The Influence of Influencer Marketing on the Consumers’ Desire to Travel in the Post-Pandemic Era: The Mediation Effect of Influencer Fitness of Destination

Abstract

Social media has become an important part of most people’s lives since the pandemic and lockdowns. With little to do during lockdowns, some people created and managed social media accounts and became influencers. Following this trend, companies, governments, and individuals related to the leisure and hospitality industry turned to social media and influencer marketing to promote tourism in specific destinations in hopes of spurring an economic recovering. Since the pandemic, consumers have turned to social media to gather information and ideas for travel plans. To better understand the connection between what consumers read online and their desire to travel, this study aims to analyse the impacts of influencers, including their content and the fitness of destination, on consumers, who have their own perceived value and desire for the destination. A total of 332 Taiwanese respondents aged 18 to 55 were sampled to conduct a data analysis using the structural equation model (SEM). The results showed that content has a positive impact on the fitness of destination and the desire to travel, with no significant impact on perceived value, and the fitness of destination has a positive impact on perceived value and the desire to travel; in contrast, perceived value has a negative impact on the desire to travel. The mediation effect of influencer fitness of destination was also investigated through the bootstrap method. Fitness of destination acts as a full mediator between content and perceived value. Finally, the findings and managerial implications are further discussed to examine how the desire to travel among consumers can be affected by influencer marketing in the post-pandemic era. Practical suggestions for applying influencer marketing strategies based on the results are also proposed to help the tourism industry boost tourism revenue and achieve sustainable development goals after the pandemic.