Impact of Influencer Marketing on Consumer Purchase Decisions of Sri Lankan Domestic Tourists in Adventure Tourism: Mediation Effect of User Attitude

Abstract

The majority of content creators, bloggers, celebrities, and travellers utilize social media to share and disseminate their travel experiences with their communities. Consequently, the primary objective of this research study is to ascertain how influencer marketing impacts the sale of services in Sri Lanka's adventure tourism industry by proposing and testing a developed conceptual model. The Source Credibility Model serves as the theoretical framework for this study. Source credibility is treated as an independent variable, encompassing three dimensions: attractiveness, expertise, and trustworthiness. In this study, purchase intention is the dependent variable. Data were collected from 309 respondents via an online questionnaire, and responses were measured on a five-point Likert scale. The analysis, conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), revealed that purchase intention is more strongly positively related to attractiveness than to trustworthiness and expertise. The mediating effects of customer attitude were also identified. The study further examines implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research.