THE EFFECTS OF CHARACTERISTICS OF CORPORATE BLOG ON TOURISTSâ•Ž LODGING INTENTION: AN EXAMPLE OF BED AND BREAKFAST

Tourists may rely on external information to make various decisions. By understanding the relation between information source characteristics and decision making, tourist operators can improve their communication performance and marketing efforts. Some businesses use corporate blog as a communication platform to engage their customers with the companies. Researches about the causal relationship between corporate blog and business marketing performance, yet, are scant. A theoretical model was built based on a set of distinct characteristics of corporate blogs identified from existing literature. A questionnaire survey was conducted to test this model. Based on 143 samples collected, this study found that vividness, interactivity of the blogs impact B&Bs’ lodging intention via the mediation of the sense of intimacy; and that direction of product reviews posted in the blogs directly impacts the lodging intention. Finally, managerial and academic implications are offered. Keywords—corporate blog; lodging intention; bed and breakfast