• Journal of Smart Tourism
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.31-44
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• 2021

The emergence of the digital economy and easy accessibility to Web 2.0 tools has seen an expansion of the influencer ecosystem within the travel and tourism industry. Founded on the principles of reference groups and peer reference there is a growing trend amongst industry practitioners who are now opting to move away from many of the traditional approaches used to market their products and services and are instead taking advantage of the concept of e-word-of-mouth (eWOM). Whilst there is a growing body of academic literature addressing the notion of influencer marketing, there is little understanding of influencer marketers themselves. Consequentially, this study addresses this gap in the literature through the quantitative examination of those who promote products, services, or companies by distributing eWOM through their online digital channels and presence; otherwise known as travel influencers. A quantitative research approach involving an online survey yielded 255 responses from travel influencers. The research findings indicate that those who work in this field prefer not to be awarded the label "travel influencer," focusing instead on their specific method of influencing, such as blogging and vlogging or sharing Instagram updates. The research also demonstrates how the new influencers have a strong role in generating travel urge and desire. The research contributes to the wider body of academic literature and travel industry practitioners by establishing the general profile of influencers and their increasingly specialized role in tourism and hospitality marketing.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.37-46
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• 2024

Purpose: Social media influencers (SMIs) have become significant sources of information influencing their followers' purchase intentions; few studies have been published on the effect of the number of followers and package tour prices on followers' purchase intention within the Vietnam travel industry utilizing naïve theories. This study examined the relationship between the number of followers and purchase intention and tested the moderating role of package tour price. Research Design, data and methodology: A 2 (number of followers: high vs. medium) × 2 (package tour price: high vs. low) between-subjects factorial design was used. 395 Vietnamese students (114 men, 281 women; M_age = 19.99, SD_age = 1.25) from Thuongmai University participated in the study. ANOVA and PROCESS MARCO were used to test hypotheses. Results: Findings indicate that participants show a higher purchase intention for SMIs with a higher number of followers than those with a medium one. When the package tour price is high, participants with a medium number of followers show a greater purchase intention than those with a high one. Conclusion: This recommendsthat tourism managers collaborate with SMIs with a high number of followers when the package tour price is low and with SMIs with medium ones when the package tour price is high.