Social Media Influencers Marketing: Their Role on Saudi Arabia’s Image and Tourists’ Intention to Visit.

Abstract

There is a growing effort by ‘destination management organizations (DMOs)’ to promote tourism, highlighting the crucial role of marketing in this field. The growing use of ‘social media influencers (SMIs)’ to market travel destinations has attracted considerable academic attention. The promotion of destinations by SMIs has been studied in relation to both destination image and consumer decision-making processes. Although there is general agreement on the substantial influence of SMIs in the early stages of the process, the extent of their direct impact on actual visit intentions is still debated.

Moreover, it is suggested that changing a destination's perceived image through SMIs marketing is difficult, with the impact on visit intentions differing widely depending on the destination. This study focuses on the role of SMIs in promoting tourism in Saudi Arabia, a relatively emerging destination that has seen limited research in this area. Furthermore, academic research on SMIs’ attributes has produced diverse findings, revealing that various characteristics can affect an audience's decision to trust and act on SMIs' recommendations. These characteristics include credibility, authenticity, popularity/ likability of SMIs, quality/ aesthetic appeal of the content, and the level of engagement on the posts. Each characteristic varies in significance across different studies which grants further investigation.

This study aims to explore the impact of SMIs on the perceived image of Saudi Arabia as a tourist destination, and their role in affecting tourists’ intention to visit, in addition to exploring SMIs’ attributes that influence their viewers to consider a travel destination. The study has four objectives including: 1) To investigate the impact of SMIs on the perceived image of Saudi Arabia as a tourist destination; 2) To study the effect of SMIs on the tourists’ decisions and visit intentions; 3) To explore the attributing factors that influence potential visitors to consider travel recommendations from SMIs; and 4) To analyse the moderating role of the time spent on social media and the number of followed SMIs on the relationship between SMIs and tourists’ visit intentions. This study adheres to the philosophies of positivism and objectivism, employing a deductive approach. A quantitative strategy is adopted, with primary data collected through a cross-sectional online questionnaire administered to 103 respondents who have viewed SMIs promotional content related to tourism in Saudi Arabia. The data is analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods, facilitated by SPSS software. The study is conducted under ethical standards and the University of Surrey's Standard Study Protocol.

The study found that participants' perceptions of Saudi Arabia positively affected their travel decisions and intentions to visit. However, this relationship is influenced by specific indicators of the destination image. The research concludes that the most significant indicators are the residents' welcomeness, cultural diversity, and relaxed atmosphere, which were found to have a greater impact than other attributes. Another key finding of the study is that SMIs have a favourable impact on the perception of Saudi Arabia. However, they don’t directly impact the intention to visit, and their importance lies in raising awareness of the destination and elevating its image. This study revealed the most important attributes of SMIs that influence the audience’s travel decisions which include authenticity and interesting content, trust, and credibility. The study also recognised demographic variations, indicating that age and education levels influence how audiences engage with influencers’ content. Another finding of the study is that social media use measured by hours has no direct correlation with the role of SMIs. However, the number of followed SMIs and level of engagement positively moderate the impact.

This study advances tourism marketing research by broadening the examination of SMIs and their impact on the perceived image of destinations and tourists’ behaviour. It underscores the variability of destination image factors across different regions, thereby highlighting the necessity for localized research. Furthermore, this research offers a destination-specific analysis that can inform the tourism promotion strategies of the Saudi Tourism Board and other relevant decision-makers. The findings can be strategically leveraged to craft targeted marketing messages that resonate with prospective visitors. Additionally, by focusing on a newly developed tourism destination rather than established ones, this study provides a refined perspective that can be valuable for other emerging destinations seeking to enhance their image and attract tourists.

Moreover, this research tackles the inconsistencies found in existing literature concerning the most influential attributes of SMIs that drive audiences to consider travel recommendations. By examining these attributes within a destination-specific framework, the study offers essential insights for DMOs seeking to utilise SMIs effectively as a marketing tool. These insights are pivotal for selecting the appropriate influencers, thereby enhancing the success of promotional campaigns.

Finally, the study refines the understanding of the moderating role of social media use and emphasises the importance of targeting specific audiences in social media marketing campaigns, particularly those who actively engage with SMIs. This targeted approach is likely to be more effective than assuming that general social media use will automatically lead to increased exposure or influence.