Purpose: The present study examined the role of social media influencers in shaping consumer decision-making within the UK hotel sector. It aimed to explore how influencer marketing interacted with consumer psychology and digital behavior, with particular emphasis on trust, authenticity, and perceived expertise.

Methodology: The research adopted a mixed-methods approach grounded in an interpretivist philosophy and inductive reasoning. Guided by the Engel-Kollat-Blackwell (EKB) model, the theory of planned behavior (TPB), source credibility theory, and the concept of social proof, primary data were collected through an online survey of 200 UK travelers and 12 in-depth interviews.

Findings: The findings revealed that social media content had a significant influence on consumer choices at various stages of the decision-making process, particularly among younger demographics. Trust, authenticity, and perceived expertise of influencers emerged as decisive factors, while peer influence and fear of missing out (FOMO) also acted as strong motivators for some participants. Practical

Implications: The study recommended that hospitality brands strategically collaborate with credible influencers whose values align with the brand, promote transparency in sponsorships, and incorporate user-generated content to enhance trust and booking conversions.

Originality: This research uniquely integrated multiple theoretical models to provide a comprehensive understanding of influencer-driven decision-making in a high-involvement service context. By focusing on the UK hotel industry, it provided culturally specific insights that are often overlooked in broader, global hospitality research.

1. Adams, R. J., Smart, P., & Huff, A. S. (2017). Shades of grey: Guidelines for working with the grey literature in systematic reviews for management and organizational studies. International Journal of Management Reviews, 19(4), 432–454. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12102
2. Agrawal, A. (2016, December 27). Why influencer marketing will explode in 2017. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ajagrawal/2016/12/27/why-influencer-marketing-will-explode-in-2017/
3. Agrawal, C., Duggal, T., Shukla, V., & Dohroo, M. (2023). Analyzing the correlation between social media influencers and customers’ intention to buy in the luxury market. Indian Journal of Marketing, 53(9), 28–45. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2023/v53/i9/173140
4. Alemu, M. H., & Olsen, S. B. (2019). Linking consumers’ food choice motives to their preferences for insect-based food products: An application of integrated choice and latent variable model in an African context. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 70(1), 241–258. https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.12285
5. Alshurideh, M. T. (2016). Is customer retention beneficial for customers: A conceptual background. Journal of Research in Marketing, 5(3), 382–389. https://doi.org/10.17722/jorm.v5i3.675
6. Altay, N., & Pal, R. (2023). Coping in supply chains: A conceptual framework for disruption management. The International Journal of Logistics Management, 34(2), 261–279. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLM-05-2021-0305
7. Ametepey, S. O., Aigbavboa, C. O., & Thwala, W. D. (2019). A conceptual framework for sustainable road infrastructure project implementation in developing countries. In Proceedings Creative Construction Conference 2019. Budapest University of Technology and Economics. https://doi.org/10.3311/CCC2019-084
8. Aquino, E., Yang, K., & Brandon, L. (2024). YouTube influencers fostering audience engagement through parasocial relationships. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 18(2), 67–81. https://doi.org/10.33423/jmdc.v18i2.7034
9. Azhar, K. A., Shah, Z., Ahmed, H., & Iqbal, N. (2024). The effects of social media influencers' self-disclosure, source credibility, and parasocial relationships on brand trust and its consequences. Market Forces, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.51153/mf.v19i1.652
10. Aznar, P. (2024). The moderating effect of seasonality in the hotel industry: Does market concentration favour tacit collusion? European Journal of Tourism Research, 37, 3711. https://doi.org/10.54055/ejtr.v37i.3515
11. Blackstock, S., Cummings, G., Glanfield, F., & Yonge, O. (2022). A review: Developing an ecological model approach to co worker incivility experiences of new graduate nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 78(6), 1535–1550. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15190
12. Brennan, L., Klassen, K., Weng, E., Chin, S., Molenaar, A., Reid, M., Truby, H., & McCaffrey, T. A. (2020). A social marketing perspective of young adults' concepts of eating for health: Is it a question of morality? International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 17, Article no. 44. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-020-00946-3
