How alluring is the online profile of tour guides?

This paper examines the effects of tour guides’ online profile on Internet users looking to book a vacation in terms of four aspects: perceived usefulness of the profile, hedonic attitude toward the tour guide, utilitarian attitude toward the tour guide, and purchase intention for the package tour. An experiment was conducted with 285 participants. A happy facial expression on the profile picture and a detailed profile description generally drew favorable responses. Moreover, the participants preferred male to female tour guides, thereby highlighting how the tourism industry is plagued by gender stereotype. Besides having implications for tour guides and travel agencies, the paper calls for a globally agreed policy on gender equality in tourism.