THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS IN SHAPING TRAVEL DECISIONS: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF FOLLOWER ENGAGEMENT AND DESTINATION CHOICE

Dr. Muhammad Kamran; Muhammad Dastgeer

Authors

Dr. Muhammad Kamran Author
Muhammad Dastgeer Author

Keywords:

Social Media Influencers, Travel Decisions, Engagement Metrics, Destination Selection, Influencer Marketing, Consumer Behavior

Abstract

Social media influencers are a powerful force influencing customers' purchasing patterns, especially in the tourism sector. This paper aims to analyze the effects of the engagement rate, which includes likes, shares, comments, credibility, and content quality, on travel decisions in a quantitative research design with the use of SPSS analysis. A total of 400 posts from male and female social media users in Islamabad and Lahore were collected to investigate the interaction of influencers to choose the destination. This means that engagement metrics give low correlation levels for actual travel decisions, implying that while influencers give 'dream' journeys, one is likely to be affected by constraints like inability to afford a trip, availability of time, or being pressured to choose a less-desired destination by friends and family. The study presents the results of the impact of influencer marketing on tourism, suggesting further concepts for travel agencies and marketers in general, who are invited to complement influencer actions with more significant promotional strategies for tourism.