How online information search reshapes the impact of price and income on tourism demand

Online query data have emerged as a prevalent source for tourism demand forecasting, but their influence mechanism remains unclear. This study seeks to verify the moderating role of tourists’ online information search behavior on price and income. This empirical study of Hong Kong’s tourism demand among eight English-speaking markets reveals that (1) this behavior moderates how price and income affect tourism demand; (2) regarding price’s effect on tourism demand, all six categories of online information behavior significantly mitigate price’s impact on tourism demand; (3) regarding income’s effect on tourism demand, only information search behaviors related to dining, transportation, and tours exhibit significant moderating effects. This study provides new actionable insights for governments and tourism administrators on online information sharing to enhance tourism marketing.