The role of engagement in travel influencer marketing: the perspectives of dual process theory and the source credibility model

The purpose of this study was to examine the relative effects of travel social influencers (TSIs)’ total number of followers and engagement level on consumers’ intention to travel to the advertised destinations and purchase the advertised products, as well as TSIs’ perceived credibility, expertise, and attractiveness. The results suggest that engagement becomes an important characteristic of TSIs that determines the effectiveness of advertising messages delivered by them, and their perceived attractiveness when consumers are skeptical about influencer messages. Meanwhile, TSIs’ total number of followers better predict the effectiveness of advertising messages delivered by them and their perceived expertise when consumers are not skeptical about influencer messages.