Travel vloggers as affiliate marketers: parasocial relationships and credibility driving purchase intentions

Purpose While affiliate marketing is increasingly prevalent in travel vlogs, there is a scarcity of research examining the combined impact of travel vlog enjoyment, parasocial relationships, and content creator credibility on consumer behavior on travel and leisure e-commerce platforms. Therefore, this study investigates how these interconnected factors influence travel purchase intentions, emphasizing the strategic importance of travel vloggers as affiliate marketers. Design/methodology/approach The respondents were selected through purposive sampling and comprised viewers of travel vlogs, specifically those who watched content created by individuals affiliated with a leading Southeast Asian travel and leisure e-commerce platform. The research hypotheses encompassing both direct and indirect effects were evaluated using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings The findings reveal that the enjoyment of travel vlogs significantly and positively influences viewers' intentions to make travel purchases, as well as their parasocial relationships and perceptions of the credibility of travel content creators. Moreover, both parasocial relationships and the perceived credibility of these creators significantly impacted travel purchase intention. Additionally, these two latent constructs—parasocial relationships and perceived credibility—indirectly affected the link between travel vlog enjoyment and travel purchase intentions. Practical implications The results highlight the value of enjoyment-driven and relationship-oriented content strategy. Travel e-commerce platforms should prioritize affiliates who generate strong engagement and emotional connections, incorporate relational metrics into performance systems, and ensure transparent disclosures. Travel vloggers should build credibility through authentic storytelling and personalized recommendations to strengthen parasocial bonds and improve conversions. Originality/value This study makes a unique contribution by being among the first to empirically combine the enjoyment of travel vlogs, parasocial relationships, perceived credibility of content creators, and viewers’ travel purchase intentions within an affiliate marketing framework. This approach sheds light on the combined influence of travel and leisure e-commerce platforms on travel purchase intentions.