Examining the travel cewebrities on tourists’ intentions toward lesser-known destinations

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effects of travel cewebrity attributes and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on tourists’ intentions to visit, recommend and revisit. In addition, the destination brand love is an intervening variable. Design/methodology/approach Researchers employed the stimulus-organism-response framework and social influence theory to support and fulfill the research objectives. For data collection, researchers used the nonprobability-purposive sampling technique. Researchers distributed a questionnaire to domestic tourists at lesser-known destinations (LKDs), collected 618 valid responses and utilized SmartPLS 4 for data analysis. Findings The results confirmed that travel cewebrities attributes, such as influence and authenticity, significantly impact attitude toward destinations (ATT). Cewebrity reviews and traveler reviews have a positive impact on ATT. Also, ATT has a significant influence on tourist intentions. Destination brand love (DBL) partially mediates the relationship between attitude and tourist intentions. Practical implications This research contributes to the literature on influencer and destination marketing. The marketers should collaborate, co-create, communicate and connect with travel cewebrities to promote and develop LKDs in Tamil Nadu. Social implications This research provides insights for policymakers interested in creating employment opportunities in LKDs. The Destination Management Organization (DMO) licenses local residents to run homestays and bed and breakfast infrastructure. The DMOs should train locals to act as tourist guides. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to provide novel insights into evaluating travel cewebrity attributes and DBL on tourists’ intentions (visit, recommend and revisit) in the context of LKDs.