•Intensity of social media usage is formed by updating news and searching for information.•The intensity affects the motives for receiving UGC in social media.•The motives for receiving UGC influences on trust in UGC and in UGC providers.•Potential tourists will generate trust in UGC, and then the expectations.•Trust in UGC providers does not have any influence on expectations. Social media are transforming the tourism industry from its traditional pattern into an intense informational pattern. Our study aims to investigate the causes underlying the use of user-generated contents (UGC) to receive tourist information and its effect on tourists’ expectations. Our empirical work was analysed by means of a multiple indicators multiple causes model (MIMIC) and a structural equation model (SEM). The main finding showed that when users receive UGC related to tourist destinations, they will create expectations about the destination by placing their trust in the contents received. It is recommended that tourism organizations should maintain the quality level in order to allow more UGC, and then further trust in the contents of social media and expectations will occur.