When the match is right: how influencer–brand–follower congruence drives travel purchase behavior

Purpose This study aims to examine how travel influencers’ congruence with endorsed travel brands and alignment with their followers affect travel purchase behavior, addressing a critical gap in tourism marketing literature. Design/methodology/approach A novel conceptual framework grounded in the source credibility model and the persuasion knowledge model is proposed. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 374 Sri Lankan travelers who actively engage with travel-related content on Instagram. The hypotheses were tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings Travel influencers who are perceived as trustworthy, attractive and congruent with both the endorsed travel brand and their audience enhance perceived authenticity. This perceived authenticity positively influences attitudes toward the travel brand, which in turn drives travel purchase behavior. Originality/value This study frames perceived influencer authenticity as a process-based mediator critical to the recognition of native advertising. Leveraging Sri Lanka’s emerging tourism context as a boundary condition, it demonstrates how authenticity mediates influencer–brand and influencer–follower congruence and provides actionable insights for designing credible, trust-enhancing and effective tourism promotion strategies.