Travel deals through consumer eyes: an extended UTAUT study among European users

Purpose In response to the rising cost of living, European travellers are increasingly turning to online discount platforms (ODPs) to find affordable travel deals. Despite their widespread use, limited research has investigated the psychological mechanisms underlying consumer acceptance of such platforms. This study aims to address this gap by extending the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology by incorporating perceived value and perceived risk to better understand the factors that influence the intention to purchase leisure travel through discount websites. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research approach was used. Data were collected via an online survey of 425 European users of discount travel websites. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling was used to examine the relationships between performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, perceived value, perceived risk and behavioural intentions. Findings Perceived value was found to be the strongest predictor of purchase intention towards ODPs, followed by performance expectancy and social influence. Perceived risk had a significant negative effect. Effort expectancy and facilitating conditions were revealed to be not significant. The model explained 55% of the variance in behavioural intentions. Research limitations/implications This study extends Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology-based literature by incorporating perceived value and risk to deepen understanding of consumer intentions in leisure travel purchases via ODPs, highlighting perceived value as the strongest predictor and emphasising the utility of second-order constructs for modelling multidimensional consumer behaviour. This study relied on self-reported data, which may introduce common method bias. In addition, generalisability is limited by the use of a European non-probability sample. Practical implications The findings of this study provide strategic guidance for tourism marketers by underscoring the primacy of perceived value and the need to emphasise emotional appeal, trust and social recognition over functionality, as digitally savvy consumers no longer prioritise ease of use or support in mature markets. Originality/value By integrating perceived value and perceived risk into the UTUAT framework, this study showed that in digitally mature markets, usability and infrastructure are baseline expectations rather than drivers of intention. Instead, perceived value (emotional, functional and social) emerges as the strongest predictor, calling for adoption models that account for digital maturity. These insights advance theory on hedonic and utilitarian drivers of consumer decision-making in price-sensitive leisure travel and offer practical guidance for platform operators and tourism providers in post-pandemic, inflationary context.