The Effect of Social Media Marketing on Perceived Value and Tourist Visit Intentions in Bandung

The increasing use of social media platforms in marketing has substantially impacted the tourism industry, especially in promoting destinations and engaging potential tourists. This research investigates the effect of social media marketing on perceived value and tourist intentions to visit, with a focus on Bandung, Indonesia. A quantitative approach was employed, collecting data from 200 respondents who have used social media to seek tourism information. The data was gathered through an online questionnaire and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that social media marketing significantly enhances both perceived value and tourists’ intention to visit a destination. Additionally, perceived value was found to mediate the relationship between social media marketing and visit intentions. These results highlight the critical role of social media marketing in shaping tourists’ perceptions and decisions, suggesting that well-executed digital marketing strategies can effectively increase destination attractiveness and visitation. The study provides valuable insights for tourism marketers and destination managers, emphasizing the importance of targeted social media campaigns to improve engagement and drive tourist interest. Future research could explore the impact of specific content types and engagement strategies on enhancing the effectiveness of social media marketing in tourism.