E-Loyalty for Indian Online Tourism Industry: An assessment of Linear and Quadratic Relationship of Predictors and E-Loyalty

Abstract

Vibrant and dynamic era of economic development in India is witness for continuous and aggressive growth in major sectors of public as well as private undertakings. Current travel and tourism industry of India is growing at very fast phase. As per the information shared by WTTC (World Travel & Tourism Council) in its report (2017), the travel and tourism industry of India had generated INR 14.1 trillion in 2016, an increase of 6.7% growth from previous year. As we know the Indian travel market is continuously growing, a proper understanding of consumer behaviour towards loyalty in online situation will definitely help the travel related companies to capture more market opportunities in order to increase their market share in this competitive era. Community may be considered as association of human beings where common interest is shared among each other subject to predefined social norms by group members (Andrew, 2002). Virtual community enables an individual to connect and share their views with others, at global level, even if they are not physically meeting with each others. Smart phones have made possible for an individual to connect with their circle of friend, family, colleagues and workmen at anytime and anywhere. This close-up the distance between the two and hence an easy share of information and views regarding a product and services. Virtual community has two relevant features i.e. Reciprocity and Interactivity (Anderson & Mittal 2000). So, Reciprocity and Interactivity may be selected as two most preferred predictors of customer satisfaction especially for Indian Tourism communities. Current study tries to develop a conceptual model of e-loyalty especially for Indian tourism industry where quadratic association of predictors of e-loyalty has established along with linear relationship. 387 tourism websites were taken as sample to collect primary data and model is validated with the help of Structural equation modelling.

Keywords: e-Loyalty, Online, Tourism Industry, Linear, Quadratic, Predictors

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