How social media information processing influences tourist destination image: a heuristic-systematic model perspective

Purpose This study aims to investigate how the different ways tourists process social media information shape the cognitive and affective images of a destination based on the heuristic-systematic model. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was used to collect data from 688 tourists at a rural tourism destination in China. The proposed hypotheses were examined using partial least squares structural equation modeling, which was used to assess both the measurement model (for reliability and validity) and the structural model (for path coefficients and hypothesis testing). Henseler’s multi-group analysis method was used to analyze differences between Generation Y (Gen Y) and Generation Z (Gen Z). Findings The results of this study reveal that destination marketing organization (DMO)-generated content (DGC), tourist-generated content (TGC) and destination source credibility (DSC) have varying degrees of positive impacts on cognitive image and affective image, and perceived risk significantly mediates the relationship among them. This study also indicates that DGC shapes Gen Y’s cognitive image, while TGC drives Gen Z’s affective image, with DSC having a stronger impact on Gen Y. Originality/value This study provides a valuable framework for understanding the formation of cognitive and affective destination images in the context of informatization from an information-processing perspective, which enriches the understanding of the relationship between social media and destination image.