Instagram Influencers in Social Media-Induced Tourism

Abstract

Social media-induced tourism happens when a traveller visits a destination/attraction after being exposed to certain social media content. A user-generated content (UGC) provider, such as a social media influencer, has been identified as the initial motivator in social media-induced tourism. Social media influencers generate persuasive messages for their followers and are typically sources of credibility. In destination marketing and tourism destination studies, the UGC of social media influencers is significantly related to the destination image, destination brand, tourist trust, and tourist expectations. Of particular interest for Instagram influencers, this chapter proposes a conceptual framework to describe the role of the Instagram influencer in inducing his/her followers to travel and suggests a guide for future research.

Young Tourists’ Trust in Instagram Travel Influencers and their Intention to Visit Travel Destinations

“…The honest reviews from Instagram travel influencers provide authentic, better engagement, and positive interactions with their followers, which could influence their followers' trust (Pop, et al, 2021). Several studies on Instagram marketing and its effect on tourism have been carried out recently (Abdul Razak and Mansor, 2021;Eken, Okan and Bakioğlu, 2021;Gümüş, 2017;Gon, 2021;Grandberg, 2019). Given the relatively recent concept of Instagram travel influencers, there is limited research, especially in the tourism industry and emerging destinations.…”

“…As a result, they resort to social media to revisit traveling by following travel influencers to get travel inspirations. Importantly, social media influencers have always played a significant role in social media-induced tourism (Abdul Razak and Mansor, 2021). They are the motivators for social media-induced tourism to happen.…”

“…Due to the large numbers of followers, social media influencers especially on Instagram could influence their followers to trust their expertise and react in a way that is relation to the content posted on social media (Asquith, 2019). More important, followers give Instagram influencers the same degree of trust they have for their friends (Abdul Razak and Mansor, 2021;Swant, 2016;Ting et al, 2015), influence brand awareness and purchase intentions (Lou & Yuan, 2019;Jaya and Prianthara, 2020). They also persuasively influence young travelers choice of destination based on their "Instagrammability" in terms of photo and storytelling (Hayhurst, 2017;Ihsanuddin, & Anuar, 2016).…”