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“Trust me, I’m virtual”: understanding consumer engagement with influencers and travel intentions

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Stuart Barnes

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Abstract

© 2026 Asia Pacific Tourism Association.This study examines how key attributes of virtual and human influencers shape consumer engagement and intention to visit a tourism destination. Using an exploratory–explanatory mixed-methods design, Study 1 applies keyATM to online news data to examine how virtual influencers are represented in public/media discourse. Study 2 uses survey data to test consumer responses to both types of influencers through SEM and fsQCA. The findings reveal a discrepancy between media discourse and consumer evaluation. Trustworthiness receives limited attention in online news but emerges as the strongest predictor of consumer engagement. Expertise is significant only for virtual influencers, suggesting that expertise becomes an important cue when the source lacks embodied travel experience. The fsQCA results further show that high intention to visit can arise through different configuration paths. The study extends Source Credibility Theory to AI-generated constructed tourism information sources and provides practical implications for destination marketing organizations seeking to design differentiated influencer strategies.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Nie Y, Barnes SJ, So KKF, Shin H, Yoon J-H, Kim MJ

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research

Year: 2026

Pages: Epub ahead of print

Online publication date: 10/08/2026

Acceptance date: 30/07/2026

ISSN (print): 1094-1665

ISSN (electronic): 1741-6507

Publisher: Routledge

URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2026.2714235

DOI: 10.1080/10941665.2026.2714235

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