The Impact of Social Media Influencers Raffi Ahmad and Nagita Slavina on Tourism Visit Intentions across Millennials and Zoomers Using a Hierarchical Likelihood Structural Equation Model

In this paper, we examine how social media influencers can influence visit intention, especially in the case of Raffi Ahmad and Nagita Slavina, a top influencer who by 2 Sep-tember 2021 had reached 21.3 M subscribers on YouTube and 54.9 m followers on Instagram with an engagement rate of 0.42%. The focus of this study is Generation Y or Millennials (born 1981-1996) and Generation Z (born 1997-2012). Design/methodology/approach: Snowball sampling was performed to arrive at a representative group of Millennials. Data analysis was performed using hierarchical likelihood via structural equation modeling. Findings: The study results are helpful for a comprehensive understanding of factors affecting visit intention. Effects of the study results summary , tourists from Generations Y and Z are thriving within the internet of things and the digital age, an era in which information can be accessed via various forms of technology across multiple platforms. Practical implications: We discuss and identify the relative importance of each factor through the use of logistics with variational approximation and structural equation models using hierarchical likelihood. Originality: The technique we use is an integrated and extended version of the structural equation model with hierarchical likelihood estimation and features selection using logistics variational approximation.

Sustainability (Switzerland)

Rezzy Eko Caraka, Maengseok Noh, Youngjo Lee, Toni Toharudin, Yusra Yusra, Avia Enggar Tyasti, Achlan Fr, Dimas Purnama Dewata, Prana Ugiana Gio, Mohammad Basyuni, Bens Pardamean

Read Full Paper