Title: Facebook user-generated content and tourists' destination intention in Vietnam

Authors: The Anh Phan; Thi Huong-Thanh Nguyen; Minh Chau Nguyen

Addresses: Becamex Business School, Eastern International University, Binh Duong, 75114, Vietnam ' Becamex Business School, Eastern International University, Binh Duong, 75114, Vietnam ' Becamex Business School, Eastern International University, Binh Duong, 75114, Vietnam

Abstract: This study evaluates the effect of user-generated content (UGC) on Facebook on travel intention, focusing on exposure to travel content, trust in UGC providers, and trust in UGC. A sample of 641 Vietnamese Facebook users was tested using PLS-SEM in SmartPLS 4.0. Findings indicate that exposure to travel content and trust in UGC providers trigger benign envy, stimulating travel intentions. Online social identities moderate the relationship between exposure and benign envy towards travel content, but inversely. This study offers insights for tourism marketing, suggesting that tourism companies and travel advertisers can leverage UGC on Facebook to influence travel intentions. Future research should examine the role of specific UGC types and explore the impact of UGC across different cultural contexts.

Keywords: UGC; user-generated content; trust in UGC providers; trust in UGC; travel intention; social comparison; benign envy; online social identity; Vietnam; Vietnamese tourists.

DOI: 10.1504/JGBA.2023.141425

Journal for Global Business Advancement, 2023 Vol.16 No.4, pp.559 - 581

Received: 25 Apr 2024
Accepted: 19 May 2024
Published online: 12 Sep 2024 *

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