generated from the analysis of the primary quantitative and qualitative data. A frequency test, cross tabulation, a Chi-square test and a Mann-Whitney test were used for the analysis of the questionnaire data, while inductive content analysis was used for analysing the data from the interviews. The first section of this chapter presents the results and discussions, while the second section summarises the main findings of the analysed results. Several points have been selected in order to deliver the aim and objectives of the research. Figure 4.1 illustrates the main categories that have been abstracted from the analysed questionnaires and interviews to achieve the research’s aim and objectives and answer the research questions.
50
1. Honeymoon destination selected by Omani honeymooners 2. Travel motivations that encourage Omani honeymooners to travel. 3. Sources of WOM that have the most impact on Omani honeymooners’ travel decisions 4. The level of trust that Omani honeymooners place on WOM compared to E-WOM sources of information 5. The effect of WOM compared to other marketing tools from the perspective of Omani honeymooners 6. The effect of WOM on the travel behaviour of Omani honeymooners at the destination. 7. The influence of cultural and religious norms on the destination selection and enjoyment of Omani honeymooners 8. The relationship between WOM and the Islamic and cultural norms of Omani society
Figure 4.1: Main themes of research (Author)
4.2.
Results and discussion:
4.2.1. Honeymoon destinations selected by Omani honeymooners: Participants were asked to choose their honeymoon destination, as shown in Figure 4.2. The figure illustrates the frequency of responses and the corresponding percentage for each selected destination.
Cumulative Frequency
Percent
Percent
Oman
95
27.9
27.9
UAE
24
7.0
34.9
Thailand
21
6.2
41.1
Malaysia
122
35.8
76.8
Turkey
18
5.3
82.1
Sri Lanka
10
2.9
85.0
Other
51
15.0
100.0
51
Total
341
100.0
Figure 4.2: Frequency of Omani honeymooners' destinations (IBM SPSS Statistics 23)
The results showed that the highest percentage of respondents (35.8%) spent their honeymoon in Malaysia. Oman was the second most selected destination after Malaysia with 27.9%, while 15% of respondents spent their honeymoon in other destinations. All of the interviewees in the four interviews also spent their honeymoon in Malaysia. The reasons behind selecting this destination, as quoted by the interviewees, are presented in Table 4.1.
52
Table 4.1: The reasons for choosing Malaysia as a honeymoon destination for Omani honeymooners (Author)
Interviewee 1
Because there are lots of Omanis there. So we felt a little bit safe as we could find them mostly everywhere.
Interviewee 2
Because it was recommended to us by many people and because it is a famous destination for Arab honeymooners
Interviewees 3 (couples)
Based on my friend’s recommendations. Furthermore, Malaysia is very suitable for us as young couples where we are at the beginning of our married life and because it is a Muslim country.
Interviewee 4
Based on my spouse’s selection.
From the above table, it can be noticed that safety, WOM recommendations, religion and its suitability for honeymooners are the reasons behind selecting Malaysia as a honeymoon destination for Omanis. According to Nur Shaffik Haris, Malaysia Airlines General Manager for UAE & Gulf, as quoted by the Oman Observer (2013), there are around 25,000 Omanis visiting Malaysia every year with a high penchant for leisure holidays. They are attracted by the green landscape, weather, culture and the mix of different Asian traditional backgrounds (Oman Observer, 2013). On the other hand, there are other several reasons that encourage Omanis to spend their honeymoon period there. Crescentrating.com classifies Malaysia as the most Muslim-friendly country in the world, and they provide Halal food all over the country (Travelweb, 2015). Moreover, the availability of Arabic speakers in the country, as well as the Visa exemptions for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) 53
nationals (Travelweb, 2015), all assist in encouraging Omani honeymooners to travel there. 4.2.2. Travel motivations that encourage Omani honeymooners to travel: The results showed that Omani honeymooners have various motivations that encourage them to go to a specified destination. Questionnaire participants were asked to select the three most important reasons that attracted them to travel to a particular honeymoon destination. However, some respondents chose more than three reasons. The reasons given were Halal food, entertainment facilities, romantic attractions, historical and cultural attractions, different nature and climate to home, favourable currency exchange, positive attitude toward Islamic and Arabic culture, ease of communication with locals, and safety and security. The below chart reflects the frequency of each motivational travel factor.
Figure 4.3: The motivational travel factors for Omani honeymooners (Author)
54
It can be clearly seen that different nature was the most frequently selected motivation for choosing a honeymoon destination for Omanis, followed by safety and security and the availability of Halal food restaurants. All of the reasons as mentioned earlier are considered as pull motivational factors. On the other hand, interviewees reflected motivational factors such as beautiful nature, safety, language and Halal food as push factors, while the literature considers them as pull factors (a destination’s attributes) (Prayag & Ryan, 2011; Jönsson & Devonish, 2008). That is because ordinary people do not differentiate between push and pull factors when they talk about their travel motivations (Alsawafi, 2013). Therefore, Table 4.2 below serves to distinguish between interviewees’ travel motivational factors. Table 4.2: Travel motivations for Omani honeymooners (Author)
Interviewee 1
Push factors: To be very close to each other, away from family and society Pull factors: Muslim country, friendly local people, language, Halal food, safety
Interviewee 2
Push factors: changing the surrounding environment by being away from family and spending time with each other Pull: language (speaking Arabic), comfortable and beautiful destination
Interviewees (couple)
3 Push factors: being away from the surrounding environment and to know each other more Pull factors: Muslim country, Halal food, financially suitable, beautiful nature
Interviewee 4
Push: to get to know each other Pull: safety, comfort, ease of transportation, Halal food and resort activities
55
It can be clearly observed that almost all of the interviewees shared common push factors in their honeymoon travels. These factors are: being close and knowing each other and escaping from their family and surrounding environment. On the other hand, the interviewees’ pull factors supported the questionnaire results by showing that they focused on beautiful nature, Halal food, safety, religion, language and entertainment activities. Figure 4.4 summarises the common push and pull factors of Omani honeymooners.
