Post-COVID-19 Educational Tourism: Social eWOM Adoption, Attitude, and Destination Choice Intention

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people have searched for more information about products and brands on social media. This study aims to examine how social networking sites act as a tool to reach fast and accurate information for the choice of educational tourism destinations that help explain the advantages of such media in promoting tourist destinations from a global aspect. Applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study integrated social electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), attitude, and choice intention constructs to investigate whether social eWOM can be an influential factor influencing the attitude and choice of edu-tourists regarding international higher education destinations. It also examined the moderating effect of COVID-19 fear arousal on the relation between edutourists’ choice intention and its related antecedents. © 2024 Apple Academic Press, Inc.