Extending UTAUT-2 Toward Acceptance of Mobile Application Platform Provide by Government for Local Travelers

Purpose: The Tripper Notifier Application (TNA) is a mobile application developed for tourists to receive notifications about location-based attractions, hotels and restaurants in close proximity while traveling. The government funded this application as part of a stimulus scheme project aimed at enhancing the tourism sector. This research aims to examine a factor that affects the intention and adoption behavior of tourists, focusing on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT-2). Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 417 tourists in Thailand by utilizing a self-administrated questionnaire. Through the analysis using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) of tourist respondents, it was discovered that some of the structural paths are not consistent with prior literature. This study concludes that this application’s determinant factors are effort expectancy, social influence, habits and facilitating conditions. These factors become significant predictors of behavioral intention toward TNA usage by explaining about 81.7% of the total variation. Findings: The findings of this study show that trust and perceived personal experience do not have a positive impact on behavioral intention to use TNA by travelers, while effort expectancy, social influence, habits and facilitating conditions are the key drivers toward the TNA usage. Originality/value: The novel contribution of this study is to provide characteristics of local tourists’ perceptions for mobile app adoption created by the government by combining UTAUT-2 for future business strategies in local businesses.