Digital Opinions Shape Modern Tourism Choices
Tourism decisions today are rarely made in isolation. Travelers increasingly rely on online reviews, social media posts, and peer recommendations before choosing where to visit. This shift has made electronic word of mouth one of the most powerful forces in tourism marketing, often outweighing official advertisements.
Garut Regency offers a strong case study. Located in West Java, Garut has rich tourism assets, including natural attractions, cultural sites, and man-made destinations spread across dozens of districts. Official statistics list more than 230 tourist destinations in the region. Despite this potential, actual tourist visits between 2014 and 2023 have frequently fallen short of government targets, raising concerns about how Garut is promoted and perceived.
The research by Yhani Mardani focuses on a key but often underestimated factor: tourist attitudes. Rather than analyzing infrastructure or promotional spending, the study looks at how tourists feel about Garut and how those feelings translate into online behavior.
Simple Research Design, Clear Behavioral Signals
The study used a quantitative survey approach to capture how tourists evaluate Garut and how actively they share information online.
Data were collected from 200 domestic tourists living in West Java but outside Garut. All respondents were over 18 years old and had prior exposure to information or experiences related to Garut tourism. Questionnaires were distributed online through WhatsApp, reflecting how travelers commonly communicate and exchange travel opinions.
Participants rated statements about their impressions of Garut, interest in visiting, and enjoyment of the destination, as well as their willingness to share information, recommend Garut online, and post positive content. The responses were analyzed using a statistical modeling technique designed to measure relationships between attitudes and online communication behavior.
Clear Evidence: Attitudes Shape Digital Advocacy
The results show a strong and statistically significant relationship between tourist attitudes and electronic word of mouth.
Key findings include:
· Tourist attitudes explain 56.5 percent of e-WOM behavior. This means more than half of online sharing and recommendation activity can be traced directly to how tourists perceive Garut.
· Positive impressions lead to active promotion. Tourists who described Garut as enjoyable, attractive, and worth visiting were far more likely to recommend it online.
· Digital advocacy goes beyond personal reviews. Many respondents not only shared their own experiences but also reposted or amplified content created by others.
· Attitudes have a large behavioral impact. Statistical analysis shows tourist attitudes have a strong effect size, confirming they are a dominant driver of online tourism communication.
These findings reinforce the idea that tourists are not passive consumers. When they feel positively about a destination, they become informal digital ambassadors who spread its image organically.
Why This Matters for Tourism Management
The study carries important implications for destination managers, policymakers, and tourism businesses in Garut and beyond.
First, it shows that e-WOM cannot be engineered solely through marketing campaigns. Online buzz depends heavily on how tourists actually feel during and after their experiences. If visitors leave impressed, comfortable, and emotionally satisfied, they are more likely to share positive stories without being prompted.
Second, the findings suggest that improving visitor experience is a digital strategy. Clean facilities, accessible attractions, friendly services, and memorable experiences indirectly fuel online promotion by shaping positive attitudes.
Third, the research highlights the value of user-generated content. Encouraging tourists to share photos, stories, and recommendations can amplify destination visibility at minimal cost, provided the experience itself meets expectations.
For Garut Regency, this means tourism development strategies should prioritize experience quality alongside infrastructure and promotion.
Academic Insight from the Researcher
According to Yhani Mardani of Universitas Informatika dan Bisnis Indonesia, positive tourist attitudes function as the emotional trigger behind online sharing behavior. In ethical paraphrase, the researcher explains that when tourists perceive a destination as enjoyable and worthwhile, they feel a natural motivation to communicate those impressions digitally, turning personal experience into public recommendation.
This insight positions tourist attitude as a central element in digital tourism behavior, not merely a supporting factor.
Broader Relevance in the Digital Tourism Era
While the study focuses on Garut Regency, its implications extend to many regional destinations facing similar challenges. In the age of social media, destinations compete not only on attractions but on perceptions shaped by peer communication.
The research strengthens the understanding that tourist attitudes sit at the intersection of experience, emotion, and digital influence. Regions that invest in positive visitor experiences stand to benefit from sustained, organic online visibility.
Future research may explore how satisfaction, destination image, or emotional experience further strengthen or mediate this relationship. However, the current findings already provide a clear message: improving how tourists feel is one of the most effective ways to improve how destinations are talked about online.
Author Profile
Yhani Mardani. is a lecturer and researcher at Universitas Informatika dan Bisnis Indonesia (UNIBI), Bandung. Her academic expertise includes tourism marketing, consumer behavior, digital communication, and electronic word of mouth in tourism destinations.
Source
Journal Article Title: Understanding the Role of Tourist Attitudes in Generating Electronic Word of Mouth
Journal: Formosa Journal of Science and Technology
Year: 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/fjst.v5i1.408
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