Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Travel Management (JTHTM)
Vol. 2 No. 2 (2024)

Disentangling Digital Influences on Tourist Behavior: The Role of Trust and Destination Image in the Social Media Era

Sutrisno, Rivan (Unknown)
Rafdinal, Wahyu (Unknown)
Septyandi, Chandra Budi (Unknown)
Gaffar, Mohammad Rizal (Unknown)
Susanto, Eko (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
20 Sep 2024

Abstract

The rise of social media has reshaped how tourists perceive, evaluate, and decide upon travel destinations. This study investigates the direct effects of influencer credibility, content quality, visual aesthetics, and social engagement on tourist trust, destination image, and visit intention. Drawing upon a cross-sectional survey of 232 Indonesian social media users, the proposed structural model was tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results reveal that influencer credibility and visual aesthetics are key drivers of tourist trust, while content quality and visual aesthetics significantly shape destination image. Tourist trust also plays a central role by directly influencing both destination image and visit intention. These findings offer theoretical insight into the psychological mechanisms underlying digital persuasion in tourism and provide actionable strategies for destination marketers and content creators to enhance engagement and conversion through credible and aesthetically compelling influencer content.

Copyrights © 2024






Journal Info

Abbrev

JTHTM

Publisher

Subject

Decision Sciences, Operations Research & Management Economics, Econometrics & Finance Social Sciences

Description

The Journal of Tourism, Hospitality, and Travel Management (JTHTM) aims to publish interdisciplinary research that clearly contributes theoretically or methodologically to the body of knowledge relating to all aspects of tourism, travel, and hospitality. JTHTM strives to publish first-rate academic ...