The influence of parasocial interaction between Vietnamese youtube vloggers and their viewers on viewers' travel intention & ewom engagement intention

Abstract

This paper examines the parasocial interaction (PSI) between travel Youtube vloggers and their viewers and how this interaction affects viewers’ decision to travel and their electronic word-of-mouth engagement. Quantitative approach is used to analyze data from 284 respondents who watched travel content on Youtube in Ho Chi Minh City. The results were analyzed by descriptive statistics, reliability and validity test. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to testify the research model and hypotheses. The finding shows that Attitude Homophily has the strongest affect on PSI, followed by Openness, Social Attractiveness and Credibility. Also, the parasocial relationship positively affects viewers’ decision to travel and electronic word-of-mouth engagement. This study contributes to the PSI literature in the field of communication and marketing.