Fostering a young audience's media-induced travel intentions: The role of parasocial interactions

Abstract

The study applied the concept of parasocial interaction (PSI) to TV programs to identify whether it triggers a young audience's travel intentions. Although viewing documentary series that induce interests in different local cultures can lead to intentions to visit the featured destinations, the psychological mechanism underlying audiences' travel intentions has not been established. The current study's purposes were to investigate the viewing motives that enhance audiences' PSI with television programming that introduces local cultures, examine the relationships among audiences' PSI, perceived well-being, and travel intentions, and test whether perceived well-being mediates the link from PSI to travel intentions. Based on the survey data from 381 undergraduate students who have viewed a Chinese documentary program, A Bite of China, the hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results revealed that three viewing motives (entertainment, information, and relaxation) of the four dimensions predicted audiences' PSI, which, in turn, enhanced their perceived well-being and travel intentions. Additionally, the data confirmed audiences' perceived well-being mediates the effect of PSI on travel intentions.