Influence of New Media on Travel Decision Making

Abstract

Tourism, one of the largest industries in the world, has recorded  consistent  growth  since  the  end  of  Second World  War.  Travel  is  a  key  factor  in  the  process  of tourism, where the tourist is the main player as well as the  ultimate  consumer  of  the  products  and  services offered to him/her. A tourist‟s decision to travel is  by itself a complex process because there are many factors that influence the decision. The New media, which has emerged  in  the  wake  of  tremendous  advancements  in information  and  communication  technologies  is also influencing the decision making process in modern times. Here, an attempt has been done to examine the influence of new media in the various stages of decision making process and the role played by it. A questionnaire based survey was  undertaken  to  conduct  the  study  and  the analysis reveals various kinds of influences of new media.