earticle

영어

This research was designed to investigate potential tourists’ perceptions of blog content and blogger in the tourism context. More specifically, this study explored how social presence of others (locals vs. international tourists) on a travel blog influenced potential tourists’ visiting intention toward a destination. It also examined how perceived blog content credibility and blogger credibility influenced destination image and visiting intention. This study collected a total of 237 responses through an online research panel using an experimental design and analyzed the data by performing t-test and multiple regression. As a result of the analysis, when a travel blog presented social presence of international tourists who interacted with a blogger positively enhanced potential tourists’ visiting intention toward a destination, compared to a case of blogger-only. In addition, both blog content and blogger credibility positively influenced potential tourists’ visiting intention, while only blogger credibility enhanced positive destination image in their mind. Based on these results, this study suggested that marketing professionals in tourism should make efforts to expose social interactions between visitors and international tourists more effectively and frequently by asking visitors to post travel blogs in an authentic and reliable manner.