From dreaming to believing: a review of consumer engagement behaviours with brands' social media content across the holiday travel process

• Published in: Journal of travel & tourism marketing Vol. 36; no. 6; pp. 679 - 691
• Main Authors: Creevey, Dean, Kidney, Etain, Mehta, Glenn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Binghamton Routledge 24-07-2019; Taylor & Francis LLC
• Subjects: consumer behaviour; content marketing; decision-making process; engagement; holiday travel process; hospitality marketing; hotels; online content; pre-trip; Social media; Social networks; Travel
• ISSN: 1054-8408; 1540-7306
• DOI: 10.1080/10548408.2019.1624242

This paper reviews social media user engagement behaviours with brands and proposes a new stage within the travel process. Specifically, the pre-trip stage is examined and investigation into a two sub-stage split is proposed; pre-purchase and post-purchase. Dubbed the Believing phase, this paper calls for research into the patterns of engagement behaviour towards hotel brands' content at this currently under-researched stage. Current social media-focussed research examines influence on purchasing decisions of users, social media usage on-site, and post-trip evaluation. There remains a conceptual gap highlighting the behavioural patterns of users during the period between initial purchase and subsequent departure.