A study on the effectiveness of smartphone travel applications.

• Main Authors: Fu, Xiao Chun., Sunthrsan, Sudhir Anand., Ho, Jane Wen Jing.
• Other Authors: Nanyang Business School
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Business::Marketing; DRNTU::Business::Marketing::Consumer behavior; DRNTU::Business
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/51557
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Destination management organizations are increasing their presence by tapping onto the recent trend of tourism and technology. There is an increased number of downloads of travel applications on smartphones. However, there are limited studies on the effectiveness of smartphone travel applications in enhancing tourists’ experiences at the destination. Therefore, this study will examine the effectiveness of smartphone travel applications in enhancing travel experience and further relate it to YourSingapore - a travel application developed by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). The main study has identified five attributes of smartphone travel applications contributing to the enhancement of travel experience. A quantitative research has been used to examine the relationship between the five attributes and tourists’ experience. Through data analysis, four out of five hypotheses were proven. In addition to proving the hypotheses, a multiple regression analysis was conducted to provide a more comprehensive model to measure the effectiveness of the smartphone travel applications in enhancing travel experience. As an extension of the study, a qualitative research approach was adopted to gather in-depth insights on tourists experience with the application to examine the effectiveness of YourSingapore travel application. A comparison on four different travel applications was also completed to learn about best practices in mobile marketing from the other tourism boards. The details can be found in the appendix of this report. This study outlines the factors leading to effective smartphone travel applications in enhancing travel experience, and offers suggestions for STB to improve on their current smartphone travel application to further enhance tourists’ experiences in Singapore and encourage future returns.