Multimodal narratives and persuasion routes: a comparative study on Indonesian and Japanese halal tourism influencer contents

The rapid growth of halal tourism has made digital media and social influencers important channels for Muslim travelers. However, limited research examines how culturally situated multimodal narratives influence persuasion and audience engagement across contexts. Drawing on multimodal discourse and narrative transportation theories, this study explores how Japanese and Indonesian influencers construct multimodal meanings in halal tourism promotion and how audiences in both contexts experience narrative transportation. Using a qualitative netnographic approach, data was collected from halal tourism –related influencer content on YouTube through online observation, documentation, and reflective commentary, and were analyzed using Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) and Narrative Transportation Theory (NTT), with rigor ensured through triangulation, peer debriefing, and member checking. The findings reveal clear cross-cultural differences in multimodal meaning-making: Indonesian influencers emphasize rich representational, compositional, and interactive elements, while Japanese influencers adopt minimalist aesthetics and symbolic cues. Audience responses indicate higher levels of imagination, vividness, and attentional focus among Indonesian viewers, although character identification remains relatively similar across both groups. Findings reveal distinct cultural persuasion mechanisms: Indonesian communication favors explicit narratives, while Japanese communication relies on implicit, high-context cues. The study integrates multimodal discourse and narrative transportation theories and offers practical insights for culturally responsive halal tourism marketing.