The impact of online content on the visitors' decisions with regards to heritage attraction sites in Malta

Abstract

The link between online content and tourism is natural since they are both information intense industries. Throughout the years, online information has evolved in its presentation and contributors. The emergence of social media enabled internet users to share their knowledge and experiences with the rest of the world. The research aimed to discover if online content has an impact on the decisions of the visitors with regards to heritage attraction sites. The data obtained through a quantitative analysis revealed that online content has a significant influence over the decisions of tourists. Moreover, official websites remained the most popular source of information for the respondents. However, it is worth noticing that information search differs with different demographics. The investigation also outlined which tools and services are perceived to be most useful in official websites. The research shed light on how influential consumer-generated media are. Indeed, the majority of the respondents believed that they have changed their mind at least once about visiting heritage attraction site based on online reviews. Virtual communities are perceived to be the most influential type of social media. However, a slight majority of the respondents admitted that they are only willing to read reviews. The research notes that male respondents and the youngest respondents were more likely to contribute online. Lastly, the answers from the respondents revealed that a disappointing number of tourists have purchased online a heritage-related product for their visit in Malta. Moreover, the research showed that older respondents were less likely to make an online purchase. This poses a greater challenge for Maltese heritage sites since the majority of tourists who visited Malta are from this age bracket.