sustainability

Article
Social Media and Influencer Marketing for Promoting
Sustainable Tourism Destinations: The Instagram Case
Eleni Kilipiri 1, *, Eugenia Papaioannou 1 and Iordanis Kotzaivazoglou 2

1 Department of Organization Management, Marketing and Tourism, International Hellenic University,

57400 Sindos, Greece
2 Department of Business Administration, International Hellenic University, 62124 Serres, Greece
* Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +30-2310013245

Abstract: Instagram is a critical tool for the selection of tourism destinations. Instagram travel
influencers seem to play a significant role in this process, often using geo-location data to make
their posts even more impactful. However, there is no evidence of them performing such a role
in sustainable destinations, although these destinations are increasing and to a large extent are the
future in tourism. This paper aspires to shed light in this area focusing on sustainable destinations.
Specifically, the purpose of this paper is to examine (a) the role of Instagram travel influencers in
shaping users’ opinions of a sustainable destination and (b) the importance of geo-location data used
by influencers to the users’ selection of such a destination. Thirty sustainable tourism destinations,
as posted between 2017 and 2019, were selected for examination by using 10 Instagram travel
macro-influencers’ power derived from their followers’ interactions on posts. The study used a
mixed method approach combining cross-sectional and quantitative data analysis. Panel data and a
multiple hierarchical analysis using SPSS Statistics were implemented to test the hypotheses. Finally,
a regression model was used to try to identify the relationship between geo-location data and the
selection of sustainable tourism destinations. The findings show that Instagram travel influencers,
as social media communicators, are positively related to the selection of a sustainable destination.
However, the use of geo-location data by Instagram travel influencers does not enhance travelers’
intention for such a choice.

Citation: Kilipiri, E.; Papaioannou, E.; Keywords: Instagram; influencers; parasocial interaction; internationalization; sustainable
Kotzaivazoglou, I. Social Media and
destinations; geo-location data
Influencer Marketing for Promoting
Sustainable Tourism Destinations:
The Instagram Case. Sustainability
2023, 15, 6374. https://doi.org/
1. Introduction
10.3390/su15086374
The openness of a destination to international markets is considered a key strategy for
Academic Editor: Wen-Hsien Tsai
generating income from abroad, attracting foreign direct investments, boosting its brand
Received: 28 February 2023 image globally, and strengthening its regional competitiveness and economic growth [1].
Revised: 20 March 2023 Under this prism, intensive and, simultaneously, low-cost marketing efforts have become a
Accepted: 29 March 2023 challenging task for making a destination attractive globally [2]. The role of sustainability
Published: 7 April 2023 in this context is considered vital, as it can be considered a part of a destination’s overall
image [3,4]. Travelers themselves contribute to promoting and keeping a destination
sustainable with their behavior and their story posts on social media [5].
Nowadays, social media platforms have an important role in destination marketing
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.
strategies, providing travelers with the opportunity to share their travel experiences in
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
real time [6]. Regarding tourism destinations, Instagram offers a wide range of benefits,
This article is an open access article
especially when financial and marketing resources are limited [7]. As of January 2022, In-
distributed under the terms and
stagram is the third (after Facebook and YouTube) among the top leading social networking
conditions of the Creative Commons
sites worldwide with 1478 million active users and the first selected media platform for
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
marketing planned campaigns (the advertising expenditure in Instagram is 60% higher
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/).
than the other social media platforms) [8].

Sustainability 2023, 15, 6374. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086374 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability

Sustainability 2023, 15, 6374 2 of 18

Moreover, Instagram is well known as the first social media platform that offered
the possibility of social interactions with other users acting as real-life friends [9]. This
parasocial engagement, i.e., the engagement occurred through digital interaction between
a viewer and a character that creates a virtual/imagined and trustful relationship [9], has
led Instagram to become one of the most popular platforms in contemporary influencer
marketing literature [10]. As a result, Instagram users with high engagement levels have
been first perceived as peers by their followers, presenting significant persuasive/influence
power [11].
Influencer marketing has seen the most noteworthy growth on Instagram due to its
wealth of visual affordances and shopping/selecting features [11]. In fact, Instagram has
been ranked as the favorite platform of marketers for influencer marketing [12]. According
to Statista’s findings for 2022 [13], Instagram alone accounts for over 500,000 active influ-
encers with more than 15,000 followers, which constitutes 39% of all Instagram accounts.
Among this group of active influencers, 81% are followed by anywhere between 15,000 and
100,000 people [13].
The enormous use of Instagram combined with the lifestyle of influencers (by shar-
ing their traveling moments and memories online) has boosted influencer marketing [6].
Expenditure on influencer marketing has escalated from USD 1.7 billion in 2016 to USD
16.4 billion in 2022 [14]. Moreover, 84% of marketers characterize influencer marketing as
one of the most effective tools in current marketing and branding strategies globally [15].
As a result, influencer marketing can be perceived as a very effective destination marketing
tool not only for cities, places, or countries but also for National Tourism Organizations
(NTOs), Destination Management Organizations (DMOs), travel agencies, venues, or ho-
tels [16]. In contemporary tourism literature, digital influencers consist of key destination
spokespersons who stimulate tourists’ preferences and boost the image of a destination [4].
However, there seem to be no studies—at least according to authors’ knowledge—that
examine the impact of travel influencers in sustainable destinations. This would be inter-
esting as these destinations offer many advantages of economic and social development
with a low environmental burden and are constantly multiplying and present a growing
interest [17].
In addition, the clear motives of users for the selection of sustainable destinations still
seem to remain vague [7]. With the growing popularity of Instagram and the significance
of influencer marketing in sustainable tourism, additional information and methods of
data gathering that have not yet been examined in depth could support the marketing
strategies of a destination [16]. Existing studies almost exclusively use traditional methods,
such as questionnaires, for these purposes [18]. However, geo-location social media data,
in particular, seem to be among the upcoming data collection trends for studying the
travel demand of a destination [19], seeing as they represent check-ins at the venue, shared
content, and/or hashtags that are connected to users’, travelers’, and travel influencers’
geo-locations [20]. Moreover, these data have been considered beneficial elements for
further boosting a destination’s brand image, which is usually represented by geographic
elements, such as coastal, mountainous, rural, and urban areas [21]. However, no evi-
dence from sustainable destinations exists, although these elements could be part of the
overall sustainability factor that is essential for a destination’s internationalization in an
increasingly competitive tourism market, usually measured at a national level [17].
This study tries to enhance the existing literature regarding the role of Instagram
influencers on the decision-making process of travelers, as well as to further diminish
the research gap related to the importance of new innovative and low-cost promotion
techniques that have not been studied yet in contemporary sustainable destination and
international marketing strategies, such as the use of location-based social media data [18].
In addition, the study aspires to enhance the existing academic literature on parasocial
relationship theory under the spectrum of influencer marketing and geo-location data that
recent research has not examined yet for sustainable tourism destinations [22]. Therefore,
the purpose of this paper is to examine (a) the role of Instagram travel influencers in
Sustainability 2023, 15, 6374 3 of 18

