Attitude towards service robots in tourism and hospitality services settings — The effect of multidimensional anthropomorphism and technology readiness

Abstract

The use of technology in tourism is increasing day by day. Service robots are now on the agenda. The success of developments that envisage a new experience for consumer tourists depends on the accurate prediction of tourists' possible attitudes and behaviors and the influencing antecedents. This study examined consumer tourists' attitudes and usage intentions towards service robots on the multidimensional basis of anthropomorphism and technological readiness (TR). A survey was conducted with 1018 tourists in Türkiye face-to-face and using QR codes. Findings showed that attitude towards service robots (AR) mediated the relationship between anthropomorphism, technological readiness and intention to use (IS). Participating tourists anthropomorphically focused on the physical appearance of the robots rather than their functions and internal structures. Service robot experience is still limited in the tourism industry. Therefore, the empirical results obtained are guiding theory and practice in terms of academic studies and tourism service providers. © 2024 The Author(s). International Journal of Tourism Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.