A Comparison of Chinese and International Online User Perceptions of the Usefulness of Hotel Websites

The Internet has had a large impact on the tourism industry in which many travelers have been, and will be, using it to search for travel products and compare prices. The unprecedented growth of China's online market renders more online Chinese users to use the Internet to search and purchase tourism-related services and products. Hence, it is crucial to understand China's online users and how they act as compared to international users. The aim of this research is to do an initial study to compare the difference in perceptions of functionality and usability between China and international online users on the usefulness of hotel websites. Empirical findings revealed that the two groups of users do not exhibit significant differences in perceptions in most of the included attributes. Additionally, many users would like to use weblogs or social networks to share their travel experiences. Findings of this study would be beneficial to readers from better understanding the Chinese online users. Industrial practitioners may also consider using the recommendations to improve their websites.