shaping users’ opinions of a sustainable destination and (b) the importance of geo-location
data used by influencers to the users’ selection of such a destination. The paper tries to
answer the following research questions:
RQ1. Do Instagram travel influencers shape users’ decisions on choosing sustainable
destinations?
RQ2. Do geo-location data on Instagram travel influencers’ posts prompt users’ selections
regarding sustainable tourism destinations?
By addressing these research questions, the paper aims at shedding light on the
potential of Instagram travel influencers and geo-location data to promote sustainable
tourism. The findings of this study will give tourism and destination marketers insightful
information that they may utilize to promote more environmentally friendly travel choices.
Tourism stakeholders can develop more effective strategies to promote sustainable tourism
by comprehending how Instagram travel influencers affect users’ perceptions and decisions
about travel destinations for sustainable tourism, as well as the influence of geo-location
data on the users’ selection of such destinations. Ultimately, the paper aims at contributing
to the sustainability of the tourism industry, which is critical for preserving natural and
cultural resources and for ensuring the long-term viability of the sector.
The paper continues with an extensive review of the relevant literature and the pre-
sentation of the research hypotheses and methodology. In the next two sections, the results
of this study are highlighted, followed by the relevant discussion on them. The paper ends
with the conclusions and the implications of the study, as well as the relative limitations
and suggestions for further research.

2. Literature Review
2.1. Internationalization of Destinations and Inbound Tourism
In tourism, internationalization is often associated with product and destination com-
petitiveness [23] and is considered a trigger factor for the formation of a destination’s
image and growth [24]. Territorial resources that support a region’s economic dynamics,
connections, and networks which allow tourists to reach the destination and facilitate their
movements within it, as well as companies that transform a region’s endogenous resources
into tourist products, appear to be crucial elements that contribute to the internationaliza-
tion of a destination [25]. Moreover, internationalization is aligned with the concept of
territorial economic development that values quality, innovation, identity, and differentia-
tion by focusing on the attractiveness of inbound tourism rather than domestic [26].
Inbound tourism, i.e., tourism coming from abroad into a country, represents a sig-
nificant revenue source on a country level and constitutes an important activity in the
exportation category, creating a high source of business activity, income, employment, and
foreign exchange for the local markets [23,26]. The significance of international inbound
(“foreign”) tourism has been fully highlighted for its economic importance in tourism
destination areas [24]. By eliminating the barrier of distance, inbound tourism benefits
the destination, as it brings many benefits and resources into a developing or less devel-
oped country [25]. As a result, Buhalis [27] states that inbound tourism is highly linked
with the internationalization of destinations, where the mobility of tourists creates links
beyond borders. In the same research, a key conclusion refers to the tourism–growth
relationship [27], concluding that less developed countries are more likely to benefit from
international/inbound tourism [27,28].

2.2. Sustainability and Tourism Destinations

A destination’s internationalization is important as it creates opportunities for foreign
income flows to the destination’s economy, as well as information and knowledge shar-
ing, improvements of the destination’s reputation, low dependency on domestic tourism
sources, and high levels of overall sustainability [29]. Glyptou et al. [17] proceed to a cluster
analysis of performance rankings of Mediterranean destinations, concluding that sustain-
Sustainability 2023, 15, 6374 4 of 18

able destinations are characterized by high economic and social performance combined
with a low environmental footprint.
However, maintaining and enhancing a sustainable destination’s image in interna-
tional markets is a challenging task [30]. Romao et al. [31] build their research based on
structural analysis regarding the motivation and satisfaction of global tourists from differ-
ent nations and cultures, stating that there is an opportunity to attract long-haul visitors
who spend more and behave sustainably to destinations; this is even more important when
domestic tourists cannot support the development of a destination [32]. A sustainable
tourism destination considers assuring the ecological or environmental impact [33]. This
means that, among other things, it should take care of the environmental resources for
achieving high levels of positive impact on society, nature, and visitors, and, simultane-
ously, maintain the cultural sustainability of the destination and its overall brand image
awareness [34,35].
A high percentage of destinations still present limited brand awareness in terms of
quality among potential tourists [36] who use the internet as their key source of infor-
mation [37]. Social media platforms can contribute to a traveler’s awareness process of
different destinations [38]. Through their rapid level of penetration, low-cost results, and
global reach, these platforms comprise one of the main tools of a destination marketing
strategy [39]. Therefore, the relationship between social media and destination marketing
is highly interrelated [40]. Contemporary destinations seek increased brand awareness
through users’/travelers’ social media engagement [41].

