The impact of social media influencers on travel attitude and intention: a study on millennials and gen z post-covid.

Abstract

Influencer marketing has been trending over the years with an increasing number of companies from diverse industries adopting this practice in order to reach their target audience. This is particularly the case in the tourism sector. However, the tourism industry has been drastically marked by the covid-19 pandemic and people became more reluctant to travel during such a crisis. In that regard, this research investigates the impact of travel influencers on Millennials and Gen Z’s travel attitude and travel intention considering the post-covid conditions. Based on an experimental design, this study proves the potential of these internet celebrities to influence one’s travel attitude and travel intention. Nevertheless, the perceived risk of covid-19 and the number of covid-19 cases in a destination can considerably change the effect of influencers on travel-related decisions. Furthermore, this research expands the influencer marketing literature in the field of tourism and draws some managerial implications to help professionals to better take advantage of this practice in the current situation.