13. Brown, B., & Jacobsen, M. (2016). Principals’ technology leadership: How a conceptual framework shaped a mixed methods study. Journal of School Leadership, 26(5), 811–836. https://doi.org/10.1177/105268461602600504
14. Busser, J. A., & Shulga, L. V. (2019). Involvement in consumer-generated advertising: Effects of organizational transparency and brand authenticity on loyalty and trust. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(4), 1763–1784. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-10-2017-0685
15. Chakraborty, D. (2024). Revolutionizing travel: The impact of generative AI on personalization and efficiency in the tourism industry. Indian Journal of Marketing, 54(9), 8–24. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2024/v54/i9/174394
16. Chan, F. (2022). A study of social media influencers and their impact on consumer buying behavior in the United Kingdom. International Journal of Business & Management Studies, 3(7), 79–134. https://ijbms.net/assets/files/1659111546.pdf
17. Chen, A., Lu, Y., & Wang, B. (2017). Customers’ purchase decision-making process in social commerce: A social learning perspective. International Journal of Information Management, 37(6), 627–638. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2017.05.001
18. Cialdini, R. B. (2006). Influence: The psychology of persuasion. HarperCollins. https://www.amazon.in/influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X
19. De Keyzer, F. (2023). #Thisissustainable: The effect of disclosures in influencer marketing for sustainable food. Sustainability, 15(12), 9501. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129501
20. Dewi, N. I., Adiningrat, G. P., Wirga, I. W., Saputra, U. W., & Sukartini, N. W. (2022). Development of a conceptual framework for relationships between social media marketing and intentions to stay at five-star hotels. Journal of Business and Management Studies, 4(4), 137–150. https://doi.org/10.32996/jbms.2022.4.4.23
21. Donkers, B., Dellaert, B. G., Waisman, R. M., & Häubl, G. (2020). Preference dynamics in sequential consumer choice with defaults. Journal of Marketing Research, 57(6), 1096–1112. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243720956642
22. Donovan, R. J., Jalleh, G., & Drane, C. (2024). Impact of source credibility on behavioral responses to a mental health promotion social marketing campaign. Journal of Social Marketing, 14(2), 250–263. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-07-2023-0159
23. Dunjić, M., & Cimbaljević, M. (2023). The impact of a short-term digital marketing campaign on the enhancing the sales of hotel capacities. Tourism, 27(4), 202–211. https://doi.org/10.5937/tourism27-9863
24. Eryilmaz, G., Duman, D., & Efe, D. (2024). Comparison of integrated marketing communication (IMC) activities of chain hotels specific to social media. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Issues, 6(1), 28–49. https://doi.org/10.51525/johti.1467020
25. Farinloye, T., Omotoye, O., Oginni, A., Moharrak, M., & Mogaji, E. (2024). Bridging the digital divide: Consumer engagement with mobile payment applications for transportation in Lagos, Nigeria. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 23(6), 3011–3029. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2388
26. Garg, M., & Bakshi, A. (2024). Exploring the impact of beauty vloggers’ credible attributes, parasocial interaction, and trust on consumer purchase intention in influencer marketing. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), Article no. 235. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-02760-9
27. Gazal, K. A., Montague, I. B., & Wiedenbeck, J. K. (2019). Factors affecting social media adoption among wood products consumers in the United States. BioProducts Business, 4(5), 51–62. https://doi.org/10.22382/bpb-2019-005
28. Grabicki, F., & Menges, R. (2019). Consumer responsibility and the transformation process of the electricity market: Insights from behavioral decision research. Management Revue, 30(2–3), 312–330. https://doi.org/10.5771/0935-9915-2019-2-3-312
29. Grover, A., & Arora, N. (2024). Effect of parasocial commitment and breakup with a fictional character on purchase intention. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 17(9), 8–23. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2024/v17i9/173939
30. Gülpınar, G., Uzun, M. B., Iqbal, A., Anderson, C., Syed, W., & Al-Rawi, M. B. (2023). A model of purchase intention of complementary and alternative medicines: The role of social media influencers’ endorsements. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 23(1), Article no. 439. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-023-04285-1