2.3. Social Media, Parasocial Interaction, and Influence

According to the literature, direct communicating, engaging, and sharing are the main
three characteristics of social media that contribute to shaping travelers’ perceptions on a
destination’s image formation [42,43]. With shared experiences on social media constantly
increasing, consultation before and during the trip, as well as consideration of content
generated by other travelers (as influencers) gaining high importance [44], engagement
through digital platforms and social media influencers has become a significant component
of the internationalization of tourism destinations [45]. Social media has transformed users
from being passive recipients of marketing messages to being communicators who can
openly share their opinions regarding products, services, or destinations [46,47]. Being this
type of communicator has created the term “influencer”.
Several researchers stress the role and importance of these influencers in social media
communication. For example, Menge [48] points out that they are characterized by the
key elements of the general theory of power, namely (1) the ability to use force digitally,
(2) the accessibility to digital resources, and (3) the collective acceptance from several
groups of social media users globally. Vrontis et al. [49] highlight the emerging trend of
social media content creators, known as social media influencers (SMIs), and the power
generated by them as a main source of information for their audience. Nowadays, influ-
encers play an important role in international social media marketing strategies [22]. Shan
et al. [50] emphasize the endorser/promoter’s impact on influencer marketing, underlin-
ing the role of parasocial interaction in the influencer and users’ relationship. In more
detail, Kim’s study [15] tries to analyze the theory of parasocial interaction by examining
users’ illusionary and interactive relationships with media personas under the scope of
viewership’s influence, concluding that users tend to present higher interaction with their
media personas when they are closer to their everyday life. Lee et al. [51] conclude that the
role of parasocial interaction in influencer marketing is significant in the followers’ active
engagement and the creation of strong relationships with influencers, who are perceived as
relatable and intimate figures in recommending products or destinations.

2.4. Instagram and Influencers

Instagram has proven to be the most popular social media platform presenting a high
level of engagement in terms of content shared, while it also exists as the most preferable
Sustainability 2023, 15, 6374 5 of 18

resource for inspiration and information [1]. Instagram was chosen by Breves [9] due to
its large advertising revenue and its effectiveness as a platform for testing the relationship
between followers and social media influencers during advertising campaigns. Social-
media-based interaction has created a vital shift in connectivity between products, services,
and users.
As users love visual content, Tariq examines user-generated content on Instagram
under two major types of information [52]: (a) geographic and temporal information, and
(b) the visual content of the photo or video that provides valuable sources for generating
insights, where he concludes that geographic information has a key role of post promotion.
Backaler [53] describes that Instagram travel influencers could even be characterized
as representatives of destinations, in the sense that they shape travelers’ decisions to choose
a destination while presenting a place [53]. By proceeding to a cross-factor analysis, he
concludes that the number of followers, the behavior towards the influencer’s audience,
and the engagement under posts comprise key factors in evaluating the power of travel
influencers for shaping audience attitudes [53]. If they present a high level of influence,
they create a win–win strategy for tourism brands as virtual brand ambassadors in the era
of destination marketing [54].
Ingrassia et al. [55] use netnographic analysis combined with the AGIL model ap-
proach (Adaption, Goal attainment, Integration, and Latent pattern maintenance) to mea-
sure the power of Chiara Ferragni’s—one of the most famous Instagram influencers—
activity and communication via her Instagram profile on promoting Italian tourist destina-
tions worldwide to her loyal followers.
The loyalty of users is also crucial [56], and many individuals tend to become in-
creasingly interested in the tourist community by reading personal travel evaluations
and following Instagram influencers who promote sustainable tourism [6]. This indirect
influence seems to accelerate the decision-making process by the followers, as it creates the
willingness to choose the same destination [57].

2.5. Instagram Travel Influencers and Location-Based Social Media Data

The rise of influencer marketing as a cost-effective and high expansion results tactic of
marketing has created new types of influencers in the tourism sector, such as Instagram
travel influencers [58]. The selection of destinations can be differently associated with the
group of tourists due to the different preferences of people influenced by their country of
origin [59]. There have been many attempts to analyze travel behavior and location selection
in a way that takes into consideration tourists’ preferences, as well as their influences from
travel opinion leaders through social networking sites [60].
Vu et al. [61], introduce new data sources derived from user-generated content —called
location-based social media data—tested under the spectrum of influential and destination
marketing. These sources are derived by location-based social networks (LBSNs), where
the connections and interactions between users are based on creating virtual data that are
connected to a specific location [7,20]. Li [59] moves a step forward and tries to examine
the contribution of geo-location data, as presented by celebrity influencers’ posts, on the
multi-day and multi-stay travel planning of users. The above two studies conclude that
location-based social media data, when presented by influencers, are key drivers for the
users’ selection of a destination [59,61].
With the advancement of the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, geograph-
ical information can be stored in so-called geo-tagged photos [7]. The geographic and
temporal information make influencer-generated posts an interesting source for the study
of tourism destinations and the tourists’ decision-making process [54]. Chen et al. [62] study
location-based social networking platforms with the use of GPS and new marketing tools
(usually referred to as check-in or geo-tag recommendations), concluding that these tools
provide people with the ability to share their locations among their social communities
when they decide to share their geo-location information. Vassakis et al. [63] examine
the tourism recommendation system using geo-tagged photos and social platforms’ Ap-
Sustainability 2023, 15, 6374 6 of 18

plication Programming Interface (API) without considering the role of the influencer’s
parasocial ability during the posting process, presenting a partial point of view regarding
the influence of geo-location data on users’ engagement.
Besides static posts containing normal text, hashtag(s), and/or check-in data, referring
to the location of Instagram stories is a common practice used in the promotion of tourism
destinations by travel influencers [20]. An Instagram influencer’s location history consists
of (a) the rating history (e.g., per visited location) and (b) the check-in history followed
by the related check-in location/geo-tag and geo-location hashtag [64]. When it comes to
geo-tags/hashtags, the English language is generally used by Instagram travel influencers
for boosting visibility and approaching more multilingual users [18,65].