Figure 4.4: Common push and pull factors of Omani honeymooners (Author)
Overall, the results fit with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, in which respondents are highly motivated to satisfy their core and psychological needs (in this case Halal food, safety and tourism services) to satisfy their belonging and romantic needs (being close to each other). 4.2.3. Sources of WOM that have the most impact on Omani honeymooners’ travel decision: Questionnaire respondents were asked about their sources for obtaining honeymoon information. They were supposed to select from ‘friends and relatives’, ‘other travellers only’, ‘online users only’, ‘all of the above’ and ‘neither’. The following cross-tabulation table describes Omani honeymooners' information sources, categorised by gender. 56
Table 4.3: Gender* honeymoon travel information Cross-Tabulation (IBM SPSS Statistics 23) Honeymoon travel information Friends Other & Travellers Relatives Only
Online All of The Users Only Above Neither
Total
15
6
14
54
28
117
% within Gender 12.8%
5.1%
12.0%
46.2%
23.9%
100.0%
Count
23
18
80
55
224
GMale e n d Female e r
Count
% within Gender 21.4%
10.3%
8.0%
35.7%
24.6%
100.0%
Total
Count
29
32
134
83
341
8.5%
9.4%
39.3%
24.3%
100.0%
48
63
% within Gender 18.5%
The statistical results of the cross tabulation show that the ‘all of the above’ option was the most frequently selected by both genders among the options of travel information sources for Omani honeymooners. It was selected by 46.2% of males and 35.7% of females. The chi-square test (table 4.4) illustrates the level of significance of the relationship between gender and travel information sources. The null hypothesis (H0) is: there is no difference between males and females and their use of the honeymoon travel information sources. The results show that the Pearson Chi-square value is 8.879, which is associated with a 64% risk of being wrong in rejecting the null hypothesis. Therefore, the null hypothesis has to be accepted, which means that there is no difference in the use of honeymoon travel information between males and females.
57
Table 4.4: Gender* honeymoon travel information Chi-Square Test (IBM SPSS Statistics 23)
Asymptotic Significance Value
df
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square
8.879a
4
.064
Likelihood Ratio
9.186
4
.057
N of Valid Cases
341
(2-
Murphy et al. (2007) quoted Vogt’s and Stewart’s (1998) argument that travellers need different types of information sources at the various stages of their travel decision-making process. Therefore, the above results of the Omani honeymooners’ sources of information supported this argument. Omani honeymooners mixed between the use of WOM and E-WOM sources of information. Table 4.5 illustrates the interviewees’ sources of information where they supported the results of the questionnaire. Table 4.5: Omani honeymooners' sources of travel information (Author)
Interviewee 1
Friends,
other
people’s
recommendation and the internet Interviewee 2
Previous travellers, friends and relatives
Interviewees 3 (couple)
Friends, the internet
Interviewee 4
The internet and friends
Tham, Croy & Mair (2013) demonstrated that tourists use WOM sources of information for macro-level decision making that is related to destination decision making, while the use of E-WOM is clearly used on micro-level 58
decision making such as searching for hotels, restaurants and entertainment activities in a pre-selected destination. “There was a need to look and search from several dimensions. Besides trusting our friends’ recommendations, it was necessary to check different websites and check other people’s opinions about certain accommodations at the destination.” (Interviewees 3). On the other hand, all of the interviewees believed in the effect of WOM on their travel decision making. “Of course, it has a great effect. We can say that our decision was based 80% on WOM and 20% on the internet.” (Interviewees 3). However, survey participants and interviewees reflected that friends and relatives were the most used source of WOM in their travel decision-making process.
Interviewee 1 reflected the impact of her friends on her travel
decisions by saying, “Approximately, 85-90% was the contribution of our friends.” Participants justified their trust in friends as follows: “Because they are close to us, we trust them more than others.” (Interviewee 2) Thus the close relationship with friends assists in creating a high level of trust when people
are
forming
opinions.
Moreover,
friends
reflect
objective
recommendations with no bias to a particular destination or brand. According to Peppers (2013), friends are human beings, and there is no person with no bias; however, the bias of friends compared to other types of advertisement is very low. While advertisers reflect full bias (100%) towards their products, the bias of friends appears from their point of view or previous experience. According to Murphy et al. (2007), the contribution of WOM sources (friends and relatives and other previous travellers) is important before travel as well as during travel.
59
Figure 4.5 summarises the common travel information sources used by Omani honeymooners.
Figure 4.5: Travel information sources for Omani honeymooners (Author)
In regards to the importance of WOM sources of information for Omani honeymooners, all of the interviewees except one agreed that WOM is more important for honeymoon tourism than for other kinds of travel. “The nature of honeymoon travel is relaxing and not adventurous. So peace of mind is the most important thing. WOM is essential for choosing a safe and peace of mind destination.” (Interviewee 4) 4.2.4. The level of trust that Omani honeymooners place on WOM compared to E-WOM sources of information: From the previous analysis of the Omani honeymooners’ travel information sources, the results showed that most of them used a combination of WOM and E-WOM sources of information in their honeymoon travel decision making. In this section, I am going to identify the level of trust that Omani
60
honeymooners place in these sources of information. The survey participants were asked if they believe that the internet can provide more information for their honeymoon travel decisions. Figure 4.6 shows that the vast majority of the participants believed that the web could provide them with the required travel information.
