Effects of Influencer Content Characteristics and Credibility on Travel Decision among Thai Generation Z Tourists
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Abstract
The rising influence of social media has significantly transformed travel behavior, particularly among Generation Z, who rely heavily on digital content for travel planning and decision-making. While influencer marketing research exists in various contexts, there remains a limited amount of specific investigation into the integrated effects of both content characteristics and influencer attributes on travel decisions among Thai Generation Z tourists. This study investigates how influencer content characteristics namely content quality, content appeal, and content usefulness and influencer attributes influence the travel decision-making of Thai Generation Z tourists. A structured questionnaire was distributed to Thai Gen Z respondents, and the data were analyzed using multivariate regression techniques to assess the predictive power of both content and source factors. The results reveal that all three content characteristics significantly and positively influence travel decisions, with content usefulness emerging as the strongest predictor. These findings contribute to the understanding of digital marketing dynamics in the tourism sector and provide actionable insights for marketers seeking to target Gen Z audiences more effectively. The study also addresses a critical gap in the literature by focusing on an underrepresented demographic and geographic context using a robust analytical approach.
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