Attracting casino visitors through social media: transition from online to offline environment

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to draw upon boundary the crossing theory to examine the transition of casino hotel guests’ revisit intentions from casino social media sites to casino properties, with the influence of the motivation–opportunity–ability model. Design/methodology/approach Under a quantitative approach, 20 casinos that operated official social media sites were selected, with a quota sampling method designed to assign 20 respondents for each casino. A structural model was used to explore the hypothesized relationships. Findings The results illustrate that ability and opportunity are crucial in enhancing social media revisit intention. They also reveal that casino and destination revisit intention can be boosted with increased social media revisit intention. Practical implications This study provides a fresh look into the relation across the boundary between the virtual and physical environment and illustrates a means by which casinos can be camouflaged as leisure and entertainment venues to strengthen their competitiveness in attracting tourists through social media. Originality/value This study offers new evidence for the linkage between online and offline behaviors with respect to how social media could transit into tangible travel propensity.