Frequency
151
87
48 34 6
3
12
Strongly disagree
disagree
Somewhat disagree
Neutral
Somewhat agree
Agree
Strongly agree
scale of agreement
Figure 4.6: Participants belief in the ability of the internet to provide travel information (Author)
Moreover, participants were asked if they trust other people’s views on social media (Appendix 5). The results showed that the highest percentage (29.3%) of Omani honeymooners are neutral in trusting users’ opinions on social media. This indicates that they take in the information and process it to build their own views on honeymoon destinations. Having a neutral opinion is an indication of making an educated decision when considering a honeymoon destination. According to results shown in the frequency table in Appendix 6, there is a strong indication of a relationship between honeymoon decision making and electronic information gathering. Honeymooners tend to rely on information 61
from their peers, yet they also collect information off trusted tourist websites. Some of the listed websites for E-WOM might not be as popular in Oman; hence the majority of people (52.5%) indicated that they used none of the listed resources. On the other hand, Booking.com is one of the most wellknown and utilised websites in Oman, therefore about 37% of participants used it to collect information or book their stays during their honeymoon. On the other hand, Omani honeymooners reflected the high influence of WOM sources of information. In regards to the effect of negative recommendations on their destination choice, a majority of both males (53.8%) and females (50.9%) said that they would be affected by negative recommendations. Appendix 7 shows the cross-tabulation of the negative recommendation effect on both genders. The below chi-square test table demonstrates the statistical significance of the cross tabulation table in Appendix 7. Table 4.6: Gender* negative recommendations effect Chi-Square Test (IBM SPSS Statistics 23)
Asymptotic Significance Value
df
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square
.305a
2
.859
Likelihood Ratio
.305
2
.858
N of Valid Cases
341
(2-
The null hypothesis (H0) is: there is no difference between males and females in being affected by negative WOM feedback. The Chi-Square value is 0.305
62
which is associated with 85.9% significance. Therefore, the null hypothesis is accepted, where males and females are affected similarly by negative WOM recommendations. Respondents were asked about the importance of consulting with others before selecting their honeymoon destination. A Mann-Whitney U test was applied to see if there was a difference between males and females in their opinions toward consulting with others. The H0 is: there is no difference in being affected by negative recommendations between males and females. Table 4.7 shows the results of the Mann-Whitney U test. Table 4.7: Mann-Whitney U Test of consultation by gender (IBM SPSS Statistics 23)
Results Mann-Whitney U
9858.500
Wilcoxon W
35058.500
Z
-3.828
Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed)
.000
The results show a rejection of the H0 since there is a statistically significant difference in the importance of consulting others between males and females (Z= -3.828, p (asymptotic significance) = 0.000). By comparing the mean rank as illustrated in Appendix 8, the figure for males (198.74) is higher than for females (156.51). The results indicate that prior information gathering is considered as the man's responsibility. This can be considered as a consequence of cultural and traditional arrangements, where the man solely undertakes the expenses of the honeymoon and all related arrangements
63
including, but not limited to, destination selection, booking and information collection. The
results
of
the
Omani
honeymooners’
responses
to
negative
recommendations beside the results of the importance of consultation question provide an indication that WOM has a noticeable effect on Omani honeymooners’ travel decision making. Overall, Omani honeymooners reflected a neutral level of trust for both WOM and E-WOM, as they showed their interest in and influence by both of these sources. This can give an indication of the high level of educated opinions of Omani honeymooners, as they realise the necessity of using electronic sources besides traditional WOM sources in order to build a complete image about their honeymoon destination. This is because sometimes the limited number of trusted WOM sources of information lead people to check for further supported opinions on social media sources of information. As mentioned previously, while WOM is used in macro-level destination decisions, E-WOM is used in micro-level destination decisions. 4.2.5. The effect of WOM compared to other destination promotions on Omani honeymooners’ travel decisions: Participants were asked to reflect their opinion on how much WOM influenced their decision-making WOM compared to other destination promotional tools. Figure 4.7 shows the results, where both males and females have a higher tendency towards a neutral opinion on this issue.
64
Figure 4.7: WOM influence comparing to destination promotion (Author)
The gathered responses indicate that those surveyed have a neutral sense of influence when making a decision on a honeymoon destination. The majority of both males and females felt that they are equally influenced by both WOM and destination promotions. This illustrates that both data collection and information sources play significant roles in destination decision-making, as interviewee 2 explained. “I don’t think that it matters much to me, both WOM and TV ads and other promotions can convince me just as well.” Additionally, interviewee 1 illustrated her opinion as follows: “I think WOM has the bigger effect, but we cannot deny the impact of other marketing tools like magazines' ads and other advertisements”. Gartner (1994), illustrated that destination image is affected by external stimuli such as ads, tour operators or WOM. These stimuli trigger a person’s tendency towards a destination travel decision. Therefore, the Omani honeymooners 65
were influenced neutrally by WOM and other destination promotions, as they used both of them in their destination image formation which consequently affected their travel decision. A Mann-Whitney U test was applied to see if there was a significant difference between males and females in their opinions towards the effect of WOM compared to other destination promotions. Table 4.8: Mann-Whitney U Test of WOM influence compared to destination promotion on gender (IBM SPSS Statistics 23)
Results Mann-Whitney U
11081.500
Wilcoxon W
36281.500
Z
-2.379
Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed)
.017
The H0 is: there is no significant difference between males and females in their opinions towards the effect of WOM compared to other destination promotions. Since Z= -2.379, p= 0.017, the null hypothesis is being rejected, and an alternative hypothesis (H1) is accepted, where there is a statistically significant difference between males and females in their opinions towards the influence of WOM compared to other destination promotions. 4.2.6. The effect of WOM on the travel behaviour of Omani honeymooners at the destination: Interviewees were asked if WOM affected their behaviour at their honeymoon destination. Since there were 4 interviews, with one of them being conducted with a couple, the results show that three interviewees said that WOM didn’t 66
affect their behaviour at the destination, while two of them stated that they were affected. Those who had no WOM effect on their behaviour clarified their reasons, as the husband in interview 3 explained, “We have to know that when you will travel to a certain destination, you will discover more than what other people have reflected to you." Interviewee 4 indicated that WOM didn't affect his behaviour because he feels that, “WOM affects the expectation of the destination and the culture of people," instead of adjusting their behaviour. On the other hand, two of the interviewees who said that their conduct at the destination was affected by WOM illustrated that WOM affected their selection of restaurants, the avoidance of some hotels and their use of transportation. Interviewee 1 gave some examples of the effect WOM had on her behaviour at the destination, saying, “We avoided some places and hotels based on their recommendations (WOM). Moreover, their recommendations affected our behaviour in using transportation there, as we tried to be alert and avoid the taxi drivers’ exploitations”. Overall, according to the interviewees, WOM affected the behaviour of some of them while it didn’t make any change in the behaviour of others. This gives an indication that WOM doesn’t always have the ability to affect the behaviour of honeymooners at the destination. This is because honeymooners might need to build their own perspectives about the destination and their behaviour there without the influence of others’ opinions. Moreover, they might be looking to feel free in their behaviour and try new activities, with no restrictions based on what has been recommended by others. In contrast, those who said that
67
their behaviour was affected by WOM might be classified as cautious honeymooners who try to avoid risk in their travel and try to be ready to encounter any of the unexpected issues at the destination. 4.2.7. The effect of cultural and religious norms on the destination selection and enjoyment of Omani honeymooners: Participants were asked if Islamic, traditional and cultural aspects affected their destination selection and enjoyment. The following frequency table illustrates Omani honeymooners’ opinions on this issue. Table 4.9: The effect of Islamic, traditional and cultural aspects on the destination selection and enjoyment of Omani honeymooners (IBM SPSS Statistics 23) Cumulative
Valid
Frequency
Percent
Percent
Strongly Disagree
17
5.0
5.0
Disagree
15
4.4
9.4
Somewhat Disagree
24
7.0
16.4
Neutral
57
16.7
33.1
Somewhat Agree
54
15.8
49.0
Agree
74
21.7
70.7
Strongly Agree
100
29.3
100.0
Total
341
100.0
The frequency table clearly reflects that 51% of Omani honeymooners agreed that Islamic and cultural aspects affected their destination selection and enjoyment. As mentioned above in section 4.2.1, Malaysia is the most selected honeymoon destination by Omani honeymooners, and this can prove that the selection of Malaysia is due to its Islamic nature beside the other mentioned reasons. Malaysia is a place where Omani honeymooners can find all the 68
facilities that suit them and do not conflict with their Islamic and cultural norms. Interviewees 3 explained their choice of Malaysia by saying, “Because it is a Muslim country and I really considered it to be a Muslim destination where people are respecting Islam and others.” Due to the conservativism of Omani society, honeymooners tended to select entertainment activities that match with their traditional and conservative aspects. For example, they avoided non-Halal restaurants, nightclubs and other activities that have a conflict with their religion and culture. On the other hand, all interviewees demonstrated that Islamic and cultural aspects did not affect their enjoyment at the destination. Interviewee 1 said “I took all of my freedom. I enjoyed everywhere with respect to my religion and culture. I didn’t feel that there was anything that could limit my enjoyment”. A Mann-Whitney U test (Table 4.10) was applied to test if there was a significant difference between males and females in their response to the influence of Islamic and cultural aspects on their destination selection and enjoyment. The null hypothesis is: there is no difference between males and females in being influenced by Islamic and cultural aspects in their destination selection and entertainment.
