Abstract:
In Sri Lanka’s evolving hospitality sector, online customer reviews (OCRs) have
become a decisive factor in shaping travellers’ booking behaviour. However, few
studies have examined their impact in this context since 2018. Addressing this gap,
the study investigates three core attributes review quality, review volume, and review
realism selected based on their established importance in consumer trust and
decision-making. A quantitative research design was adopted, and data were collected
from 385 respondents through structured Google Forms distributed both online and
in person. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analyses were employed
to test the hypotheses. The findings reveal that review volume and review realism
significantly influence booking intention, whereas review quality shows no
meaningful effect. This indicates that Sri Lankan travellers value the authenticity and
number of reviews more than their detail or depth. These insights extend existing
knowledge of online consumer behaviour in Sri Lanka’s post-2018 tourism landscape
and provide practical implications for hotel managers and digital marketers, who
should encourage the generation of genuine and voluminous feedback to build trust
and attract customers. While the quantitative approach provides strong evidence,
future research could incorporate mixed-method designs and sentiment analysis to
capture the emotional dimensions of OCRs, offering a more comprehensive
understanding of their influence on booking behaviour.
