E-Tourism: Understanding Users' Intention to Adopt Podcasting in Tourism

This study aimed to investigate users' intention towards the adoption of Podcasting in the context of e-tourism. A research framework together with eight hypotheses was proposed and empirically tested using data collected from a questionnaire-based survey. Media selection theory and innovation diffusion theory (IDT) were used in this study to explore and explain people's intention to adopt Podcasting in tourism. Among the investigated factors, functionality, usability, situational factor, image, relative advantage, and low complexity were found to significantly affect users' intention to adopt Podcasting. Although there was no evidence showing that social influence was directly associated with users' intention to use Podcasting, social influence was found to significantly affect image. The validated research model and corresponding findings can be referenced by business executives and decision makers in tourism industry for making favorable tactics to catch the revolutionary benefits offered by Podcasting in the ubiquitous computing environment.