科研成果详情

Social media has fundamentally transformed the tourism industry, giving rise to online tour guide influencers (TGI) who combine traditional guiding with digital content creation. Despite their growing influence, research has not adequately addressed how their combined professional and social media roles affect tourist behavior. This study explores how the online tour guide influencers (TGI) leverage professional competencies and personal attributes to build rapport with tourists, fostering electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in the digital age. Grounded in rapport-building theory, the research employs structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the mediating roles of rapport and satisfaction in the relationship between online TGI's internal factors including professional competencies and personal attributes and eWOM. The findings reveal that while both professional competencies and personal attributes significantly enhance rapport, personal attributes exert a stronger influence. Rapport, in turn, positively impacts satisfaction with online TGI as well as the tour experience. This study offers theoretical insights into the hybridized roles of TGI in combining professional expertise and digital influence and provides practical implications for enhancing service quality and promoting destinations through eWOM.