The Impact of Social Media Influencers on Attitudes toward Local Food and Behavioral Intentions: A Study on Foreign Tourists Visiting Bali

The rapid growth of social media has transformed the way people interact
and communicate globally. This study investigates the role of social media
influencers in shaping foreign tourists� attitudes toward local food and their
behavioral intentions, with a particular focus on the mediating role of
attitudes toward local food. Data were collected through self-administered
questionnaire surveys from 201 international tourists visiting Bali between
July and August 2023. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling
(PLS-SEM) technique, implemented via SmartPLS 4.0, was employed to
analyze the proposed causal relationships among social media influencers,
attitudes toward local food, and behavioral intentions. The findings reveal that
social media influencers positively and significantly impact foreign tourists
behavioral intentions. Additionally, attitudes toward local food have a
significant positive effect on behavioral intentions. However, social media
influencers does not significantly influence tourists� attitudes toward local
food. Furthermore, attitudes toward local food does not mediate the
relationship between social media influencers and behavioral intentions. This
study offers valuable insights for destination marketers aiming to attract more
visitors and enhance destination promotion by strategically leveraging social
media influencers.