Encouraging user-generated content to engage travellers in rural tourism of developing countries

In the contemporary digital era, User-Generated Content (UGC) on social media platforms exerts a significant influence on travellers’ decision-making. By employing the gratification theory, this study examines how access and interactivity, which precede UGCs, affect the decision to travel in rural areas of developing countries. Furthermore, a novel UGC model is proposed using structural equation modelling (SEM) based on data from surveying 643 tourists in Sarawak, Malaysia. The model of UGCs in rural tourism is developed and tested within the context of a developing country characterised by an individualistic culture. This study aims to provide managers in the tourism and hospitality sectors with a comprehensive understanding of the UGCs factors determining tourists’ cognitive and affective gratifications and travel decisions. The findings offer multidisciplinary perspectives on socio-psychology models’ suitability for UGCs in rural tourism and hospitality in developing countries.