Indicators of Website Features in the User Experience of E-Tourism Search and Metasearch Engines

The continuous growth of e-commerce, combined with new trends in the tourism sector, creates an imperative to conduct analyses and establish suitable models for improving the experience of users who seek tourism products online, using search and metasearch engines. However, few studies analyze web design variables and their impacts on the user experience. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the influence of content, usability, functionality, and branding for determining user experiences with search engines and metasearch engines dedicated to tourism. The methodology used in this research followed a mixed approach to fulfill the proposed dual perspective, that is, to collect data from websites and evaluate the user experience. To determine the variables to be modeled, the authors use a General Additive Model. Main results reveal two determinant factors that enhance the user experience: usability and branding. With this foundation, this study proposes basic premises of the digital strategy that tourism platforms should follow. As implications for the tourism sector, suggest that e-commerce search and metasearch engines in the tourism industry should devote substantial efforts to implementing interactivity, memorability, personalization, privacy, and security.