69
Table 4.10: Islamic and cultural aspects influence on Omani honeymooners' destination selection and enjoyment (IBM SPSS Statistics 23)
Results Mann-Whitney U
13054.500
Wilcoxon W
19957.500
Z
-.059
Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed)
.953
As Z= -0.059, P= 0.953, this indicates that there is no statistically significant difference between males and females in their opinions towards the effect of Islamic and cultural aspects on their destination selection and enjoyment. Therefore, the null hypothesis is accepted. By comparing the mean rank as illustrated in Appendix 9, males (170.58) and females (171.22) have approximately the same mean rank. This gives an indication that honeymooners as couples share the same destination and enjoy the same activities. Therefore, they will be affected at the same level as they are sharing the same experiences. 4.2.8. The relationship between WOM and the Islamic and cultural norms of Omani society: To measure the level of relationship between WOM and the Islamic and cultural aspects of Omani society, respondents were asked to illustrate their level of agreement towards the necessity of taking other Omanis’ recommendations under consideration. As shown in Table 4.11, it can be clearly observed that the vast majority (58.4%) of Omani honeymooners
70
demonstrated
that
it
is
necessary
to
take
other
Omanis'
travel
recommendations under consideration. Despite the fact that some interviewees do not trust other people’s views on social media when asked if they trust other Omanis’ views on social media they said yes. They identified their reasons as being due to the sharing of the same cultural, traditional and religious aspects; therefore they trust their recommendations. "Of course, I will trust Omanis' reviews, as we have a common religion, culture and traditions, and we understand each other.” (Interviewee 1). Table 4.11: Taking other Omanis' travel recommendations under consideration (IBM SPSS Statistics 23) Cumulative
Valid
Frequency
Percent
Percent
Strongly Disagree
5
1.5
1.5
Disagree
15
4.4
5.9
Somewhat disagree
20
5.9
11.7
Neutral
50
14.7
26.4
Somewhat agree
52
15.2
41.6
Agree
94
27.6
69.2
Strongly agree
105
30.8
100.0
Total
341
100.0
A Mann-Whitney U test (Table 4.12) was applied to discover if there is a significant difference between males and females in their opinions toward the effect of other Omanis’ travel recommendations. The null hypothesis is: there is no difference between males and females in their opinions on the necessity of Omanis’ recommendations.
71
Table 4.12: Mann-Whitney Test on taking other Omani's recommendations to be under consideration (IBM SPSS Statistics 23)
Results
12764.000 Mann-Whitney U Wilcoxon W
19667.000
Z
-.405
Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed)
.685
Since Z = -0.405, P= 0.685, this means that males and females have the same opinions towards taking other Omanis’ recommendations under consideration. Therefore, the null hypothesis is accepted. While the mean rank of males (168.09) and females (172.52) are close to each other (Appendix 10), this indicates that both of them accept or have the same opinions in considering Omanis' recommendations in their travel. As justified beforehand, the factor of sharing a common cultural, traditional and religious background is the main reason behind trusting other Omanis’ views. Moreover, avoiding risk might be considered as another factor in this issue. The Omani honeymooners took the recommendations of other Omanis to avoid being at risk, as both parties understand each other’s essential requirements of travel such as Halal food, green nature and entertainment facilities.
72
4.3.
Research main findings:
The main findings of this research are presented as follows: 1. Most of the Omani honeymooners spent their honeymoon in Malaysia. Several reasons were behind the selection of this destination, including WOM recommendations, Islamic religion, safety and its reputation as a famous destination for Arab honeymooners. 2. Various travel motivations encourage Omani honeymooners to travel. The three important pull most factors for the travel motivation of Omani honeymooners are; different nature to home, safety, and Halal food restaurants. On the other hand, they reflected some push travel factors as follows: being away from the surrounding environment and being close to each other. 3. The highest percentage of Omani honeymooners mixed the use of WOM and E-WOM sources of information in their honeymoon travel decision making. That is because they need WOM sources for macrolevel decision making and E-WOM sources for micro-level decision making. Moreover, friends and relatives are the most trusted source of WOM by Omani honeymooners, and they have the most impact on their travel decision. 4. Omani honeymooners have a neutral level of trust for both WOM and E-WOM sources of information. 5. Most Omani honeymooners feel that they are equally influenced by both WOM and destination promotions. This indicates that both sources play a significant role in affecting Omani honeymooners’ decision making.
