Influence of Trust and User Engagement on Electronic Word-of-Mouth in India’s Digital Travel Ecosystem

Abstract

The worldwide travel industry has changed as rapidly as digital technologies have, and India has been an integral part of this transformation. This study explore how trust and engagement affect the effectiveness of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in influencing travel decisions. The ability, benevolence, and integrity dimensions of eWOM trust improve the eWOM credibility and effectiveness. The drive toward eWOM creation and dissemination is due to engagement, which incorporates expansion, association, and entrapment. The study took a cross-sectional approach with the survey conducted on 300 Indian travellers who run their mouths on platforms like TripAdvisor, MakeMyTrip, and Booking.com, and it finds that the expectancy of trust coupled with engagement augmented the credibility, intensity, and usefulness of eWOM. Engagement bridges the active concept of engagement to make eWOM participatory, whereas trust reinforces the confidence in user-generated content to extend the reach and effect of eWOM. Also, the study identifies digital travel platforms that can be used to improve trust via transparency and ethical practice and increase engagement by incorporating personalised, interactive features. Offering some insights on optimizing eWOM, this thesis also provides a role for future research in the form of gaps, including seeking out cultural and socioeconomic factors that contribute to eWOM adoption in India. The findings offer a roadmap for platforms to build the collective buena of eWOM to generate user satisfaction and business success amid a competitive market.