31. Han, J. J., & Broniarczyk, S. M. (2022). The complexities of consumer empowerment in the modern consumption environment. Current Opinion in Psychology, 46, Article ID 101333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101333
32. Han, J., & Chen, H. (2022). Millennial social media users’ intention to travel: The moderating role of social media influencer following behavior. International Hospitality Review, 36(2), 340–357. https://doi.org/10.1108/IHR-11-2020-0069
33. Hariandja, E. S. (2016). Service excellence through dynamic marketing capability. In Proceedings of the 2016 Global Conference on Business, Management and Entrepreneurship (pp. 437–443). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/gcbme-16.2016.79
34. Hastiningsih, W. T., & Sari, A. A. (2023). Analysis of the use of social media as a hotel culinary trend promotion media for Gen Z. In 4th International Conference of Health, Science and Technology (pp. 115–123). LPPM Universitas Duta Bangsa Surakarta Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.47701/icohetech.v4i1.3380
35. Hernandez-Fernandez, A., & Lewis, M. C. (2019). Brand authenticity leads to perceived value and brand trust. European Journal of Management and Business Economics, 28(3), 222–238. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJMBE-10-2017-0027
36. Högberg, K., & Willermark, S. (2019). Making sense of organizational social media – An international longitudinal case study of hotel employees. In Proceedings of the 52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (pp. 2377–2386). University of Hawaiʻi. https://doi.org/10.24251/HICSS.2019.287
37. Hu, L., & Olivieri, M. (2021). Social media management in the traveller’s customer journey: An analysis of the hospitality sector. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(12), 1768–1779. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1819969
38. Jeseviciute-Ufartiene, L. (2019). Consumer involvement in the purchasing process: Consciousness of the choice. Economics and Culture, 16(1), 126–136. https://doi.org/10.2478/jec-2019-0014
39. Jiang, H., & Luo, Y. (2018). Crafting employee trust: From authenticity, transparency to engagement. Journal of Communication Management, 22(2), 138–160. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-07-2016-0055
40. Jiang, Y., Jia, F., Blome, C., & Chen, L. (2020). Achieving sustainability in global sourcing: Towards a conceptual framework. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 25(1), 35–60. https://doi.org/10.1108/SCM-12-2018-0448
41. Jun, S., & Yi, J. (2020). What makes followers loyal? The role of influencer interactivity in building influencer brand equity. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 29(6), 803–814. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-02-2019-2280
42. Kastiya, S., & Sharma, A. (2020). Impact of Internet addiction on workplace procrastination: An empirical study on millennial employees. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 13(1), 45–58. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2020/v13i1/149947
43. Khandpur, N., Zatz, L. Y., Bleich, S. N., Taillie, L. S., Orr, J. A., Rimm, E. B., & Moran, A. J. (2020). Supermarkets in cyberspace: A conceptual framework to capture the influence of online food retail environments on consumer behavior. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(22), 8639. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228639
44. Kim, H., Li, J., & So, K. K. (2022). Enhancing consumer confidence and response efficacy in tourism: Typology and effectiveness of the hotel industry’s responses to COVID-19. Journal of Travel Research, 62(4), 907–925. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875221095211
45. Kim, M., & Kim, J. (2019). The influence of authenticity of online reviews on trust formation among travelers. Journal of Travel Research, 59(5), 763–776. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287519868307
46. Kim, T., & Yoon, H. J. (2024). The effectiveness of influencer endorsements for smart technology products: The role of follower number, expertise domain and trust propensity. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 33(2), 192–206. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-03-2023-4376
47. Klein, S. A., & Hilbig, B. E. (2019). On the lack of real consequences in consumer choice research. Experimental Psychology, 66(1), 68–76. https://doi.org/10.1027/1618-3169/a000420
48. Kleynhans, D. J., Heyns, M. M., Stander, M. W., & de Beer, L. T. (2022). Authentic leadership, trust (in the leader), and flourishing: Does precariousness matter? Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.798759
49. Lee, S. K., & Jang, S. (2013). Early mover or late mover advantage for hotels? Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 41(1), 23–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348013503995
