How do food travel vlogs inspire awe and shape destination-visit intention? Role of self-destination connection and mindfulness

Purpose Drawing on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), this study aims to investigate how food vlog characteristics induce awe that influences destination visit intention (DVI) in the presence of self-destination connection (SDC) and mindfulness. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling was conducted on survey data from 475 frequent viewers of purposively selected food travel vlogs. Findings Perceived realism, information quality, visual appeal and content novelty significantly evoke awe. SDC partially mediated the effect of awe on DVI. Mindfulness positively moderated the relationship between awe and DVI. Research limitations/implications This study advances the understanding of emotional and cognitive pathways in digital food tourism by integrating awe and SDC within the ELM and highlighting mindfulness as a boundary condition. Content creators should emphasize authentic, novel, visually engaging and informative food vlogs to evoke awe and foster stronger destination attachment and DVI. Practical implications Vloggers should focus on realistic, novel, visually engaging and informative content to emotionally engage viewers and enhance destination appeal. Originality/value This study extends the destination marketing literature by elucidating how food vlog attributes stimulate self-transcendent emotions that translate into travel intentions through identity-based mechanisms.