3. Research Methodology
3.1. Hypotheses Formation
Inbound tourism has an important impact on regional competitiveness and the overall
sustainability of tourist destinations on a global level. The process of planning a journey
is dominated by digital tools as well as by travelers’/users’ posts or opinions, and tourist
destinations are competing to attract inbound tourists [66]. As a result of the intensive
use of social media, destination marketing has reformatted its communication strategy by
putting the emphasis on digital and social media platforms [41].
In this context, a growing interest in social media influencers as drivers in the decision-
making process of users for sustainable destinations has been recorded [25]. Studies
suggest that users proceed more easily in engaging with everyday influencers rather
than celebrity influencers, as users consider them to be more relatable and trustworthy
figures [56,57]. Other studies [67,68] state that when trust between influencers and users is
developing through strong parasocial interaction in social media platforms, the support of
the destination’s brand awareness is increasing.
The identification of motives and influences on the selection process of a location
is considered a starting point for inbound tourism attractiveness [60]. The nature of
images/posts on Instagram benefits sustainable tourism destinations with new tools for
their marketing strategies [67]. At the same time, higher levels of digital and parasocial
engagement on Instagram help in identifying and reaching new potential visitors [1].
According to theory, when an individual sees that a “product” is receiving a high-level
of engagement from peers and groups of influence, he/she starts to develop the same
perception of “product” quality [58]. Through the content generated on Instagram, digital
influencers, in general, have the ability to formulate their followers’ perceptions and
attitudes during their decision-making process [69]. According to Zang et al. [54] and
Kim [15], high levels of parasocial interaction play an important role in the relationship
between an influencer and his/her followers, suggesting that users can even proceed to
additive consumption after consulting influencers’ recommendations and posts. This could
also be assumed when Instagram travel influencers act as brand advocators or experts
for a tourism destination [66]. As a result, the first hypothesis of this research is formed
as follows:
H1: Instagram travel influencers constitute key drivers on users’ selection of sustainable tourism
destinations.
In tourism literature, social media and influencers’ content, including geo-tagged
travel content and hashtags on posts, have dominated as additional travel data sources
for the estimation of travel demand [39]. It is considered that these location-based data
provide high-quality information from a marketing perspective [70]. Furthermore, users
tend to be more associated with an event or location of a presented destination when
geo-location data are used through social media, especially through Instagram [16], for
boosting a destination’s brand image [35]. Digital influencers usually describe geo-location
data (i.e., geo-tags and geo-hashtags) as important types of information in a post that
Sustainability 2023, 15, 6374 7 of 18

inspire their audience, reach new viewers, and gain more engagement [71,72]. Thus, the
second hypothesis of the research is stated as:
H2: Geo-location data used by Instagram travel influencers have a moderating role in users’ selection
of sustainable tourism destinations.

3.2. Methodology
This paper tries to stress the role of Instagram travel influencers in shaping users’
opinions of a sustainable destination as well as the relation of geo-location data used
by them to facilitate the users’ selection of such a destination. Therefore, it focuses on
investigating two main relationships. As highlighted in Table 1, the first one is between
Instagram travel influencers—the independent variable—and the users’/travelers’ selection
of sustainable tourism destinations—the dependent variable. The second relationship
introduces the use of geo-location data as a moderator variable that might amplify the
first relationship. A moderator variable affects the strength of the relationship between an
independent and a dependent variable [73]. In research, in order to infer that a variable is a
moderator variable, there must be a significant statistical interaction between the predictor
and the moderator (i.e., p < 0.05) [74]. A moderator variable affects the relationship between
a predictor variable (X) and an outcome variable (Y) [73,74]. Moderator variables affect the
strength of the relationship between X and Y [73,74].

Table 1. Variables’ Description.

Variable Description Data Source

Counted by total number of inbound
Users’ selection of sustainable tourism
tourists (international arrivals) per OECD Stat, 2021
destinations
country
Active travel influencers with high
parasocial relationship levels counted by
Instagram travel influencers Influencer Marketing Hub, 2021
number of total followers and number of
total reactions to posts on Instagram
Number of geo-tags and geo-hashtags Statista, 2021; Keyhole and Tagfinder,
Country’s geo–location data
used on Instagram influencers’ posts 2021
The value of spending of individuals
while on visits outside their country of
Individuals’ average level of spending
residence. This indicator is measured in OECD Stat, 2021
per visit
US dollars. Selected here for USD
>1000 per visit.
Users that are operating on Instagram on
Daily active Instagram users a daily basis. Selected here for Statista, 2021
>500,000 per country.

