From Screens to Dreams: How Influencers Spark Destination Inspiration through Parasocial Interaction

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of influencer attributes on destination inspiration and suggests and validates the mediating role of parasocial interaction as an important psychological mechanism in this process. Although influencer effects have been explored before, this study fills the important theoretical void by being the first to integrate a multidimensional model of influencer attributes (authenticity, credibility, attractiveness, content expertise, and inspiration) with parasocial interaction which can explain the initial stages of travel motivation. Using a quantitative method based on 305 social media users in Turkey, data were collected and analyzed with partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings show that five influencer traits, treated as a holistic second-order construct, directly affect destination inspiration in a meaningful way. More importantly, the research provides fresh evidence that parasocial interaction partially mediates this effect, clarifying how the characteristics of influencers psychologically translate into travel inspiration. The present work adds to the literature by theorizing and empirically testing this previously underappreciated mediational conduit. It validates the theoretical significance of parasocial interaction in tourism marketing, builds on a set of influencer characteristics combined with inspiration theory, and suggests detailed, data-driven advice to help practitioners choose the right influencer to create destination campaigns. These findings provide a reliable basis for further academic and applied research into the mechanisms underlying social media effects on tourism behavior.