Barriers To Booking Intention Through Online Travel Agencies: A Case Study Of Vietnam

Abstract

Over the past decade, the explosion of technology and digital advancements have remarkably transformed the international travel industry. In line with these changes, online travel agencies (OTAs) have confirmed their vital position in the travel distribution value chain, which delivers convenient experiences to tourists and enables them to compare prices and book services easily. Despite the growth of OTAs in the Vietnamese travel market in recent years, they still face several challenges, resulting in customer resistance. By addressing this gap, this research attempts to investigate the barriers leading to customer resistance to booking rooms through OTAs in Vietnam. This research also contributes to the current literature by proposing a framework that combines functional barriers, psychological barriers (Ram and Sheth, 1989), and technological vulnerability barriers (Heinze et al., 2017) and then examining the impacts of those barriers on booking intention, especially in the context of OTAs in Vietnam. It also investigates the indirect effects of those barriers on booking intention through the mediation of consumer attitudes toward OTAs. A quantitative approach was used to collect 435 respondents via online survey questionnaires. SPSS version 20 was used for descriptive statistical analysis, while SmartPLS 4 was utilized to assess the reliability and validity of the measurement scales and perform partial least squares structural equation modeling. The research findings indicate that perceived complexity, privacy, and security barriers, benefit barriers, the need for human interaction, perceived technological dependence, and attitude have significantly negative direct impacts on booking intention through OTAs. Furthermore, attitude significantly mediates the indirect impact of perceived complexity, privacy and security barriers, benefit barriers, need for human interaction, and perceived technological dependence on booking intention. Implementing certain strategies, such as simplifying the interface to enhance user navigation and accessibility, providing clear privacy and security policies, and offering exclusive deals and personalized recommendations can help to optimize the effectiveness of the OTA platforms and foster user booking intention.