From Posts to Passports

This research paper analyses the influence of Social Media Influencers (SMIs) on international travel decision-making. The study attempts to understand the extent of impact SMIs have on different stages of the international travel decision-making process and to identify factors of the characteristics of SMIs that influence travellers' decision-making. The findings suggest that SMIs have distinct impacts on people's behaviours and decisions in each international travel decision-making stage. Post-travel behaviour is the stage in which SMIs influence people the most. Six characteristics of the SMIs were identified: Credibility and trustworthiness, popularity and acceptance, personality and appearance, expertise and experience, frequency of posts, and interaction with followers. Logistic regression analysis revealed that all the identified characteristics do not have the same influence on the international travel decision-making process. The direction and magnitude of the impact of these factors are uncovered through this research.