Moreover, as adapted from Naciye and Adem [2] and Kim’s study [15], the research
uses two control variables in order to prevent research biases that can affect its results. In
this study, the two control variables refer to the individuals’ average level of spending per
visit, which consists of the necessary component of economic impact analysis for marketing
and policy decisions [2], and the number of daily active Instagram users, as this is the factor
that affects Instagram popularity every day in the world’s social media ranking system [15].
Taking into consideration the scope of time allowed and the data availability, the
examined period was 2017–2019. This period was chosen due to the high scores in tourism
globally, before the disruptive influence of COVID-19 on traveling behavior [67,72]. The
data collection is based on the selection of 30 sustainable tourism destinations/countries
considering the number of inbound overnight tourists per destination to be more than
500,000 people [75–77].
Using the approach of the International Union for Conservation of Nature [66], these
30 selected countries/destinations are defined as sustainable due to their high socioeco-
Sustainability 2023, 15, 6374 8 of 18

nomic performance and low environmental pressure footprint, presenting an overall score
of more than 65% on the sustainable development index (65–75% as strong sustainability
indicator, while 75–85% as very strong sustainability level) [78]. Moreover, based on Tran
and Rudolf’s recent research that spotted the majority of sustainable destinations to be
concentrated firstly in Europe and Asia [79], 22 of this sample’s sustainable destinations are
in Europe (Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland,
Ireland, Estonia, United Kingdom, Poland, Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovenia, Spain, Nether-
lands, Belgium, Portugal, Hungary) while the remaining eight are located in Asia (Japan,
Republic of Korea, Singapore, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, China) as presented in the
Sustainable Development Report Rankings 2022 [77].
For selecting the sample of influencers for this study, several lists on social media
and experts on tourism marketing studies were consulted to help in the identification of
the most important global travel influencers. Thus, a list of 200 influencers was created
through Influencer Marketing Hub platform, from which only those that presented the
identification of traveling experts on their bio were selected. Instagram was chosen as the
examined social media of this research because, according to Statista [13], it hosts 94% of
the global share of influencer campaigns using social media platforms.
As a result, an ad hoc Instagram account was generated to follow the 200 influ-
encers [79]. As a result, 10 popular macro-travel influencers—a new type of influencer
specialized in traveling with 50,000–150,000 followers on Instagram, that present a level
of engagement of more than eight and likes per post of more than 20,000—were selected
to form the independent variable [79]. The selection of the macro-travel influencers was
based on the recent findings by Statista [13], where Instagram alone accounts for over
500,000 active influencers with more than 15,000 followers, which constitutes 39% of all
Instagram accounts. Among this group of active influencers, 81% have between 50,000
and 150,000 followers. Only Instagram travel macro-influencers with these characteristics
were examined in this study. Moreover, as derived by Statista, Keyhole, and Tag finder
official libraries, 30 sustainable destinations’/countries’ geo-tags and geo-hashtags (#coun-
try/destination) that have appeared in more than five posts per influencer were used for
measuring the moderator variable [80].
The design employed is the cross-sectional analysis, as data collection refers to a
specific period and classification of data (date, number of likes, engagements, and tags
per post) [81,82]. This type of analysis tries to answer “what” instead of “why”, allowing
researchers to form assumptions through hypotheses and test them using other research
methods [82]. For this reason, quantitative research based on secondary data is combined
here to support the testing process of the hypotheses [83]. For the examination of the
hypotheses mentioned previously, a multiple hierarchical analysis using SPSS Statistics
was implemented. This type of analysis consists of a valid way to examine and predict
the impact of an independent variable on a dependent one [84]. A panel data model for
organizing the data of the sample, as also used in Ergemen [81] and Pérez-Rodríguez
et al.’s [84] research, and a regression model described by Pan and Dossu [85] were used to
establish the relationship between location-based social media data and the selection of the
sustainable tourism destinations [72,84].
The Yit = α + sitδ + zitβ + εit (1) equation tries to test the relationship between the
Instagram travel influencers’ power and the selection of a sustainable tourism destination
by the users. Y corresponds to the destination’s selection using the number of inbound
tourists as a measure, combined with the i and t subscripts, which refer to the country
and the exact year, respectively [86]. Next, α is the constant, s represents the independent
variable (travel influencers’ power), and “the coefficient δ is added to consider the effect
of the independent variable on the dependent variable” ([84], p. 22; [86], p. 27). Finally, z
refers to the control variables (the individuals’ average spending and the number of active
social media users) while regression’s error is represented by the ε [82].
By moving to the examination of the second hypothesis (hypothesis for the moderation
effect), the final equation of Yit = α + sitδ + zitβ + eitsitµ + εit (2) was implemented [84].
Sustainability 2023, 15, 6374 9 of 18

The equation introduces the moderating effect on the tested relationship between the
independent and the dependent variable. The moderating effect, represented by e, is the
direct effect of geo-location data on the sustainable destination’s selection, and eitsit denotes
the moderating impact of geo-location data on the independent variable, while the other
variables do not change as presented through the first equation above [83,86].

4. Results
Table 2 presents the analysis of the descriptive statistics of the examined variables. In
this table, normality is not satisfied due to the fact that Skewness and Kurtosis are greater
than ±1 for the 4 out of 5 variables showing that the data for those variables are not nor-
mally distributed. Thus, normalization of the examined variables was conducted. Table 3
presents the outcome of normalization. Table 4 shows the means, standard deviations, and
correlations of the tested variables, while Table 5 shows the regression and moderation
findings used by the SPSS output.

Table 2. Descriptive statistics before data normalization.

Statistic Statistic
N Statistic Mean STD
Skewness Kurtosis
Instagram travel influencers 110 10.20 12.74768 2.653 7.325
Users’ selection of sustainable
120 2702.5500 11,275.302 7.053 54.06
tourism destinations
Country’s geo-location data 120 3.69 3.77 1.854 4.092
Individuals’ average level of
120 4.62 4.28825 2.866 12.29
spending per visit
Daily active Instagram users 120 9.11 5.65479 1.031 1.524
Valid N (Listwise) 120

Table 3. Descriptive statistics after data normalization.

