EFFECTS OF ONLINE WORD-OF-MOUTH ON BRAND TRUST AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN ECOTOURISM INDUSTRY

Along with changing network technology driving the trend of global online shopping, a lot of challenges on business management are derived from new-style e-commerce business models. Many tourist spots utilise rural ecological environment and historic culture and relics for attracting people living in urban jungle. Under the guide of ecotourism concept with careful and prudent planning and business management, the resources on which tourism businesses live could be maintained and tourism activity could be sustainably developed. Aiming at ecotourism industry, among consumers of ecotourism websites in Fujian Province, as the research objects, are distributed 450 copies of questionnaire, and 316 valid copies are retrieved, with a retrieval rate of 70%. According to the results, suggestions are proposed, expecting to help ecotourism industry establish consumers' brand identity, trust, and attitude through online word-of-mouth and better understand the origin, operation, and management of ecotourism to achieve the sustainable development of ecotourism industry.