Vol 22 | Issue 3 | 1-25 | September 2026
Mohammed Saeed J Al-Zahrani*
Department of Marketing
Al-Baha University, Saudi Arabia
msjoman@bu.edu.sa
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-2621-746X
*Corresponding author
Abstract
Purpose: This study explores how the interpersonal attraction of tourist influencers impact parasocial relationships, which in turn affects fans’ perceptions and behaviours in the context of tourism social media. The framework considers three types of attractions namely, task, physical, and social as prime drivers of parasocial relationships. Moreover, parasocial relationships impacts argument quality, source credibility, and travel intentions. Online comments may influence the impact of parasocial relationships on argument quality and the impact of credibility on travel intentions.
Study design/methodology/approach: This research seeks to explore the interplay of various factors of attraction on Parasocial relationships leading to the formation of travel intentions. The primary data was collected online using questionnaire. The data was analysed using the SEM method to test the hypothesised relationships. A final data of 491 respondents was included for the further analysis.
Findings: The results show that physical attraction and social attraction are the dominant factors driving the parasocial relationship. Notably, parasocial relationships play a significant role as a mediator promoting argument quality and perceived credibility, thereby enhancing the individual’s travel intentions behaviour. Furthermore, online comments significantly moderate the relationships between parasocial relationships and argument quality and between parasocial relationships and perceived credibility.
Originality/value: This research adds to the literature on tourism marketing as it provides a detailed model that integrates interpersonal attraction and parasocial relationships to understand the intentions of people to travel, drawing on the Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM) and Source Credibility Theory (SCT). The study is unique in showing how the effects of parasocial relationships are moderated by the online audience comments and offers novel information on the interactive relationships of social media platforms.
Keywords: Argument quality, Tourist Influencers, Para-social relationship, perceived credibility, social media, travel intentions.
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