Examining the structural relationships of electronic word of mouth, attitude toward destination, travel intention, tourist satisfaction and loyalty: a meta-analysis

The effects of electronic word of mouth on travel intention have been investigated extensively. However, the interrelationships among electronic word-of-mouth communication, destination image, attitude toward the destination, travel intention, satisfaction toward tourist complaints, and loyalty in the tourism industry have yet to be determined. This study tries to extract some informed conclusions about the relationship through a meta-analysis. This study proposed a research framework in which 12 hypotheses were developed, and a total of 44 independent studies were collected and analyzed. The results from the research framework suggest that: (1) e-Word-of-Mouth communication positively influences the destination image, tourist attitude toward the destination, and travel intention; (2) tourist satisfaction is positively influenced by the destination image, tourist attitude toward the destination, and travel intention; (3) tourism satisfaction positively influence tourist complaints and loyalty. The theoretical and practical implications were discussed and applied to destination marketing and management.