Impact of social media influencers in shaping travel choices: a case of tourist destinations in Oman

Purpose– This study aims to analyse the impact of social media influencers (SMIs) on shaping travel choices: a case study of tourist destinations in the Sultanate of Oman. Methodology– This study employed a quantitative research approach to analyse variables and test concepts using statistical methods. A descriptive research design was used along with a simple random probability sampling technique to gather data from respondents. Data were collected from 182 participants using surveys. Findings- Instagram is the most popular social media (SM) site in Oman. The trustworthiness of SMIs is the primary reason people are motivated to follow them. The highest mean score (4.38) was noted for SMIs, who were better at promoting tourist destinations than other marketing techniques. The chi-square test results showed no clear link between the quality of content shared by SMIs and people's preferences for visiting tourist destinations. In addition, there is a connection between the similarity of SMIs and people's preferences for visiting tourist destinations. Finally, the results showed a significant correlation between SMI expertise, attractiveness, trustworthiness, and tourists’ choice to visit destinations in Oman. Conclusion– SMIs are effective in engaging target audiences, particularly young people, and they have the highest presence on social media, making them a valuable tool for promoting tourist destinations and achieving consistent growth in Oman’s tourism sector. Keywords: Social media influencers, tourist destinations, social media, tourist choice, trustworthiness.