Muslim tourists’ intention to book on Airbnb: the moderating role of gender

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of reputation on perceived value towards Muslim tourists’ booking intention on Airbnb, particularly from the Malaysian perspective. Additionally, this study investigates the moderating role of gender on the relationship between perceived value and guest booking intention. Design/methodology/approach: This study considered the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) theory to develop the research framework. Using a self-administered survey questionnaire, 156 completed and usable responses were obtained. The data were analysed by applying partial least squares–structural equation modelling technique, more specifically by using SmartPLS (version 3) software. Findings: The study findings revealed that both reputation and perceived value positively affect Muslim tourists’ booking intention on Airbnb service. Moreover, it is also found that, gender plays a moderating role on guests’ intention to book accommodation on the Airbnb platform. Practical implications: It is expected that the findings of this study can help the practitioners in the hospitality industry, particularly in strategising their marketing efforts to attract more tourists to engage in a meaningful relationship with the Airbnb in Malaysia. It is suggested that, the Airbnb hosts need to consider the reputation (stimulus) and perceived value (organism) in their marketing strategy to foster Muslim guests’ booking intention. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work is among the first to examine the predictors of Muslim tourists’ booking intention on Airbnb. Moreover, very little is known on the moderating role of gender on perceived value and its association with booking intention, which this research attempts to address.