Effect of Viewing Short Videos on the Viewers’ Tour Experience: Based on the Tourist Gaze Theory

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether viewing tourism-themed short video clips influences viewers’ intentions to engage in tourism, by incorporating the tourist gaze theory, which includes components such as trustworthiness, destination brand personality, and the tourism environment. In addition, by introducing social identity theory as a mediating variable, this study aims to confirm whether social identity—comprising self-categorization, emotional commitment, and self-worth—has amediating effect on the viewers’ tour experience.<br/> To test the proposed hypotheses, a quantitative survey was conducted among users familiar with tourism-related short videos, and the data were analyzed using structural equationmodeling (SEM).<br/> The results of the survey are as follows. First, trust gaze and the tour site's brand personality gaze had a significant positive (+) effect on self-categorization. Second, trust gaze and brand personality gaze had a significant positive (+) effect on tour experience through self-categorization. Third, self-categorization had a significant positive (+) effect on tour experience through emotional commitment and self-worth.<br/> The findings of this study provide useful implications for the tourismindustry in developingword-of-mouth strategies, positioning, and targeting strategies.