Credibility of Travel Influencer on Millennials Traveling Behavior
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
The objectives of this study were to understand: 1) the credibility of travel influencers among millennial travelers, and 2) how they motivate millennial travelers’ travel behavior. The methodology employed was qualitative and relied on in-depth interviews. Interviews were conducted with twelve millennial travelers, aged between 25 and 40, who traveled both domestically and internationally. They had to follow travel influencers on social media and planned at least one trip in the past year. The research instrument used in this study was a set of questions based on four dimensions: travel behavior, source of credibility, attitude toward travel influences, and media usage. The findings showed that travelers had a positive opinion on travel influencers and believed they were a reliable source of information. Online resources inspire and motivate two groups of millennial travelers, particularly the notion that authentic experiences from travel influencers are the most important component needed for related travel behavior. A greater proportion of participants tend to discuss about electronic word-of-mouth findings in relation to travel contexts. However, it is clear that, instead of relying solely on sponsored media, the significance of travel influencers has been increased over time and they are now responsible for inspiring two distinct millennial traveler groups, which constitute a sizable economic force.
Article Details
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179-211.
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Alic, A., Pestek, A., & Sadinlija, A. (2017). Use of social media influencers in tourisms. TRADE PERSPECTIVES 2017: Specialization and customer centered retailing. https://www.academia.edu/37187190/USE_OF_SOCIAL_MEDIA_INFLUENCERS_IN_TOURISM
AnyMind G. (2021). Influencer marketing in Thailand for 2021: Instagram leads all platforms for engagement rates by users on influencer marketing campaigns. https://anymindgroup.com/news/press-release/16363/
Ayeh, J., Au, N., & Law, R. (2013). Do we believe in TripAdvisor? Examining credibility perceptions and online travelers' attitude toward using user-generated content. Journal of Travel Research. 52(4), 437-452.
Ayeh, J.K. (2015). Travelers’ acceptance of consumer-generated media: An integrated model of technology acceptance and source credibility theories, Computers in Human Behavior, 48, 173-180.
Chaffey D., & Ellis-Chadwick F. (2019). Digital marketing (7th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Pearson.
Chatzigeorgiou, C. (2017). Modelling the impact of social media influencers on behavioral intentions of millennials: The case of tourism in rural areas in Greece. Journal of Tourism, Heritage & Services Marketing, 3(2), 25-29.
Bilro, R. G., Loureiro, S. M., Pinto, F. R., & Costa, I. (2020). The impact of influencer marketing and Instagrammers on consumer purchase intentions and brand attitude. 2020 Global Marketing Conference at Seoul Proceedings (pp. 478-479). https://doi.org/10.15444/GMC2020.04.06.01,
Daneshvary, R., & Schwer, R.K. (2000). The association endorsement and consumers’ intentions to purchase. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 17(3), 203-213.
de Veirman, M., Cauberghe, V., & Hudders, L. (2017) Marketing through Instagram influencers: The impact of number of followers and product divergence on brand attitude, International Journal of Advertising, 36(5), 798-828, https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2017.1348035
Deegan, O. (2021). #Influenced: The impact of influencer marketing on the travel and tourism industry of Ireland. A qualitative study (Unpublished master’s thesis). Dublin Business School, Ireland.
Dreifaldt, N., & Drennan, T. (2019). Does your brand need online influencer marketing? It depends: A mixed method approach to country of origin, brand image, and online influencer marketing on consumers’ purchase intention online. (Unpublished master’s thesis). Mälardalen University, Sweden.
Erasmus, A. C., Boshoff, E., & Rousseau, G. G. (2001). Consumer decision-making models within the discipline of consumer science: A critical approach. Journal of Family Ecology and Consumer Sciences, 29, 82-90.
Erdogan, B. Z. (1999). Celebrity endorsement: A literature review. Journal of Marketing Management, 41(3), 291-314.
Femenia-Serra, F., Neuhofer, B. & Ivars-Baidal, J. A. (2019). Towards a conceptualization of smart tourists and their role within the smart destination scenario. The Service Industries Journal, 39(2), 109-133.
Freberg, K., Grahamb, K., McGaughey, K., & Freberg, L. (2010). Who are the social media influencers? A study of public perceptions of personality. Public Relations Review, 37(1), 90-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2010.11.001
Gretzel, U. (2018). Influencer marketing in travel and tourism. In M. Sigala & U. Gretzel (Eds). Advances in social media for travel, tourism and hospitality: New perspectives, practice and cases (pp. 147-156). New York: Routledge.
