Algorithm-Driven Short Videos and Generation Z Travel Intention: An SOR Perspective

Tourism short videos have become an important force in the construction of destination images and can be used as strong tools for tourism promotion. However, there is little research concerning their impact on the travel intention of Generation Z. Based on the emotional evaluation theory and Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model, this study focuses on the effect of short video communication on the intention of Generation Z to visit Mount Emei through cognitive and emotional channels. Based on the data collected from 396 valid questionnaires and analyzed by using a structural equation model, the results show that short video communication directly improves travel intention. In addition, destination appeal and emotional arousal are partial mediators of this relationship. Destination appeal is also a significant predictor of emotional arousal and thus lends support to a continuous "evaluation-arousal" mechanism. From a theoretical perspective, this study promotes the study of tourism in the SOR framework by integrating two interrelated psychological processes, cognitive evaluation and emotional activation, and extends destination image theory to an algorithm-driven media environment. Practically, the results offer new insights into the dual-path persuasive mechanism of short video tourism marketing and provide valuable implications for the optimization of content targeted short video tourism marketing for digital native tourists.