Short-form travel vlogs: The influence of parasocial interaction on viewers’ destination–self congruence and behavioural intention

Abstract

Short-form travel vlogs posted on social media platforms such as YouTube Reels and TikTok are an increasingly popular tool for marketing tourism destinations. Understanding how to improve the quality and cut-through of short-form travel vlogs is therefore central to improving their impact on consumer decision-making, particularly for Millennial travellers because of their affinity with this form of media. This study is amongst the first to empirically apply the well-established theory of parasocial interaction (PSI) to the context of short-form travel vlogging. Australian Millennials ( n = 459) were asked to watch a short-form travel vlog and complete an online survey. This study found that vlogger attractiveness, attitude homophily and technology skill influences on PSI, and later influences on self-congruence between viewers and destination, travel intention and willingness to generate electronic word of mouth about the destination. The findings also showed that the travel vlogger's credibility in a short-form vlog has a negative and insignificant influence on PSI from the perspective of Australian Millennials. In addition to advancing PSI theory in this contemporary form of media, the study's findings provide guidance for tourism destination marketers and travel vloggers on the most effective way to design and produce travel vlogs to optimise tourism destination marketing outcomes.