The influence of social media on the travel decisionmaking behavior of Ethiopian educational tourists in Poland : The case of Ethiopian educational tourists in Poland

Abstract: The impact of international mobility and globalization on universities has led to a greater need for students. Thus, throughout students stay in their destinatio ncountry, prospective students access a variety of sources of information and make simultaneous decisions about where to travel; decision making is required at everystage of the travel process (pre-travel, during travel, and post travel). Previous to the advent of social media dominate traditional sources of information, such as print media, educational fairs and university websites. The social media websites such as social networking (Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn,), microblogging (Twitter,Tumblr), photo sharing (Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest), Video sharing (YouTube,Facebook Live, Periscope, Vimeo) become an alternative source of university information as many young people and students engage, work and participate in this online community. The purpose of this thesis is to research the influence of social media on the decision-making process of Ethiopian educational tourists in Poland, as well as how other factors (such as others’ comments, replies, and tour reviews) influence the process of their travel decision making. The data collection tool was a survey that included demographic questions, closed ended questions, multiple choice questions, a rating scale (Likert 5 scale model), and a few open-ended questions. The survey questionnaire was completed by 137 international students. The study's findings indicate that social media has a sizable influence and role as a source of information for Ethiopian educational tourists in Poland at every stage of their travel decisionmaking process, and that other factors (such as others' comments, replies, and tourreviews) influenced their decision-making process as well. Overall, this study helps to gather insights into Ethiopian educational tourists' decision-making behavior in Poland. Due to the fact that the research will contribute cross-national knowledge about educational tourists' behavior during the travel decision-making process in a destination, it will have a significant impact on promoting domestic travel and tourism in Poland.