Understanding Generation Z’s Tourism Purchasing Decisions Through Internet Technologies: The Case of Influencer Marketing

In the era of rapidly evolving Internet technologies, influencer marketing has emerged as a transformative force in digital tourism, reshaping how travelers discover, evaluate, and choose destinations and accommodations. This study investigates the relationships between key dimensions of influencer marketing (credibility, authenticity, content format, perceived effectiveness, campaign frequency, and geographic proximity) and consumer behavior in tourism, with particular emphasis on trust formation and decision-making regarding accommodations and destinations among Slovak Generation Z (born 1997–2012) travelers. A structured electronic questionnaire was administered in December 2024 to assess respondents’ perceptions of influencer marketing in the context of travel-related choices. The instrument comprised 12 items measured on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree), capturing various aspects of influencers’ impact on accommodations and destinations. The final sample included 337 Generation Z participants (65% women and 35% men) aged 18–27 years. Data were analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation to test six hypotheses concerning the influence of influencer marketing on tourism decision-making. The results supported all six hypotheses, revealing significant positive relationships between the examined dimensions of influencer marketing and consumer behavioral outcomes. These findings emphasize the expanding role of influencer marketing as a central mechanism in digital tourism strategies and highlight its importance in understanding how Internet technologies shape the purchasing behavior of Slovak Generation Z travelers.