73
6. WOM doesn’t always have the ability to affect Omani honeymooners’ travel behaviour at the destination, since some honeymooners need to try new things or activities that they have never heard about before, or they might need to build their own experiences without any influence from others. 7. The effect of the Islamic, traditional and cultural aspects was very high on Omani honeymooners’ destination selection and enjoyment. 8. There is a high level of relationship between WOM and the Islamic and cultural norms of Omani society. The vast majority of Omani honeymooners (58.4%) showed that it is necessary to take other Omanis’ travel recommendations under consideration. The next chapter is about the research conclusion, and a summary of the research work will be illustrated.
74
Chapter Five: Conclusion 5.1.
Introduction:
The main aim from conducting this research study was to evaluate the effect of WOM on the travel decision making of Omani honeymooners. The implementation of the mixed method approach assisted in providing a clear representation and understanding of the research issue. This chapter is going to illustrate a general overview of the implications of the research findings, research contribution, limitations and recommendations.
5.2.
Implications of the research findings:
The results showed that most of Omani honeymooners travelled to Malaysia to spend their honeymoon there. Their selection of Malaysia was due to several factors including beautiful nature, Islamic religion, Halal food beside the safety and security. In general, Omani honeymooners reflected their motivational factors of travel where they focused more on factors that assist them to satisfy their basic and psychological needs. The top three motivational factors for Omani honeymooners were: different nature than home, safety and halal food. In regard to the information sources of their honeymoon travel, most of Omani honeymooners showed that they mixed between WOM and E-WOM sources of information. They used WOM sources for their macro-level decision, while using the E-WOM for their micro-level decision. However, Omani honeymooners
reflected
their
high
dependency
on
their
friends’
recommendations compared to other travellers and E-WOM information sources. They also showed the importance of WOM on the honeymoon travel 75
compared to other kinds of travel where the decision must be studied well in order to avoid any potential risk and to have a memorable romantic experience. The results showed that Omani honeymooners reflected a neutral level of trust for both WOM and E-WOM information sources. However, this gave an indication of high level of educated opinions of Omani honeymooners, where they realise the importance of using the both sources of travel information to build a holistic perception about their honeymoon destination. A neutral sense of influence was reflected by respondents when they were asked about the influence of WOM compared to other destination promotions. In regard to the impact of WOM on the honeymooners’ behaviour at the destination, interviewees reflected two different opinions. Some of them declared that WOM didn’t affect their behaviour while others showed its impact on their selection of transportation and restaurants in order to avoid any potential risk or negative exploitation. Finally, Omani honeymooners were significantly influenced by their Islamic and cultural aspects during their destination selection and enjoyment. On the other hand, the findings reflected the high relationship between WOM and the Islamic, traditional and cultural norms of Omani society in affecting the travel decision of Omani honeymooners. They reflected their high bias toward other Omanis recommendations whether face to face or via the various means of social media. They showed their high level of trust for other Omanis recommendations due to the sharing of the same culture, religion and traditions.
76
Overall, due to the exploratory nature of this research, the findings cannot be generalised to all Omani honeymooners. These findings are just representing the sample of this study.
5.3.
Research contribution:
The study contributes in adding new source of information for tourism literature in general and for tourism in Oman in particular. It will pay the attention of researchers to focus on one of the important tourism markets that has not been fully studied and explored. On the other hand, the research contributes to provide an estimated perception about the effect of WOM on the travel decision-making of Omani honeymooners. Although the findings cannot be generalised on the whole population of Omani honeymooners, it can attract the attention of tourism agents and marketers in Oman to take into account the possible factors that affected the travel-decision-making of Omani honeymooners. Additionally, it will assist on how they can exploit these factors to assist them in delivering their marketing plans and promotions to those honeymooners. Moreover, the findings can be taken as bases for further research on honeymooners’ travel decision-making.
5.4.
Limitations and recommendations:
Due to the time limit of research period, the study includes some limitations that can be enhanced in the future research. In regard to the questionnaire, it is advisable to conduct a larger sample of Omani honeymooners in the future research as well as presenting more precise questions that focused deeply on the effect of WOM on the travel decision-making of Omani honeymooners. Four interviews are not enough to provide a complete vision about the opinions 77
of the respondents. Therefore, it will be preferable to conduct more in-depth interviews in the future. Additionally, this research can be considered as a starting point in studying the effect of WOM on the travel decision-making of Omani honeymooners, where further research can complete the exploration of the topic in depth. Moreover, honeymooners travel decision-making is a wide topic that can be deeply investigated from different dimensions such as travel motivations, behaviour or the effect of relationship marketing on honeymooners.
78
Appendices Appendix 1: Questionnaire Questions: The effect of WOM on the travel decision making of Omani honeymooners
Dear participant, this is Aaisha Al.Shuaili, a master student of International Tourism Management at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. I am doing a research about the impacts of Word of Mouth (WOM) on the travel decision making of Omani honeymooners. Word of mouth has been formally defined as “informal, person-to-person Communication between a perceived non-commercial communicator and a receiver regarding a brand, a product, an organization, or a service” (Harrison-Walker 2001,63). The aim of this
research is to evaluate the effect of WOM on the travel decision making of Omani
honeymooners’
travellers.
This
questionnaire
should
take
approximately 5 minutes to complete. Your participation is voluntary and you have the right to withdraw at any time during answering the questionnaire. All the data provided will be treated in confidence and you will remain anonymous. For any enquiries and suggestions, please contact me at my email:
[email protected]
Thank you for your time. Researcher: Aaisha Al.Shuaili …………………………….................. 1. Where did you spend your honeymoon? o o o o o
Oman United Arab Emirates Thailand Malaysia Turkey 79
o Sri Lanka o Other (…………………) 2. My honeymoon period was for: o One week o Two weeks o Three weeks o Four weeks o More than four weeks
3. I obtained my honeymoon travel information from: o Friends & relatives (F&R) only o Other travellers only o Online users only o All of the above o Neither 4. Receiving negative recommendations from others would affect my travel decision to a certain destination: o Yes o No o somehow 5. Which of the below listed websites did you use for honeymoon’s destination information: o Trip advisor o Booking.com o Expedia o Hotels.com o Trivago o Other (………………) o Non of the above 6. Could you please indicate to what extent are you agree with the following statements in the list below by using the following scale of agreement: 1- Strongly Disagree 2- Disagree 3- Somewhat Disagree 4- Neutral 5- Somewhat Agree 6- Agree 7- Strongly Agree 6.1)
It is important to consult with others before selecting my honeymoon destination 80
1
2
4
5
6
7
6.2)
I trust other views on social media about a certain destination for honeymoon 2 3 4 5 6 7
6.3)
I believe that internet can provide more information needed for honeymoon travel 2 3 4 5 6 7
6.4)
Destinations’ marketing promotions don’t influence my travel decision as others’ recommendations do 2 3 4 5 6 7
6.5)
As an Omani Muslim, it is necessary to take other Omanis views about my honeymoon’s destination to be under consideration 2 3 4 5 6 7
6.6)
I believe that Islamic, traditional and cultural aspects affected my destination selection and enjoyment
1
1
1
1
1
2 6.7)
1
3
3
4
5
6
7
My honeymoon was such a beautiful memorable experience 2 3 4 5 6 7
……………………………………………………………. 7. The following statements reflect the reasons behind selecting a certain destination for honeymoon. Please select the three most important reasons from your perspective and previous experience. I am attracted to spend my honeymoon in a specific destination because they offer: 1) Halal food restaurants 2) Entertainment facilities with reasonable prices 3) Romantic attractions and events 4) Historical and cultural attractions 5) Different nature and climate than home 6) Favourable currency exchange 7) Positive attitude toward Islamic and Arabic culture 8) Ease of communication with local people 81
9) Safety and security …………………………………………………………..
