Travel influencers as online co-creators of experience: a tourist-centred perspective

This study examines travel influencers as online co-creators of tourism experiences, adopting a psychological, non-commercial perspective by focusing on tourists’ cognitive, emotional, and social sense-making. Drawing on netnographic observation and semi-structured interviews with Iranian Instagram users, the research examines how cognitive, emotional, and social value are constructed through influencer–follower interactions and how these perceptions align or fail to align with on-site travel experiences. The abductive thematic analysis reveals seven experiential value themes: five themes related to co-creation (motivational value, trust antecedents, cognitive spectrum, affective value, and digital interaction value), and two co-destruction mechanisms: reality mismatch and envy. Findings show that influencers act as experiential mediators, shaping pre-trip meaning-making, emotional anticipation, and on-site decision-making. However, selective and aestheticized representations may undermine value when contextual constraints remain hidden. The study contributes a process-oriented model that integrates experiential co-creation and co-destruction, refining theoretical understandings of social media–enabled tourism experiences. Managerially, it suggests the need for more realistic, context-sensitive communication strategies that balance inspiration with transparency to foster healthier and more sustainable forms of experiential value co-creation.