Unveiling the Underlying Motivational Constructs Influencing Consumer Preferences for Hotel Bookings Through Travel Agencies in Delhi NCR
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48047/619r9312Abstract
This study explores the underlying motivational constructs that influence consumer preferences for hotel bookings through travel agencies in the Delhi NCR region. The research focuses on four key factors: trust, convenience, perceived value, and risk reduction, and their impact on consumers’ booking preferences. Employing a quantitative research design, data were collected from 365 respondents using a structured questionnaire. The demographic profile included diverse gender, age, education, and income groups to ensure representativeness. Descriptive statistics, reliability tests, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that trust, convenience, perceived value, and risk reduction all significantly and positively affect consumers’ booking preferences through travel agencies. Among these, convenience emerged as the most influential factor, followed closely by trust and perceived value. The measurement scales demonstrated strong reliability, with Cronbach’s alpha values exceeding 0.80 for all constructs. Convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed through average variance extracted (AVE) and the Fornell-Larcker criterion. The structural model exhibited a good fit, with an SRMR value of 0.058 and an NFI of 0.912, explaining 62.1% of the variance in booking preferences (R² = 0.621). These findings emphasize the importance of enhancing convenience and building trust to attract and retain customers in the competitive travel agency market. The study contributes to existing literature by providing empirical evidence on motivational factors driving hotel booking behavior through travel agencies in a rapidly growing metropolitan region. Practical implications suggest that travel agencies should focus on improving user-friendly booking processes, transparent policies, and risk mitigation strategies to strengthen consumer confidence. Limitations include the geographic scope limited to Delhi NCR and reliance on self-reported data, which may affect generalizability. Future research is recommended to incorporate longitudinal studies and explore additional motivational factors across diverse geographic locations.
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