The impact of the source credibility of Instagram influencers on travel intention: The mediating role of parasocial interaction
Abstract
The primary objective of this study is to determine the impact of the sub-dimensions of source credibility (attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise), and its secondary objective is to investigate the mediating role of parasocial interaction the effect of the sub-dimensions of source credibility on travel intention. The study was conducted with data obtained from 379 participants and the response rate was found to be 88%. The validity and credibility of the constructs were tested through confirmatory factor analysis, while its hypotheses were tested using path analysis. It was found, as a result of the study, that the trustworthiness and expertise sub-dimensions of source credibility significantly impacted travel intention and played a significant mediating role between the trustworthiness and expertise sub-dimensions of parasocial interaction and travel intention. It is thought that the mediating role of parasocial interaction, which was not previously available in the literature, will make an important contribution to the researchers working on tourism-related marketing research in understanding the travel intention.
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Influencers sharing personal stories create empathy, leading followers to trust their recommendations.
“Influencers sharing personal stories create empathy, leading followers to trust their recommendations (Yılmazdoğan et al. 2021).”
From Influencer Marketing and Tourist Behaviour: A Systematic Literature Review of Attitudes, Intentions and Behaviours in Tourism (2026) · cites this paper as Yılmazdoğan et al. 2021
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- Authors
- Yılmazdoğan, O. C., Doğan, R. Ş., & Altıntaş, E.
- Affiliations
- Eskişehir Osmangazi University (TR)
- Manisa Celal Bayar University (TR)
- Corresponding author
- Doğan, Rana Şen
- Venue
- Journal of Vacation Marketing
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2021-02-18
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 299-313
- ISSN
- 1356-7667 (ISSN-L)
- 1479-1870
- OpenAlex
- W3132754197
- Cited by
- 171
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 42 · 2025: 44 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 5
- FWCI
- 27.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal Of Vacation Marketing (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Marketing and Social Media
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Behavior and Marketing Influence
- Keywords
- source credibility, Instagram influencers, travel intention, parasocial interaction, trustworthiness, expertise, attractiveness, influencer marketing, tourism marketing
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