Statistic Statistic
N Statistic Mean STD
Skewness Kurtosis
Instagram travel influencers 100 0.75 0.50653 −0.513 0.878
Users’ selection of sustainable
115 2.4899 0.93746 0.25 0.382
tourism destinations
Country’s geo-location data 95 0.50 0.34887 0.1 −0.804
Individuals’ average level of
105 8.90 1.23071 −0.157 −0.431
spending per visit
Daily active Instagram users 115 9.11 5.65479 1.031 1.524
Valid N (Listwise) 90

Table 4. Means, standard deviations, and correlations.

Variables MD SD 1 2 3 4 5
Instagram travel influencers 0.7012 0.5124 1
Users’ selection of sustainable tourism
2.4845 0.9765 0.498 ** 1
destinations
Country’s geo-location data 0.4998 0.3760 −0.131 * 0.004 1
Individuals’ average level of spending
115.3654 33.5786 0.187 ** 0.435 ** 0.059 1
per visit
Daily active Instagram users 8.9414 1.22145 0.825 ** 0.827 ** −0.099 0.296 * 1
** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). * Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).
Sustainability 2023, 15, 6374 10 of 18

Table 5. Multiple hierarchical regression results.

Variables Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 Model 4

Daily active Instagram users 0.783 ** 0.790 ** 1.352 ** 1.241 **
Individuals’ average level of spending
0.043 0.022 0.020
per visit
Country’s geo-location data 0.051 0.064 0.043 + 0.065 +
Main effect
Instagram travel influencers −0.553 ** 0.532 **
Moderating effect
Instagram travel influencers X
−0.037
Country’s geo-location data
R2 0.725 *** 0.729 + 0.824 *** 0.825
Adj. R2 0.727 0.725 0.820 0.821
∆R2 0.725 0.003 0.097 0
F 88.530 79.359 86.154 82.020
Statistical significance: + p < 0.10, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.

The first four variables in Table 3—namely, Instagram travel influencers, Users’ se-
lection of sustainable tourism destinations, Country’s geo-location data, and Individuals’
average level of spending per visit—have a normal distribution with Skewness and Kur-
tosis falling within the ±1 range for normality. Although the variable of Daily active
Instagram users is slightly greater than the valid value of ±1, it is accepted because it is a
control variable and has no significant effect on the subsequent steps of data analysis in
SPSS. Furthermore, the sample of the first 120 observations was reduced for two reasons:
(i) in Table 2, the variable of Instagram travel influencers had 10 missing observations of
data, and (ii) in Table 3, the extreme values had been removed after data normalization in
the final testing sample of 90 observations.
Table 4 displays the means, standard deviations, and correlations of the tested vari-
ables, while Table 5 highlights the results of the regression and moderation analysis used
in the SPSS Statistics. Table 4 shows the correlations between the variables investigated
in the testing of the hypotheses. The users’ selection of sustainable destinations through
the level of inbound tourism (dependent variable) is significantly and positively related
to the Instagram travel influencers (independent variable) at a country level (r = 0.498,
p < 0.01). The geo-location data are negatively related to the users’ selection of sustainable
destinations (measured through inbound tourists at a country level), having a small effect
on the above relationship (r = −0.131, p < 0.05). Geo-location data have no impact on all
the other variables under investigation.
The multiple hierarchical regression results for testing the users’ selection of sus-
tainable tourism destinations (measured as inbound tourists) at a country level is shown
in Table 5. R2 describes the percentage of each model in the variation of the dependent
variable based on the entered variables. R should be as close as possible to 1 [83].
The control variables are included in Model 1. This model depicts the variables of
Individuals’ average level of spending per visit; the number of Daily active Instagram users
were entered, while the users’ selection of sustainable destinations (dependent variable)
maintained its consistency in all four models. This model was statistically significant with
F = 88.530, p < 0.001 and explained 72.5% of the variance in the selection of sustainable
destinations. In other words, the two control variables influenced the users’ selection
on sustainable destinations at a country level with 72.5%, and the remaining 27.5% was
influenced by other factors.
The variable of geo-location data entered into Model 2 examined the level of its
influence on the dependent variable while all the control variables were kept constant. The
model was statistically significant with F = 79.59, p< 0.001. The use of geo-location data by
travel influencers explained a 72.9% variance in the users’ selection of a sustainable tourism
destination at a country level (R2 Change = 0.003, F = 0.064, p < 0.10), while the control
variables were unchanged.
Sustainability 2023, 15, 6374 11 of 18

The introduction of the independent variable (Instagram travel influencers) as well

as its impact on the dependent variable are presented in Model 3. This model was also
statistically significant with F = 86.154, p < 0.001 and it was able to explain the 82.4% of
variance in the selection of a sustainable tourism destination by users at a country level.
The final model investigated the two hypotheses of the study while introducing the
moderation effect. Presenting statistical significance (F = 82.020, p < 0.001), Model 4 made
no additional contribution to the variance in the users’ choice of a sustainable tourism
destination and exhibited a zero change in R square. Furthermore, it was obvious from this
model that the Instagram travel influencers affected the selection of a sustainable tourism
destination (β = 0.532, p < 0.01).
This result leads to the acceptance of H1, i.e., there is a positive relationship between
Instagram travel influencers and the selection of a sustainable tourism destination by
users. However, the other results indicate that there is no significant relationship between
Instagram travel influencers at a country level and the selection of a sustainable destination
when this relationship is moderated by the geo-location data used by the travel influencers
when presenting a country’s destination on their posts (β = −0.037, p = 0.464). Therefore,
H2 is rejected since there is no proof for a negative or positive impact of the moderator on
the relationship between the independent and the dependent variables.

