The Effect of Online Promotion and Travel Motivation on Intention to Travel to Ecotourism Destinations in Indonesia: The Role of Destination Image as a Mediating Variable

Eco-tourism is special interest tourism that the Indonesian government has developed and promoted as a means to attract more responsible tourists to visit the country. Promotion strategy has been undertaken using offline and online platforms to enhance the image of In-donesia as a worth-taking eco-tourism destination in the world. This study aimed to exam-ine the effect of online promotion through various digital platforms, which play as an ex-ternal stimulus, and travel motivation as an internal tourists driver on tourists destination image and travel intention to eco-tourism destinations in Indonesia. A survey was complet-ed to 319 respondents who would like to travel to any eco-tourism destinations in Indone-sia. The results showed that both online promotion and travel motivation directly affect tourists intention to visit eco-tourism destinations in Indonesia. Meanwhile, the image held in tourists minds about the destination had played as a significant mediating variable of the roles of online promotion and motivation in influencing tourists� travel intention.