Independent Travelers’ Knowledge-Sharing Willingness in Travel Social Networking Sites

Purpose: With the rise of the Internet and the emergence of the global social community, independent travelers are increasingly engaging in real-time interaction and knowledge sharing through travel social networking sites. Existing studies on travel social networking sites has primarily focused on the community’s willingness to use them. Therefore, this study explored independent travelers’ intention to share knowledge using travel social networking sites by examining their innovative personality traits and community identity. Methods The study employed an online questionnaire, and 480 valid questionnaire surveys were analyzed using structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis. Results The results show that independent travelers’ innovative personality traits affect subjective knowledge and perceived risk; community identification affects trust and sense of belonging; trust affects perceived risk, sense of belonging, and subjective knowledge; and sense of belonging affect tourism knowledge-sharing willingness. Conclusion These results are beneficial for travel industry managers in developing marketing strategies and managing travel social networking sites.