5. Discussion and Implications

Instagram is widely used as a key platform for destination brand image presentations,
and it is becoming increasingly important in sustainable tourism [86]. The findings of
this study illustrate the significance of influencer marketing through Instagram for the
attractiveness of sustainable inbound tourism. Furthermore, the findings provide key
knowledge for sustainable tourism destinations regarding their brand image promotion
through social media influencers and geo-location data, a scientific area with growing
academic interest [87].
The significant power of social media platforms as sources of travel information
makes users more attached to Instagram travel influencers that can consist of strategic
elements during the decision-making process regarding their travel and choice of sus-
tainable destinations [67]. This article addresses two of the main topics in influencer and
destination marketing of sustainable destinations: the identification of the power of the
macro-Instagram travel influencers on the users’ decision-making process under the scope
of parasocial relation theory and the evaluation of geo-location data as moderators between
the relationship of Instagram macro-travel influencers and users.
As Instagram tends to present higher engagement, interaction, and content-generation
rates than other platforms, the rise of the Instagram macro-travel influencers has created
new virtual opinion leaders, different from the well-known celebrity influencers, as they
are more relatable to their audiences, whereby helping them to form tourists’ decisions
worldwide [1]. Counting by the number of inbound tourists, the role of the macro-travel
influencers seemed to contribute highly to the overall selection process of a sustainable
destination due to the high parasocial relations that existed between users and influ-
encers [53]. In addition, according to the findings of the study, the use of Instagram’s
popular macro-travel influencers could be a strategic tool for boosting the brand image and
overall attractiveness of sustainable destinations, as well as achieving high engagement,
especially when the influencers use the same tone of voice with their followers [56].
Nevertheless, geo-location data such as geo-tags and geo-hashtags in the Instagram
macro-travel influencers’ posts were not represented by the results as moderating factors
for the selection of sustainable destinations by travelers. Even though geo-tags and geo-
hashtags are types of information often used by influencers to characterize their posts
through locations and to expand their global awareness, it seems that additional variables
may need to be tested for supporting the moderating effect. The findings showed that
it would be more efficient for the promotion of a sustainable tourism destination on
Instagram to be combined with additional information besides geo-location data used by
Sustainability 2023, 15, 6374 12 of 18

the Instagram macro-travel influencers. Furthermore, geo-location data combined with

other influential factors, such as co-branded methods employed by local firms and NGOs,
could boost the internationalization of a destination’s brand [88], an area that needs further
investigation for sustainable tourism destinations. Finally, the aspects of the country’s
competitiveness in the sphere of tourism are bound to the attractiveness of the destination,
the successful functioning of the tourist business on the international market, and the
overall sustainable performance of destinations [32].

5.1. Theoretical Implications

It is a fact that there are many studies which show how social media influencers
exert a positive impact on consumers’ purchase intentions, e.g., [89,90], and how their
endorsements have been found to increase favorable attitudes, intentions, and behaviors
towards organizations [91,92]. Much research has also examined the impact of social media
influencers on the selection of a tourism destination, e.g., [53–67,93]. The findings of this
study essentially reaffirm the results of the previous studies and expand on the existing
social media influencer theory by illustrating the significance of influencer marketing
through Instagram for the attractiveness of tourism destinations that can be characterized
as sustainable.
The present research focuses on Instagram, which is the influencers’ most favored
media platform [1,94]. However, this study could be the trigger for research that examines
travel influencers on other media platforms, such as LinkedIn, TikTok, or YouTube. More-
over, it could be the springboard to study the motives of the travel influencers’ choices
or the content of travel influencers’ posts and its impact on less popular or unknown
sustainable tourism destinations. Finally, it would be interesting to find out the travel
influencers’ choices for alternative sustainable tourism destinations.
Another theoretical implication of this study is that it enhances the existing literature
regarding the role of geo-location data in Instagram travel influencers’ posts for sustainable
destinations. A few studies have already been conducted, concluding that geo-location data
constitute a key facilitator for users in order to select a tourism destination [59,61]. However,
the results of the present study are not in line with the findings of the previous studies. This
study shows that the geo-location data uploaded by Instagram travel influencers do not
significantly enhance the choice of sustainable tourism destinations by users. This seems
to be an interesting finding that raises concern about the importance of geo-location data
as a means of attracting tourists. According to the authors’ opinion, there is no obvious
explanation for this and it requires further investigation. The present research could also
be a stimulus to study the combination of geo-location data with other information that
could affect the choice of a destination since the content of information posted by travel
influencers that positively influences users’ decisions in choosing destinations remains
vague [18].

5.2. Practical Implications

Concerning its practical implication, this study offers useful considerations for both
Instagram travel influencers and marketers. Instagram travel influencers should aim at
creating high parasocial interactions. This seems to strengthen their position as influencers
and increases their negotiating power in case of their recruitment by companies or those in
charge of promoting tourist destinations. However, the research showed that the posts of
geo-location data do not enhance the choice of the travelers who follow them. Therefore,
influencers may add additional information or choose other content that would make their
posts more tempting. This is something that could be studied further in future research.
Instagram travel influencers can also draw attention to places that have taken steps to
be more sustainable, including hotels and resorts that have adopted eco-friendly practices
or places that have reduced their carbon impact. Instagram macro-travel influencers can
persuade their followers to travel to these locations and promote sustainable tourism. They
frequently highlight eco-friendly vacation spots and draw attention to the initiatives taken
Sustainability 2023, 15, 6374 13 of 18

