Authentic travel vlogs: shaping destination image and tourist intentions

Purpose Generating a positive destination image is crucial to attracting tourists and boosting tourism at that location. This study aims to enhance understanding of destination images by empirically investigating their hierarchical dimensions, such as cognitive, affective, and conative, through the perspective of authentic experiences derived from travel vlogs and their role in forming visit and recommendation intentions. Design/methodology/approach This study has used a deductive research approach. A survey-based methodology is used to test hypotheses. The research has gathered and analyzed data from 255 travel vlog viewers using structural equation modeling. Findings The outcomes of this study highlight a significant influence of authentic experiences on cognitive and conative aspects of destination image. Moreover, in the investigation, cognitive and conative images were found to be important drivers of travel intentions. However, this study failed to establish a statistically significant direct influence of authentic experiences on affective image. Similarly, the affective image failed to directly impact travel intentions. Originality/value This research presents well-timed and theoretically sound evidence for both researchers and destination marketing organizations. It provides strategic insights for the promotion of emerging and underrated travel destinations that currently suffer from inadequate digital marketing. The results of this study reveal an interesting correlation between authentic experiences, destination image and behavioral intentions of potential tourists. Moreover, this study sheds light on the complex emotional decision-making in the context of travel by using the relatively less explored stimulus–organism–behavior–consequences framework.