Persuasive Effects of Short Tourism Video Information Streams: The Mediating Role of Government Involvement

Abstract

The advent of new cultural and tourism communication methods, particularly short videos, has profoundly influenced cultural tourism marketing and the development of online cultural ecosystems. This influence is evident in several key areas: (1) innovation in cultural tourism communication forms in which short-video platforms engage young tourists through lightweight storytelling, fragmented narratives, personal perspective recommendations, selfie aesthetics, empathetic resonance, and instant sharing, thereby enhancing social connectivity; (2)transformation of information structures and cultural ecosystems, marked by information decentralisation and extensive public participation, as short-video platforms lower content creation barriers, fostering diverse voices; (3) the role of algorithms and participation in public life, where optimised recommendation mechanisms not only increase the visibility of niche attractions but also contribute to the formation of information cocoons, thus enabling newly formed interest groups to enhance diverse information exchanges and travel activities; and (4) shifts in media relationships and content diversity whereby open platforms encourage non-professional creators, resulting in a rich content ecosystem and community effects. Collectively, these changes have driven innovative development in the cultural tourism industry.
For travel providers, short videos offer a valuable opportunity to showcase their offerings, leveraging a platform’s substantial user base and the ability to recommend content based on users’ preferences. Camera enhancement features make the attractions in short videos more visually appealing, whereas varied background music evokes emotions and fosters connections, thus optimising marketing effectiveness. Additionally, the social attributes of short videos allow users to interact, comment, and ‘like’ the content, thus conveying their intentions. These widely circulated, short online videos use emotive components and user engagement to captivate audiences, enhance the visibility of tourist destinations, and increase the prominence of towns and attractions through viral communication. The aim of this study was to identify the factors contributing to the rapid popularity of various towns and tourist sites. The findings should provide valuable insights for marketing other towns or tourist attractions.
Despite the opportunities, the intense competition on short-video platforms has led to content homogeneity, with many locations requiring more effective advertising strategies to highlight their unique advantages. Local governments have begun promoting cities through short videos, with officials’ participation potentially enhancing cities’ online visibility and stimulating economic development through tourism. A government’s crisis management capability significantly affects responses to adverse public sentiment, influencing the destination’s reputation and visitors’ behavioural intentions. In this study, we employed a questionnaire for the quantitative analysis and used AMOS version 26 software for data processing. We analysed the impact of short tourism films on destination perception and visitors’ behavioural intentions, particularly examining the mediating role of governmental involvement. With the construction of a persuasion impact model, this study demonstrates how government engagement amplifies the persuasive efficacy of short videos and provides guidance for tourist firms and governments regarding the development of targeted marketing campaigns. The research extends the application of the persuasion theory and offers a novel framework for tourism communication studies, contributing significantly to both the theoretical and practical domains.

Date of Award	Feb 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	School of Hotel and Tourism Management
Supervisor	Seunghun Shin (Chief supervisor)