The impact of mobile tour information services on destination travel intention

Information in the field of tourism is an essential element for making one’s travel a more satisfying experience. As smartphones have been activated in recent years, more and more tourism information is provided via smartphones. Therefore, tourism information providing services using smartphones, also known as mobile tour information services (MTIS), have become more important. However, questions as to which of the diverse functions of MTIS are important and how MTIS affects tourists’ intention to travel to a destination have not been sufficiently addressed. Therefore, using a structural equation model, the perceptions of 196 tourists who used MTIS in Gyeongbok Palace in South Korea were examined in this study. According to the results of the analysis, system quality, history and cultural knowledge quality, and interface design quality, which are major functions affecting MTIS, had significant effects on tourists’ continuance intention to a travel destination. In addition, this study empirically showed that as tourists’ expectations of the performance of these functions are confirmed, they form perceived usefulness and satisfaction with MTIS in forming continuance intention to a travel destination.