50. Li, L., Lu, L., Xu, Y., & Sun, X. (2020). The spatiotemporal evolution and influencing factors of hotel industry in the metropolitan area: An empirical study based on China. PLoS ONE, 15(5), Article ID e0231438. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231438
51. Lim, X. J., Radzol, A. R., Cheah, J.-H., & Wong, M. W. (2017). The impact of social media influencers on purchase intention and the mediation effect of customer attitude. Asian Journal of Business Research, 7(2), 19–36. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321832168
52. Melnychuk, H.-A., Araslı, H., & Nevzat, R. (2024). How to engage and attract virtual influencers’ followers: A new non-human approach in the age of influencer marketing. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 42(3), 393–417. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-06-2023-0251
53. Mess, F., Blaschke, S., Gebhard, D., & Friedrich, J. (2024). Precision prevention in occupational health: A conceptual analysis and development of a unified understanding and an integrative framework. Frontiers in Public Health, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1444521
54. Mishra, R., Singh, R. K., & Koles, B. (2021). Consumer decision-making in omnichannel retailing: Literature review and future research agenda. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 45(2), 147–174. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12617
55. Nguyen, D. T., Le, D. H., Truong, L. G., Truong, N. G., & Vu, V. V. (2023). The effect of Generation Z’s perceptions of brand activism on brand loyalty: Evidence from Vietnam. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 35(6), 1494–1512. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-02-2022-0165
56. Ogundijo, D. A., Tas, A. A., & Onarinde, B. A. (2021). Exploring the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on eating and purchasing behaviours of people living in England. Nutrients, 13(5), 1499. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13051499
57. Ozarslan, S., & Eren, P. E. (2018). MobileCDP: A mobile framework for the consumer decision process. Information Systems Frontiers, 20(4), 803–824. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-015-9601-2
58. Patwal, A. S., Rana, V., & Chopra, G. (2024). Tourists’ motivation to satisfaction with homestays in Uttarakhand: A SEM approach. Indian Journal of Marketing, 54(10), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2024/v54/i10/174604
59. Pozharliev, R., Rossi, D., & De Angelis, M. (2022). Consumers’ self-reported and brain responses to advertising posts on Instagram: The effect of number of followers and argument quality. European Journal of Marketing, 56(3), 922–948. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-09-2020-0719
60. Purbaningsih, Y., Helviani, Nursalam, Hasbiadi, Masitah, & Mardiana, A. (2023). The decision making for rice consumer purchase the decision making by the customer in purchasing of rice. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Literature, 2(5), 566–575. https://doi.org/10.53067/ijomral.v2i5.146
61. Qing, W., Safeer, A. A., & Khan, M. S. (2024). Influence of social media communication on consumer purchase decisions: Do luxury hotels value perceived brand authenticity, prestige, and familiarity? Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 15(3), 465–478. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-09-2023-0282
62. Raar, J., Barut, M., & Azim, M. I. (2020). The challenge: Re-steering accountability concepts to incorporate biodiversity management and reporting. Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, 11(1), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-07-2018-0201
63. Rathnayake, R. A., & Lakshika, V. G. (2023). Impact of social media influencers’ credibility on the purchase intention: Reference to the beauty industry. American Journal of Marketing Management, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.31357/ajmm.v2i01.6254
64. Rebelo, M. F. (2017). How influencers’ credibility on Instagram is perceived by consumers and its impact on purchase intention (Doctoral dissertation, Universidade Católica Portuguesa). Veritati. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/23360
65. Roddy, S. (2019). Using conceptual metaphors to represent temporal context in time series data sonification. Interacting with Computers, 31(6), 555–576. https://doi.org/10.1093/iwc/iwz036
66. Sakalasuriya, M., Amaratunga, D., Haigh, R., & Hettige, S. (2018). A study of the upstream-downstream interface in end-to-end tsunami early warning and mitigation systems. International Journal on Advanced Science Engineering and Information Technology, 8(6), 2421–2427. https://doi.org/10.18517/ijaseit.8.6.7487
67. Saunders, M. N., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2019). Research methods for business students (8th ed.). Pearson.
