Title of Paper
Examining the Impact of Travel Vlogs on the Indian Tourists Perception of a Destination
Abstract (150 Words)
An increasing number of tourists are influenced by travel vlogs. However, despite its significance, it is unclear whether Destination Marketing Organizations’ (DMO) vlogs or amateur vlogs have more impact on tourists’ perception of a destination. Few studies have examined the travel flogs in the context of Indian tourists, a large and emerging source market. This quasi-experimental study which involved 20 Indian tourists (selected using convenient random sampling), examined the effect of vlogs in general and the differential impact of DMO and amateur vlogs on their perception of a destination. Participants were shown two YouTube vlogs (one DMO and one amateur) similar in content and length. The data collection involved the completion of a pre-and post-survey and a post-semi-structured interview to examine the role of style and content. The results indicate that vlogs, in general, strongly influence tourists’ perception of a destination. The amateur vlogs performed better than DMO vlogs in narration style and ambient music, while DMO performed better in content. Amateur vlogs were found to have a greater influence in triggering tourists' desire to visit a destination, while DMO vlogs were found to be more valuable and worthy of recommendation. The findings have implications for DMOs and bloggers in creating an impactful travel vlog.
Examining the Impact of Travel Vlogs on the Indian Tourists Perception of a Destination
An increasing number of tourists are influenced by travel vlogs. However, despite its significance, it is unclear whether Destination Marketing Organizations’ (DMO) vlogs or amateur vlogs have more impact on tourists’ perception of a destination. Few studies have examined the travel flogs in the context of Indian tourists, a large and emerging source market. This quasi-experimental study which involved 20 Indian tourists (selected using convenient random sampling), examined the effect of vlogs in general and the differential impact of DMO and amateur vlogs on their perception of a destination. Participants were shown two YouTube vlogs (one DMO and one amateur) similar in content and length. The data collection involved the completion of a pre-and post-survey and a post-semi-structured interview to examine the role of style and content. The results indicate that vlogs, in general, strongly influence tourists’ perception of a destination. The amateur vlogs performed better than DMO vlogs in narration style and ambient music, while DMO performed better in content. Amateur vlogs were found to have a greater influence in triggering tourists' desire to visit a destination, while DMO vlogs were found to be more valuable and worthy of recommendation. The findings have implications for DMOs and bloggers in creating an impactful travel vlog.