Age: (18-22) (23-27) (28-32) (33-more) Gender: (male) (Female) Education range: o Elementary school o Secondary school o Diploma o Bachelor degree o Master degree and above Income level per month: o Under 500 OMR o 500-1100 OMR o 1200 OMR &above
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.
82
Appendix 2: Interview questions
1- Where was your honeymoon? Inside or outside Oman? 2- Do you think that it is important to make a honeymoon travel? why? 3- How did you choose that destination? 4- Did you make the decision of travel with your partner or was it a surprise to him/her? 5- What are the factors you consider in selecting a honeymoon destination? 6- Do you believe in the effect of WOM in the travel decision-making? 7- Did your friends and relatives affect your selection of the destination? 8- As an Omani, did you feel that the cultural and Islamic norms affected your enjoyment in the destination? 9- Do you trust other’s views in the internet? If yes, how can you trust them? Are those others have to be Omani, Muslims or you don’t mind? 10- Who will trust more, the recommendations from Omani social networks or other types of social media like Facebook and twitter? 11- How did others’ WOM affect your behaviour at the destination? 12- Is WOM might be more important for honey moon than other kind of travel?
83
Appendix 2.1: Interview Transcript: interview 1: This is Aaisha Al.Shuaili, I am doing an interview with one of the research participants. Today is 11th of July 2016. It is 5:45 PM. All the personal information will be anonymous and will be used for the academic research purpose only. The main purpose of this interview is to help me conducting my research about the impacts of WOM on the travel decision making of Omani honeymooners. I would like to ask for your permission to record this interview as a reference for my research, are you agree? Interviewee: Yes, I am Aaisha: Ok, so let’s start our interview. Where was your honeymoon? Was it inside or outside Oman? Interviewee: Outside Oman, it was in Malaysia Aaisha: Aha, do you think that it is important for new couples to make a honeymoon? Why? Interviewee: Absolutely it is very important. Because they will be very close from each other as they are isolated from their society and the time is just for them to spend with each other. It is like a recuperation and recreation period after the stress of wedding ceremony. Aaisha: Aha, nice. So Malaysia is such a beautiful destination. how did you choose it? Interviewee: We chose Malaysia based on our friends’ and other people recommendations. We also searched about it in the internet and we liked it. Aaisha: Can you give me a percentage of friends’ and others’ contribution in convincing you comparing to the internet? Interviewee: approximately mmmmm Aaisha: I mean who had the highest level in convincing you? Interviewee: Approximately, 85-90% was the contribution of our friends 84
Aaisha: Ok, did you make the decision of Malaysia with your partner or was it a surprise to him? Interviewee: It was a joint decision between us. Aaisha: Ok, brilliant. What are the factors you consider in selecting the honeymoon destination? Interviewee: Mmmmmmm, can you explain more? Aaisha: Yes, sure. I mean like if you considered the destination to be in a Muslim country, or if you considered your selection based on halal food, beautiful nature and such these things. Interviewee: Yes yes, firstly we considered it to be as a Muslim country, then the local people I mean how friendly they are, the language also if they speak English or Arabic beside the availability of halal food. Moreover, we chose Malaysia because there are lots of Omanis there. So we felt little bit safe as we could find them mostly everywhere. Aaisha: Aha, good. Do you believe in the effect of WOM in travel decisionmaking? Interviewee: Yes of course it has a high effect. Because people reflect their opinion about that destination based on their real experience there. They live the experience; they are not just describing it randomly. Aaisha: It is like our Omani idiom “ask a person who tried the experience instead of asking a doctor who didn’t try it before” Interviewee: Yes, exactly Aaisha: Ok, did your friends and relatives affected your selection of the destination? you said before that they did Interviewee: Yes Aaisha: But, from where the highest effect came from? I mean from previous travellers or friends and relatives? Interviewee: I can say the highest percentage of effect came from previous travellers of Malaysia 85
Aaisha: You mean you trust them more as they already had the experience there? Interviewee: Exactly Aaisha: As an Omani Muslim, did you feel that the cultural and Islamic norms affected your enjoyment at the destination? Especially as you are a Muslim woman, did that restrict the options of entertainment that you can practice there? Interviewee: No no at all. I took all of my freedom. I enjoyed in everywhere with respect to my religion and culture. I didn’t feel that there was anything that can limit my enjoyment. Aaisha: Aha, at the beginning you told me that your travel decision was affected by friends and relatives, previous travellers and by the internet as well. Do you trust others’ views in the internet about specific destinations, accommodations or other tourism services? If yes, how can you trust them? For example, we have booking.com, hotels .com and many other websites where people can write their reviews and recommendations about their experience in one of the hotels or tourism accommodations, do you trust such these reviews and opinions? Interviewee: If it is through the internet I don’t really trust them Aaisha: Even if they are famous websites Interviewee: Yes, even. Because their opinions might depend on various factors that are differ from mine. However, I can trust people who I personally know them instead of trusting the reviews in the internet. Aaisha: Ok, what about if those reviews reflected from Omanis in one of the Omanis digital forums or websites, will you trust them comparing to other nonOmani websites or social media? Interviewee: Of course I will trust Omanis’ reviews as we have common religion, culture and traditions and we understand each other.
