Abstract Electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM) is an important information source used by consumers to make travel decisions. However, eWOM from travel experts and everyday travelers can be inconsistent, potentially leading to blurred product evaluations and market positioning. This paper examines this issue in the context of the cruise industry with the goal of identifying differences in the evaluation of cruise brands by cruise experts and consumers, as well as the product factors that influence these judgements. The research used a data-driven empirical approach and secondary data from a leading cruise review site consisting of scaled ratings across 9 ship attributes and 24 brands by more than 150,000 cruisers and 174 experts. Data analysis using the TOPSIS method and regression and multigroup models shows that experts and cruisers evaluate cruise brands differently and are influenced by different ship attributes when forming evaluations. For example, value-add attributes (e.g., service, enrichment activities, fitness/recreation) significantly influence overall evaluations for cruisers, while core attributes (e.g., cabin, dining, entertainment) significantly influence overall evaluations for experts. Discussion of the empirical results highlights these differences in cruiser vs. expert perceptions as revealed online, as well as the need to update traditional cruise industry categorization to optimize brand positioning and better align product-marketing strategies for effective target marketing.

中文翻译：

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按船舶属性评估和分类邮轮：巡洋舰和专家之间的比较

摘要 电子口碑（eWOM）是消费者用来做出旅行决策的重要信息来源。然而，旅行专家和日常旅行者的 eWOM 可能不一致，可能导致产品评估和市场定位模糊。本文在邮轮行业的背景下研究了这个问题，目的是确定邮轮专家和消费者对邮轮品牌评价的差异，以及影响这些判断的产品因素。该研究使用了数据驱动的实证方法和来自领先邮轮评论网站的二手数据，这些数据由超过 150,000 艘巡洋舰和 174 名专家对 9 种船舶属性和 24 个品牌的分级评级组成。使用TOPSIS方法和回归和多组模型的数据分析表明，专家和巡洋舰在形成评价时对邮轮品牌的评价不同，并且受到不同船舶属性的影响。例如，增值属性（例如，服务、丰富活动、健身/娱乐）显着影响巡洋舰的整体评价，而核心属性（例如，客舱、餐饮、娱乐）显着影响专家的整体评价。对实证结果的讨论突出了在线显示的巡洋舰与专家看法的这些差异，以及更新传统邮轮行业分类以优化品牌定位和更好地调整产品营销策略以实现有效目标营销的必要性。