Virtual Tourism Influencers Promote New Triggers for Smart Travel

Abstract

Virtual tourism has risen, especially after the global pandemic Covid-19. In the days of lockdown, virtual tours got one of the highest views online, and people satisfied their craving for travelling by experiencing virtual tourism. As destinations reopen themselves, domestic tourism is on the rise in India. Social media channels like YouTube have become the most watchable platforms to experience new ways of travelling among Indians and getting motivated by videos or reels. Virtual tours have given a further boost to the rebuilding of the brand image of these destinations. The study follows the example of a social media YouTube influencer who, through their web content and videos, promotes Indian destinations uniquely and interestingly. The study proposes various triggers that make people travel after watching influencers' videos and getting inspired to explore India from new perspectives and travel smartly. The study would reflect and showcase how effective the influencers are in bringing practical tourism to their proposed destinations by analysing their channel traffic and people engagement tools and how destinations could benefit from them by understanding the attributes that attract global audiences. The study will likely increase awareness of the importance of virtual tourism influencers in brilliant destination branding and smart travelling.

Citation

Barnwal, M., Jamir, I. and Kumar, V. (2024), "Virtual Tourism Influencers Promote New Triggers for Smart Travel", Tanrisever, C., Pamukçu, H. and Sharma, A. (Ed.) Future Tourism Trends Volume 2 (Building the Future of Tourism), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 131-139. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83753-970-320241008