Do Online Travel Communities Matter? A Literature Review

Abstract

The emergence of social media has migrated consumers from peripheral stakeholders to strategic partners whose inputs are critical for successful product and service innovation. Online communities provide a platform for aggregation of consumers from diverse backgrounds; online travel communities (OTCs) have recently attracted growing interest in the information systems and tourism literature because their unofficial boundary spanning role influences consumer interest in destinations. Importantly, this literature remains largely fragmented because of conflicting findings. The present study seeks to integrate prior OTC research in order to understand the motivations and consequences (negative and positive) of OTCs, as well as interaction platforms. Among the 63 reviewed studies, psychological, social, and utilitarian motivations were identified, with both positive and negative consequences for firms and individuals. Additionally, the studies were found to employ different methodological approaches, based on distinct and heterogeneous theories. The paper concludes with some implications and directions for further research.