THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER’S CREDIBILITY ON THE TRAVEL INTENTIONS OF THE EGYPTIAN MILLENNIALS: APPLIED TO DOMESTIC TOURISM

Abstract

This study aims to fill the gap in the current influencer marketing literature by analyzing the impact of social media influencers (SMIs) credibility on the domestic travel intentions of Egyptian millennials.An online questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample of 581 Egyptian millennials to collect primary data. The results indicate that the three dimensions of a SMI’s credibility (trustworthiness, attractiveness, and expertise) have a positive impact on the domestic travel intentions of Egyptian millennials. Moreover, the findings point out that all of SMI’s credibility elements have a significant effect on domestic travel intentions except for SMI’s expertise, which is considered the credibility dimension least affecting the domestic travel intentions of Egyptian millennials.The findings of this study enrich the influencer marketing field in the context of tourism as well as help the destination management organizations (DMOs) and travel agencies select the most persuasive SMIs that can positively influence millennials' travel intentions, specifically in light of the current emphasis on integrating SMIs as one of their marketing techniques.

Keywords

• social media
• influencers
• credibility
• travel intentions
• millennials
• egypt
• domestic tourism