Insta-fame or insta-flop? The pitfalls of using virtual influencers in tourism marketing

Despite the growing significance of virtual influencers (VIs) on social media, the utilisation of VIs in the tourism sector remains underexplored. Underpinned by the “computers are social actors” (CASA) paradigm and the Uncanny Valley theory, this study employed five focus groups with photo elicitation to investigate the key factors that inhibit audience engagement with VIs in tourism contexts. Embodiment (poor visual narrative, humanised content, and spillover effect from VI to content), the role of agency (ethical concerns and lack of relatability) and agent feature (uncanny appearance) were identified as primary impediments. While VIs are found to be alternative tourism endorsers in prevailing research, this study contributes to the literature by delineating the limitations of VIs in engaging with audiences, thereby providing critical insights for both scholars and practitioners. The findings consolidate the CASA paradigm by elucidating its boundary conditions, discerning the relationship between the CASA paradigm and the Uncanny Valley theory, and enabling practitioners to avoid pitfalls and adopt VIs more effectively.