Einflussnahme von Reiseinfluencer:innen und Reiseblogger:innen auf die Entscheidungsprozesse der Reisenden

Abstract

In the digital era, travel influencers and travel bloggers play an increasingly significant role in the decision-making process of travelers. This study investigates the influence of these digital opinion leaders on the selection of travel destinations and tourism offerings. The motivation for this research is the growing relevance of social media and influencer marketing in the travel sector, which has fundamentally transformed how travelers gain information, consume content, and make decisions. The problem statement of this work focuses on how influencers and bloggers in the travel industry guide the preferences and decisions of travelers through their authentic, visually appealing, and trustworthy content. Given the increasing use of digital media, the question arises as to which specific content and factors have the strongest impact on followers and how this influence varies across different age groups. The structure of this master's thesis consists of a systematic literature review and an empirical study using an online questionnaire. The literature review was conducted through an analysis of over 30 scholarly articles that examine the foundations and current developments in blogging, social media, influencer marketing and digital media in tourism. The online questionnaire created for this study includes questions on these topics, the influence of travel influencers and bloggers as well as exemplary scenarios of travel influencer couples on Instagram to determine the impact on travel decisions. The empirical data were subsequently analyzed statistically to identify relevant findings and correlations. The results of the study show that travel influencers and bloggers have a significant impact on the travel decisions of their followers. Visually appealing content, such as high-resolution photos and videos, as well as authentic recommendations for accommodations and activities has a central role. This content fosters trust and motivates followers to discover new destinations and plan trips. It was found that younger individuals (under 26 years) are more influenced by digital content than older people. This is due to the deeper integration of this age group into social networks. This work thus provides valuable insights into the dynamic relationship between travel influencers and bloggers and their followers, highlighting the importance of authenticity, trust and visual appeal in the digital age.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	German (Austria)
Awarding Institution	Johannes Kepler University Linz
Supervisor	Harald Kindermann (Supervisor)