Fifth International Conference on Tourism & Leisure Studies

Abstract

The presence internet changes the ecosystem of marketing communication in Indonesia. This change can be seen from the form of the emergence of micro-celebrities that one is called travel blogger/travel influencer. The traveling experiences from travel bloggers/travel influencers are often shared textual, visual, and audio contents on their platform media such as blog and social media Instagram. Interactions occur between travel bloggers/travel influencers and internet users in responding to the contents or known as electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). On the other hand, marketing communication in tourism sector utilizes the presence of travel bloggers/travel influencers to promote tourism destinations in Indonesia. This article considers the phenomenon of self-branding, micro-celebrities, and the creation of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on contents produced by micro-celebrities. In addition, it explains the relationship contents shared by micro-celebrities and tourist travel planning behaviour. The main findings of this article include: First, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and travel experiences of travel bloggers/travel influencers create trust in internet users’ self or potential tourists. Second, the involvement of travel bloggers/travel influencers in tourism marketing communication activities can influence tourist travel planning behaviour.