Social media influencer: Role and contribution to the tourism development of Iloilo City

Abstract

Tourism-related services are starting to use social media influencers as a component of their digital marketing strategy whereas they have a significant impact on tourists, and this has given the public a detailed understanding of the tourism destination and the opportunity to learn about the diverse experiences from their perspectives. Therefore, the researchers aim to study the roles and contributions of social media in Iloilo City's tourism growth by exploring its influence on tourists' decisions to visit the city. The purpose of this study is to identify the role and contributions of social media users in the growth of Iloilo City’s tourism industry. The respondents are social media users from Iloilo City who have promoted the city's tourism across various platforms, selected through purposive sampling. This study utilized a survey-descriptive quantitative research design. The gathered data shows the overall level of perceived role of social media influencers in the tourism development of Iloilo City derived a notable average rating that retorts to a “very high” interpretation which means that the respondents anticipated possible responsibilities in the field of tourism development. The overall level of the perceived contributions of social media influencers to the tourism development of Iloilo City also derived a remarkable average rating that was likewise found to be a “very high” interpretation. For the comparison of the average ratings of roles and contributions, their mean difference was found to be not significant regardless of sex, age, and income. The study highlights the importance of aligning influencer values with business values in tourism collaborations. To improve success, businesses should choose influencers whose personal brand and content align with the brand's identity, values, and target audience.