Will Generation Z Use ChatGPT for Tourism Recommendations?

Purpose – This research note examines Generation Z’s acceptance of ChatGPT as a Tourism Recommender System, to better understand whether they will use it for a tourism recommendation, and the factors influencing their acceptance. Methodology/Design/Approach – Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this research extends the TAM by incorporating Trustworthiness and Perceived Enjoyment to predict Generation Z’s acceptance of ChatGPT as a Tourism Recommender System. A Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was employed to analyse data collected from 150 Generation Z respondents through a validated Likert Scale questionnaire. Findings – The results reveal that Trustworthiness, Perceived Enjoyment and Perceived Usefulness, influenced Generation Z’s Attitude toward using ChatGPT for personalised tourism recommendation. Although there is no direct influence of Perceived Ease of Use on Attitude, it has an indirect effect on Attitude through Perceived Usefulness, which also mediated the influence of Trustworthiness on Attitude. Originality of the research – The research predicts the acceptance of ChatGPT as a Tourism Recommender System among Generation Z cohort. By extending the TAM with Perceived Enjoyment and Trustworthiness, the study contributed in explaining the Generation Z information search behaviour in relation to ChatGPT, and how it can be enhanced to perform the Tourism Recommender role better.