Haenlein, M., & Libai, B. (2017). Seeding, referral, and recommendation. California Management Review, 59(2), 68-91.
Haenlein, M., Anadol, E., Farnsworth, T., Hugo, H., Hunichen, J., & Welte, D. (2020). Navigating the new era of influencer marketing: How to be successful on Instagram, TikTok, & Co. California Management Review, 63(1), 5-25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008125620958166
Han, J., & Chen, H. (2021). Millennial social media users’ intention to travel: The moderating role of social media influencer following behavior. International Hospitality Review, 36(2), 340-357.
Hannu, D., & Johannisson, M. (2020). The power of digital marketing-influencers impact on purchase intention: A qualitative study among students at LTU. DIVA. (Unpublished bachelor’s thesis). Luleå University of Technology, Sweden.
Hermanda, A., Sumarwan, U., & Tinaprillia, N. (2019). The effect of social media influencer on brand image, self-concept, and purchase intention. Journal of Consumer Sciences, 4(2), 76–89.
Hovland C. I., & Weiss W. (1951). The influence of source credibility on communication effectiveness. Public Opinion Quarterly, 15, 635–650.
Hovland, C., Janis, I., & Kelley, H. (1953). Communication and persuasion. New Haven, GT: Yale University Press.
Klein, J. (2018). 38% of gen Z and millennials trust digital influencers, says fullscreen. https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/03/27/gen-z-millennials-trust-influencers-fullscreen/
Knoll, J. (2016). Advertising in social media: A review of empirical evidence. International Journal of Advertising, 35(2), 266-300. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2015.1021898
Kovacs, D. (2019). How millennials and gen Z influence our traveling behavior. https://thriveglobal.com/stories/how-millennials-and-gen-z-influence-our- traveling-behavior/
Lončarić, D., Dlačić, J., & Pisnik, A. (2019). Attracting young travelers to a tourist destination: Exploring millennials’ dream. Tourism in Southern and Eastern Europe, 5, 405-417. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008125620958166
Maritz, A., Yeh, S., & Shieh, C. (2013). Effects of personality trait on perceived risk and travel intention in tourism industry. Actual Problems of Economics, 2(3), 103–109.
Meyers, A. (2022). Influencers are the new travel agents for millennials, generation Z. https://morningconsult.com/2021/05/24/social-media-travel-influencers/López
Müller, L. K., Mattke, J., & Maier, C. (2018). #Sponsored #Ad: Exploring the Effect of Influencer Marketing on Purchase Intention. AMCIS 2018 Proceedings. 29.
Müller, L. K., Mattke, J., & Maier, C. (2018). #Sponsored #Ad: Exploring the effect of influencer marketing on purchase intention. In 24th Americas Conference on Information Systems, AMCIS 2018, New Orleans, LA, USA. https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2018/DataScience/Presentations/29/
Ohanian R. (1990). Construction and validation of a scale to measure celebrity endorsers’ perceived expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness. Journal of Advertising, 19(3), 39–52.
Park, J. (2015). The impact of different types of media on tourists’ behavioral intentions. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/522b/3c3530c11306ecd77f8384933c33e281caf1.pdf
Santiago J., & Castelo I. (2020). Digital influencers: An exploratory study of influencer marketing campaign process on Instagram. Online Journal of Applied Knowledge Management, 8(2), 31-52.
Talabi, J. (2015). The role of marketing in hotel industry (six successful hotel units in Abuja and Jakobstad) (Unpublished bachelor’s thesis). Centria University of Applied Sciences, Finland.
Think with Google. (2014). The 2014 traveler’s road to decision. https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-trends/2014-travelers-road-to-decision/
Upananda, D. R., & Bandara, D. M. (2022). Impact of influencer marketing on social media users’ travel intention. Sri Lanka Journal of Marketing, 8(1), 154–174.
Woods, S. (2016). #Sponsored: The Emergence of Influencer Marketing. Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects. (Unpublished bachelor’s thesis). University of Tennessee, USA.
Young, A. & Hinesly, M. (2012). Identifying millennials' key influencers from early childhood: Insights into current consumer preferences. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 29, 146-155.