by local communities to protect the environment and promote eco-friendly travel. By

sharing pictures, videos, and stories of sustainable destinations, highlighting eco-friendly
activities, and discussing the importance of responsible tourism, they can inspire their
followers to adopt more sustainable travel habits and make more sustainable choices when
planning their trips. They can also spread knowledge on the significance of appropriate
travel habits, such as minimizing trash and protecting the environment.
Moreover, Instagram travel influencers can inform their followers on how tourism
affects the environment and local communities and educate them. They can encourage
their followers to reduce their environmental footprint by suggesting eco-friendly activities,
such as taking public transit or limiting plastic waste, and inspire them to lessen their
environmental impact. By leveraging their influence on Instagram, they can help to protect
and preserve the world’s natural and cultural resources for future generations.
Marketers of sustainable tourism destinations could also benefit from the study’s
findings since Instagram is widely used for many destination marketing campaigns [79].
They could identify Instagram travel influencers with high parasocial interactions able to
reach specific audiences in order to promote a sustainable destination, boost its brand image,
and increase its inbound tourism. They could also cooperate with influencers to highlight
a sustainable destination’s important tourist landmarks, promote a specific destination’s
culture, or differentiate it from competing destinations, making it more attractive by
leveraging a highly influential medium such as Instagram. Future research that would
focus on the content of information that influences travelers could help marketers to work
more effectively with influencers in order to promote more effectively and increase the
attractiveness of a sustainable tourism destination through social media.

6. Conclusions, Limitations, and Directions for Future Research

The social dynamic of social media, such as Instagram, allows digital influencers to
become generators of travel content and a destination’s overall image [95,96]. Many travel-
ers become interested in a destination by following bloggers or social media influencers
and reading their personal travel evaluations, reviews, or other sorts of information, such
as travel photos, stories, and hashtags that are often created and shared among virtual
user communities globally [34,97]. Social media platforms have become essential tools for
users in the decision-making process, helping them to select which destination to visit [34].
The interactive nature [53], user-generated content, and growing number of influencers on
these platforms could create strong relations among users and enhance the attractiveness
of a tourism destinations [68].
This paper discusses the impact of Instagram travel influencers and their posts of
geo-location data on the selection process of exclusively sustainable tourism destinations.
Its purpose is to examine (a) the role of Instagram travel influencers in shaping users’
opinions of a sustainable destination and (b) the importance of geo-location data used by
them to the users’ selection of such a destination. The sustainability of tourism destinations
refers to the improvement and maintenance of the natural resources and landscapes, as
well as to the development of less mass-tourism behavior with respect to the destination’s
overall identity [34]. The research findings show that Instagram travel influencers seem
to be one of the drivers in forming users’ points of view for destinations and that they
contribute to the overall selection process of sustainable destinations. In addition, the
findings reveal that geo-location data used by Instagram travel influencers do not enhance
the users’ selection of sustainable tourism destinations.
A possible limitation of the present research is that it focuses solely on Instagram; other
social networking sites are not examined. It is also concentrated on the period 2017–2019, as
the period after 2020 is characterized by the COVID-19 stop/low level of travel in general.
Additionally, it investigates the impact but not the process of influence of the Instagram
travel influencers or geo-location data. This study is also limited in geo-location data and
does not explore the content of travel influencers’ posts or the impact of combinations
of relative information on travelers’ decisions. Finally, it does not examine less popular,
Sustainability 2023, 15, 6374 14 of 18

unknown, or alternative sustainable tourism destinations or different groups of users

or travelers.
Future similar studies could be conducted to examine other social media platforms,
such as YouTube or TikTok, as well as other digital tools, e.g., blogging, search engine
optimization, or mobile applications, allowing even comparisons between them. The same
study could also be run in the after COVID-19 era to discover possible connections between
the two periods. Future research could also investigate the impact of the examined data
at every stage of the users’ decision-making process in terms of selecting a sustainable
destination, i.e., information search, evaluation, and purchase [5], or the impact of different
types of inbound tourists, such as dark, heritage, mass, or culture tourists [88], different
generations of tourists (e.g., X, Y, or Z generation), and different stakeholders, as well as
different types of influencers according to their level of attractiveness (e.g., celebrity/mega
influencers) or level of trust and authenticity (micro-influencers/nano-influencers) [4].
Furthermore, future research could explore the process of influence of the Instagram travel
influencers or the content of travel influencers’ posts and its impact on travelers’ decisions
for sustainable destinations, as well as different types of sustainable destinations, e.g., the
less known or alternative ones.

Author Contributions: Conceptualization, E.K., E.P. and I.K.; Methodology, E.K., E.P. and I.K.;
Software, E.K.; Validation, E.K., E.P. and I.K.; Formal analysis, E.K., E.P. and I.K.; Investigation, E.K.
and E.P.; Resources, E.K., E.P. and I.K.; Data curation, E.K. and E.P.; Writing—original draft, E.K., E.P.
and I.K.; Writing—review & editing, E.K., E.P. and I.K.; Visualization, E.K. and E.P.; Supervision, E.P.
and I.K.; Project administration, E.P. and I.K.; Funding acquisition, E.P. All authors have read and
agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding: The authors have received financial support for the publication of this article from the
Research Committee-Special Account for Research Funds, International Hellenic University.
Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement: Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement: Data are available upon request. Please contact the corresponding author.
Acknowledgments: We appreciate the helpful comments and suggestions of the editor, the anony-
mous reviewers of the paper, as well as the Research Committee-Special Account for Research Funds
of International Hellenic University.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest concerning the research,
authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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