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Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research
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Travelers’ Prior Knowledge and its Impact on their Information Search Behavior

Dogan Gursoy

Washington State University

Ken W. McCleary

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of prior knowledge on travelers’information search behavior. This study examined prior knowledge as having two dimensions: familiarity and expertise. The influence of familiarity and expertise on information search was examined utilizing a structural equation modeling approach. The results of this study provide support for multidimensional prior knowledge. The results also indicate that expertise is a function of familiarity and both familiarity and expertise affect travelers’information search behavior. However, the magnitude and direction of the effects of travelers’familiarity on their information search behavior are different from the effects of their expertise. Findings suggest that although the effect of familiarity on internal search is positive and on external search is negative, the effect of expertise on internal search is negative and on external search is positive.

Key Words: prior knowledge • familiarity • expertise • information search • tourism • travel

Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, Vol. 28, No. 1, 66-94 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/1096348003261218
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