The current study examines the effect of social media-based (Instagram) influencer advertising, on advertising cognition, attitude towards a brand, brand beliefs, as well as intention to visit a tourist destination, on a sample of consumers in Gauteng Province of South Africa. The study sought to understand the mechanism by which influencer advertising affects consumer decision making. It proposed a unified social media influencer attitude-model. To test the model, a survey questionnaire was administered among 404 Instagram users who have visited a destination of choice Instagram page. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was undertaken to assess the dimensionality and validity of the measurement scale. The study used a path modelling technique to test the proposed hypotheses. The results of structural equation modelling (AMOS 25) indicated that the relationship between exposure to influencer advertising and brand belief was robust. However, exposure to influencer advertising showed a moderate positive effect on both advertising cognition and attitude towards the destination. Consequently, attitude towards the advertising (Ad), brand beliefs and brand attitude had a significant and positive effect on destination visit intention. While traditional models of advertising efficacy theorised that advertisements transform consumer attitudes mainly by modifying their brand beliefs, this study however found that consumers’ advertisement cognition, brand-linked beliefs, attitude towards the brand and their intention to visit a tourist destination of choice are influenced by their assessment of the of advertisement information.

It is difficult to ignore the growing influence of families in the everyday