The role of Social Media Influencers to Tourists Travel Decisions
(R2023-117244)

AUTHORS

Athanasios Poulis, University of Patras; Evi Chatzopoulou, University of Patras

ABSTRACT

The travel influencers affect is multifaceted and this can be justified by the effect they have on potential travelers to organize a trip. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between social media influencers toward the customers’ journey. In particular, the study examines the impact of the social media influencers on customers’ journey post-, during and pre- travel. The study employs data collected from a survey involving 211 participants. The study follows a path analysis method and structural equation modeling for testing research hypotheses. The empirical results support the claim that the conceptual framework applied in this study better explains the relationship between travel influencers role and pre-travel behavior. Specifically, the findings show a significant, direct and positive relationship between the travel influencers and the decisions which needed to take before the travel, highlighting their role in this purchase stage.