68. Shankar, R. S. (2020). Impact of cognitive and affective image on tourists’ travel intentions. Indian Journal of Marketing, 50(5–7), 35–45. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2020/v50/i5-7/152118
69. Silveira, P. D., Chawla, Y., & Xara-Brasil, D. (2024). Influencing consumer decisions on Instagram: The differential impact of posts and stories across the EKB model. Communication Today, 15(2), 126–147. https://doi.org/10.34135/communicationtoday.2024.Vol.15.No.2.8
70. Sujatha, S. M. (2023). Influences of social media in travel decision making. REST Journal on Banking, Accounting and Business, 2(4), 30–39. https://doi.org/10.46632/jbab/2/4/4
71. Taheri, B., Gannon, M. J., & Kesgin, M. (2020). Visitors’ perceived trust in sincere, authentic, and memorable heritage experiences. The Service Industries Journal, 40(9–10), 705–725. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2019.1590556
72. Talebizadeh, Z., & Shah, A. (2020). The AutGO initiative: A conceptual framework for developing genetics‐outcomes research hypotheses. Autism Research, 13(8), 1286–1299. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2331
73. Tanwar, A. S., Chaudhry, H., & Srivastava, M. K. (2021). Influencer marketing as a tool of digital consumer engagement: A systematic literature review. Indian Journal of Marketing, 51(10), 27–42. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2021/v51/i10/166439
74. Triono, D., & Baharsyah, S. (2023). Property market analysis of the hospitality sector in Central Lombok District. Jurnal Syntax Transformation, 4(3), 51–63. https://doi.org/10.46799/jst.v4i3.708
75. Trip.com Group. (2025). Lunar New Year 2025 trends by Trip.com Group: Travel like a snake – Longer stays and shedding off the “usual” destinations. PR Newswire. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lunar-new-year-2025-trends-by-tripcom-group-travel-like-a-snake--longer-stays-and-shedding-off-the-usual-destinations-302354120.html
76. Turner, M. (2024). How social media still plays a big role in travel. Travel Agent Central. https://www.travelagentcentral.com/your-business/how-social-media-still-plays-big-role-travel
77. van Rensburg, E. S., Poggenpoel, M., & Myburgh, C. (2015). A conceptual framework to facilitate the mental health of student nurses working with persons with intellectual disabilities. Curationis, 38(1), 1481. https://doi.org/10.4102/curationis.v38i1.1481
78. Varkaris, E., & Neuhofer, B. (2017). The influence of social media on the consumers’ hotel decision journey. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 8(1), 101–118. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-09-2016-0058
79. Varsamis, E. (2018). Are social media influencers the next-generation brand ambassadors? Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2018/06/13/are-social-media-influencers-the-next-generation-brand-ambassadors
80. Virdi, P., Kalro, A. D., & Sharma, D. (2020). Consumer acceptance of social recommender systems in India. Online Information Review, 44(3), 723–744. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-05-2018-0177
81. Vizcaíno-Verdú, A., Feijóo, B., & Sádaba, C. (2024). ‘Influencers are just mannequins’: Decoding teenagers’ perception about advertising content creators. European Journal of Communication, 40(1), 3–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/02673231241272021
82. Wei, H.-L., Hai, C.-Y., Zhu, S.-Y., & Liu, B. (2021). The impact of consumers’ choice deferral behavior on their intertemporal choice preference. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.555150
83. Wijenayaka, A. (2022). A study of establishing a conceptual model for understanding the impact of social commerce on consumer decision making with social support perspective [Preprint]. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202201.0332.v1
84. Wongprawmas, R., Mora, C., Pellegrini, N., Guiné, R. P., Carini, E., Sogari, G., & Vittadini, E. (2021). Food choice determinants and perceptions of a healthy diet among Italian consumers. Foods, 10(2), 318. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10020318
85. Yu, T., Teoh, A. P., Bian, Q., Liao, J., & Wang, C. (2025). Can virtual influencers affect purchase intentions in tourism and hospitality e-commerce live streaming? An empirical study in China. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 37(1), 216–238. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-03-2024-0358