Virtual Travel Communities: Self-Reported Experiences and Satisfaction

Virtual communities have revolutionized the way people interact and have important marketing implications as a viable business model, particularly in the tourism industry. Virtual travel communities (VTCs) in general provide service benefits sought by community members along with pleasurable VTC experiences. This is a challenging task, since multiple factors, social, psychological, and technology used, contribute to end users' satisfaction with VTCs. This study examined experiences related by VTC members at different satisfaction levels in seven VTCs using CATPAC content analysis software. Implications for technology designers and virtual community managers are discussed.