Factors influencing independent travelers' intention to share tourism accommodation experience on social media

Purpose This study explores the psychological and contextual drivers of sharing intentions by integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior and Self-Determination Theory into a dual-path conceptual model. Design/methodology/approach The study used a quantitative survey design. Data were collected via an online questionnaire administered to independent travelers (n = 327) and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings Sharing intentions are significantly influenced by subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioral control (PBC), altruism (ALT), and economic rewards (ER). However, a general attitude (ATT) towards sharing did not emerge as a significant direct predictor. Furthermore, the study investigated the moderating roles of demographic variables. Age significantly moderated the impact of subjective norms, indicating that younger travelers are more susceptible to social influence regarding sharing. Gender moderation effects were non-significant. Research limitations/implications The non-significance of attitude introduces a scope condition for TPB in utilitarian sharing contexts. The use of snowball sampling within travel-related social media communities may over-represent highly engaged users, and the sample was not designed for cross-cultural comparison. Future research could employ mixed-mode surveys, incorporate cultural dimensions as moderators, use qualitative inquiry to examine the cognitive and affective components of attitudes toward sharing, and adopt longitudinal designs to track actual post-trip sharing behavior. Practical implications Marketers should leverage social proof cues over attitude-change campaigns, embed frictionless sharing prompts, frame rewards as appreciation, and adopt age-differentiated strategies. Originality/value The findings contribute to the development of a two-path model (integrating TPB and SDT) to explain independent travelers' willingness to share their travel accommodation experiences on social media and provide practical guidelines for hospitality and tourism marketers to enhance UGC on social media platforms.