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Aaisha: How did others’ recommendations (WOM) affect your behaviour at the destination? I mean did that affect your selection of specific hotels, restaurants or the way you treat with locals? Interviewee: Yes, it affected. We avoid some places and hotels based on their recommendations. Moreover, there recommendations affected our behaviour in using the transportations there as we tried to be alert and avoid the taxi drivers’ exploitations. Even the plan of our honeymoon was very well organised
as
it
was
based
on
previous
travellers’
and
friends’
recommendations. Aaisha: Aha, brilliant. So it was a positive effect on your behaviour there? Interviewee: Yes Aaisha: There are various types of marketing where marketers try to convince people about their products and services. WOM is one of the marketing tools. Do you think that WOM might be more credible and reliable than other marketing tools for convincing the travel decision of honeymooners? Interviewee: From my personal view, I think WOM has the bigger effect but we cannot deny the effect of other marketing tools like magazines’ ads and other advertisements. Aaisha: Do you think that there is more exaggeration on other marketing tools comparing to WOM? Interviewee: Yes, absolutely as they are looking for their benefits and increasing their profits. While in WOM people are going to reflect their real opinions because they are not looking for any benefits from that. Aaisha: So do you think that WOM might be more important for honeymoon than other kind of travel? Interviewee: Yes, very important Aaisha: more important than them or just at the same level? Interviewee: No, it is more important
87
Aaisha: Do you have any comments or want to add any additional information on this topic? Interviewee: No thankyou Aaisha: Thank you for your participation Interviewee: More than welcome
88
Appendix 3: Sample of the informed consent:
Research title: Word of Mouth impacts on the travel decision making of Omani honeymooners.
Informed Consent This is (participant’s name), I acknowledge that the interviewer has clearly informed me about the research purpose and aim and I understand what is about. My participation on this project is based on my satisfaction. I understand that I am free to request further information at any time.
I acknowledge that: 1. My participation in this project is entirely voluntary 2. I am free to withdraw at any time during the interview and without any disadvantage. 3. I understand that there is no risk from my participation in this research 4. I understand that all of my personal data will be treated in an anonymous way. 5. I agree to take part in this research
Date:
Figure 1: Sample of the informed consent (Based on Coles, Duval, & Shaw, 2013, p. 127).
89
Appendix 4: Risk Assessment Form and Research Ethics: A. Risk Assessment Form
90
91
B. Research Ethics Part A: Background of the research project
Title of Research Project
The impacts of word of mouth on travel decision making of Omani honeymooners.
Name of student
Aaisha Al Shuaili
Module code and title
BEMM349 Tourism Dissertation
Email contact
[email protected]
Supervisor’s name
Joanne Connell
Name(s)
of
other Non
researchers and affiliation (s)
(e.g.
if
you
are
conducting the research with help from a third party or being sponsored by another organisation or supported in kind) Start and estimated end 12th May-02 September date of project Source of any funding for Myself the project Aims and objectives of the Aims: project (please provide as bullet points)
The aim of this project is to evaluate the effect of WOM on the travel decision making of Omani honeymooners’ travellers. Objectives:
92
Determine and evaluate the importance of the sources of WOM that affect travel decision making for Omani honeymooners
Establish whether there is a relationship between WOM and the travel behaviour at the destination
Determine
the
level
of
trust
that
Omani
honeymooners place on other’s views (WOM) compared with E-WOM sources
Establish whether there is a relationship between the effect of WOM and demographic/socioeconomic variables
93
Part B: Ethical Assessment Please complete the following questions in relation to your research project. Many of these will not be relevant to your project, but the Research Ethics Committee wishes for you to consider the full range of questions as part of your research training.1 Section 1
Yes
No
Research that may need to be reviewed by NHS NRES Committee, Ministry of Defence Research Ethics Committee (MODREC) or an external Ethics committee. See http://www.hra.nhs.uk/about-the-hra/ourcommittees/nres/ and https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/ministryof-defence-research-ethics-committees for more information.
Will the study involve recruitment of patients or staff through the NHS or the use of NHS data or premises and/ or equipment?
Does the study involve participants age 16 or over who are unable to give informed consent? (e.g. people with learning disabilities: see mental Capacity Act 2005 / Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. All research that falls under the auspices MCA/AWI should be reviewed by a recognised and appropriate REC operating under GAfREC or Scotland ‘A’ REC). Section 2
Does the research involve other vulnerable groups: children, those with cognitive impairment, or those in unequal relationships? Have you read the appropriate Act; ethical practices governing research with the group you aim to study?
Will the study require the co-operation of a gatekeeper for initial access to the groups or individuals to be recruited? (e.g. employees, students at school, members of self-help group, residents of a nursing home?)
Will it be necessary for participants to take part in the study without their knowledge and consent at the time? (e.g. covert observation of people in non-public places, use of deception in experimental studies)
1
ESRC ethics initial checklist, Framework for Research Ethics (FRE), (2015).
94
Will the study involve discussion of sensitive or potentially sensitive topics? (e.g. sexual activity, drug use, personal lives)
Are drugs, placebos or other substances (e.g. food substances, vitamins) to be administered to the study participants, or will the study involve invasive, intrusive or potentially harmful procedures of any kind?
Will tissue samples (including blood or saliva) be obtained from participants? Is pain or more than mild discomfort likely to result from the study?
Could the study induce psychological stress or anxiety or cause harm or
negative consequences beyond the risks encountered in normal life? Will the study involve prolonged or repetitive testing?
Will the research involve administrative or secure data that requires
permission from the appropriate authorities before use?
Is there a possibility that the safety of the researcher may be in question? (e.g. working alone and physically present in an unfamiliar international environment) Section 2 continued…
Yes
No
Does the research involve members of the public in a research capacity (participant research)?
Will the research take place outside the UK?
Will the research involve respondents to the internet or other visual/ vocal methods where respondents may be identified? (e.g. through the findings)
Will research involve the sharing of data or confidential information beyond the initial consent given?
Will financial or other inducements (other than reasonable expenses and compensation for time) be offered to the participants?
