Near or Far, Facts or Feelings? The Psychology of Influencer Messaging in Destination Marketing

With the growing prominence of travel influencers in destination marketing, it has become essential to understand how their content shapes tourists’ decision-making. Guided by construal level theory, this study investigates how influencer message appeal (informational vs. emotional) interacts with temporal distance (near vs. distant) to affect tourists’ visit intention. Across three experimental studies, the findings show a clear construal fit effect: informational message appeals are more effective for travel decisions in near future, whereas emotional message appeals are more persuasive for travel plans in distant future. In addition, perceived diagnosticity is identified as an important cognitive factor that explains this interaction effect, mediating how the fit between message appeal and temporal distance influences visit intention. By clarifying when and why different influencer message appeals work, this study applies construal level theory to travel influencers context and provides practical guidance for designing influencer marketing strategies that match consumers’ temporal perspectives.