If you have answered ‘yes’ in Section 1 of the Research checklist
95
Your research is likely to be subject to specific ethics review other than the University of Exeter, therefore it is unlikely that you will have sufficient time to gain ethical approval. External permissions can often take between 3 and 12 months to gain approval. Therefore, we advise that you revise your research proposal. If you do wish to go ahead, please contact your supervisor and module co-ordinator. If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of the other questions in Section 2 of the Research checklist You will need to describe more fully how you plan to deal with the ethics issues raised by your research below in Sections C, D, E, F, before obtaining signatures in section G. Please note that it is your responsibility to follow the University of Exeter’s Code of Practice on Ethical Standards and any relevant academic or professional guidelines in the conduct of your study. This includes providing appropriate information sheets and consent forms, and ensuring confidentiality in the storage and use of data. Any significant change in the question, design or conduct over the course of the research should be notified to your primary supervisor and may require a new application for ethics review. If you have answered no to all of the questions in sections 1 and 2 Please sign the form in section G and obtain your supervisors signature.
96
Part C: Further and brief details for any sections answered ‘Yes’. If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above sections (i.e. the checklist), please elaborate with detail here. Please state:
who is at risk: e.g. the participants; yourself; organisations you are working with.
what type of harm the research may cause: e.g. health and safety issues; reputational damage; distress, embarrassment, anxiety; inconvenience, time lost, intrusion, boredom or discomfort.
How the risks will be minimised and harm limited: e.g. inform someone of your whereabouts in case of emergency; not giving your personal details to participants in the research; limiting the type of questions you ask respondents; giving participants the right to withdraw from the research at any time etc…
97
The research will take place outside the UK. It will discuss an issue related to Omani society. All the respondents will be Omanis. As all of them will be from different ages, income level and different education level. The research will be far away from discussing any sensitive issues related to the religion, society, policy or culture. There will be at least 100 participants and the questionnaire’s link will be spread through the social media including whatsapp, facebook, linkedin and twitter. All the personal data will be confidential and the respondents have the right to cancel the interviews at any time. The respondents will be clearly informed about their rights and where are we going to use the required data. As they will have the chance to contact us at any time for any enquiries related to their participation in the research. I might be at risk during the interviews but as I mentioned before there will be some precautions such as, telling my family or close friends about the place and duration of the interview, or taking one of my relatives or close friends with me during the interview.
Part D: Ethical Considerations for method(s). List each of the methods you aim to use to recruit participants and describe the methods you will use to gain their ‘informed consent’. If written consent will not be obtained for any of your methods, this must be justified. At the least the following should be considered for each method. -
Confidential and anonymity for all participants and organisations
-
Voluntary participation following informed consent
-
Please attach a copy of every Information Statement and Consent Form that will be used, including translation if research is to be conducted with non-English speakers. If consent is to be obtained verbally, please indicate 98
the script you will use to inform the participant and the method of recording the verbal agreement.
Method
Please state how you obtain informed consent…
A qualitative method: Interview
I will ask them (participants) for the consent and it will be recorder before the interview. They will be informed clearly about the topic and what it should discuss. the interviews will be recorded as well as the informed consent. However, there will be a translated
attachment
in
the
appendices of the informed consent and a sample of one of the interviews. A
quantitative
Questionnaire
method: There will be a page where each respondent
must
read
before
answering any question. This page will
reflect
their
rights
as
respondents.
Will there be any possible harm that your project may cause to participants (e.g. psychological distress or repercussions of a legal, political or economic nature)? What precautions will be taken to minimise the risk of harm to participants? There will be no harm at all for any of our respondents. Everything will be in public and through the online link. We will be a way from all social and personal sensitivities. 99
Part E: Data protection How will you ensure the security of the data collected? What will happen to the data at the end of the project, (if retained, where and how long for). Please follow guidelines provided by the University of Exeter on Data protection to complete this section http://www.exeter.ac.uk/recordsmanagement/.
During the research, the data will be stored in my own computer device as well as keeping a copy in my university email and my gmail. Moreover, there will be another copy in my own hard disk in order to insure that I will find them when needed.
At the end of my research, all the personal data will be deleted and will just keep the results and analysis. The data will not be shared with any organisation or authority.
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Appendix 5: Trusting others’ views on social media:
Cumulative Frequency Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Percent
Strongly Disagree
24
7.0
7.0
7.0
Disagree
14
4.1
4.1
11.1
Somewhat Disagree
31
9.1
9.1
20.2
100
29.3
29.3
49.6
Somewhat Agree
79
23.2
23.2
72.7
Agree
53
15.5
15.5
88.3
Strongly Agree
40
11.7
11.7
100.0
341
100.0
100.0
Neutral
Total
101
Appendix 6: Websites used by Omani honeymooners for honeymoon’s destination information:
Cumulative Frequency Valid
Trip Advisor
Percent
Valid Percent
Percent
8
2.3
2.3
2.3
127
37.2
37.2
39.6
Expedia?
5
1.5
1.5
41.1
Hotels.com
7
2.1
2.1
43.1
Trivago
5
1.5
1.5
44.6
179
52.5
52.5
97.1
Other
10
2.9
2.9
100.0
Total
341
100.0
100.0
Booking.com
Non of the above
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Appendix 7: Gender * negative recommendations effect Cross-Tabulation:
Do negative recommendations affect the travel decision making? Yes Gender
Male
Count % within Gender
Female
Count % within Gender
Total
Count % within Gender
No
Somehow
Total
63
14
40
117
53.8%
12.0%
34.2%
100.0%
114
27
83
224
50.9%
12.1%
37.1%
100.0%
177
41
123
341
51.9%
12.0%
36.1%
100.0%
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Appendix 8: Mean ranks of gender in consulting others before selecting the honeymoon destination:
Gender Consulting others before
Male
N
Mean Rank
Sum of Ranks
117
198.74
23252.50
224
156.51
35058.50
selecting the honeymoon destination
Female
Total 341
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Appendix 9: Mean ranks of males and females in their opinions toward Islamic and cultural aspects influence on destination selection and enjoyment.
Gender Islamic, traditional and cultural
Mean Rank
Sum of Ranks
Male
aspects affection on destination selection and enjoyment
N 117
170.58
19957.50
224
171.22
38353.50
Female
Total 341
105
Appendix 10: Mean ranks of Omani honeymooners’ males and females in taking other Omanis’ recommendations to be under consideration:
Gender Taking other Omani's
Male
N
Mean Rank
Sum of Ranks
117
168.09
19667.00
224
172.52
38644.00
recommendation to be under consideration
Female
Total 341
106
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