DESTINATION CHOICE BEHAVIOR OF GENERATION Z TOURISTS IN VIETNAM: ASSESSING THE ROLE OF TIKTOK SHORT VIDEOS
Vol. 134 No. 5S (2025), Tourism - Culture - Sustainability
Vol. 134 No. 5S (2025)

DESTINATION CHOICE BEHAVIOR OF GENERATION Z TOURISTS IN VIETNAM: ASSESSING THE ROLE OF TIKTOK SHORT VIDEOS

Tourism - Culture - Sustainability
https://doi.org/10.26459/hueunijed.v134i5S.7839
Published 2025-06-10
Nguyen Dinh Tien
University of Economics and Business, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam, 144 Xuan Thuy, Dich Vong, Cau Giay, Ha Noi, Vietnam
Vu Dinh Hoa
School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts, Vietnam National University, 144 Xuan Thuy, Dich Vong, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh
University of Labour and Social Affairs, 43 Tran Duy Hung, Trung Hoa, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam
PDF

Keywords

short video
Gen Z
tourist behavior
Hanoi
TikTok
destination

Abstract

This study applies the extended Information Acceptance Model (IAM) to examine the impact of short videos on TikTok social media on the decision to choose the destination of Generation Z tourists in Hanoi, Vietnam. A total of 356 survey responses from tourists at various tourist sites in Hanoi were collected. The results from cluster analysis and structural equation modeling indicate that for Generation Z in Vietnam, information needs and source credibility are the two most significant factors driving the choice of travel destinations. This study contributes to the growing body of experimental research on the impact of short videos on TikTok within the context of tourism marketing and consumer decision-making in the digital environment. These findings will assist tourism marketers in utilizing short-video sharing platforms more effectively as part of future marketing strategies.

https://doi.org/10.26459/hueunijed.v134i5S.7839
PDF

References

  1. Duy, T. B., Hoa, D. V., Duong, D. P., Quang, P. D., & Tuan, N. A. (2023), The acceptance of mobile applications for accommodation booking in Vietnam: Case of Gen Z, International Journal of Data and Network Science. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2023.6.005.
  2. Hanh, N. T. V., & Binh, N. H. (2020), The trend of technology application in tourist behavior, Southeast Asia Journal of Social Science and Humanities, 4(4), 620–630. https://doi.org/10.32508/stdjssh.v4i4.620.
  3. Platov, A. V. (2021). Internet content as a driver of consumer behavior in tourism, Eurasian Journal of Social Sciences, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2021.11.166.
  4. Statista. (n.d.), TikTok. https://www.statista.com/topics/6077/tiktok/#topicOverview.
  5. Zhou, Q., Sotiriadis, M., & Shen, S. (2023), Using TikTok in tourism destination choice: A young Chinese tourists' perspective, Tourism Management Perspectives, 46, 101101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2023.101101.
  6. Li, Y. (2021), The effect of TikTok on tourists' travel intention, Frontiers in Economics and Management, 2(2), 176–186. https://doi.org/10.6981/FEM.202102_2(2).0022.
  7. Liu, C., Jiang, M., & Arshad, Z. M. (2024), The impact of TikTok short video factors on tourists’ behavioral intention among Generation Z and Millennials: The role of flow experience, PLOS ONE, 19(12), e0315140. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0315140.
  8. Fong, S.-F., Ong, Y. X., Ating, R., & Besa, M. S. (2024), Exploring the intermediary effects of TikTok on Generation Z’s visit intention, Journal of Vacation Marketing, https://doi.org/10.1177/13567667241229449.
  9. Koo, C., Joun, S., Han, H., & Chung, N. (2016), The impact of social media on the tourist’s decision-making process, Tourism Management, 58, 53–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2016.02.007.
  10. Varkaris, A., & Neuhofer, B. (2017), Understanding the role of social media in the tourism experience, Tourism Management Perspectives, 24, 40–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2017.08.007.
  11. Li, Y., Xu, X., Song, B., & He, H. (2020), Impact of short food videos on the tourist destination image—Take Chengdu as an example, Sustainability, 12(17), 6739. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12176739MDPI+2MDPI+2ResearchGate+2.
  12. Gan, J., Shi, S., Filieri, R., & Leung, K. S. W. (2023), Short video marketing and travel intentions: The interplay between visual perspective, visual content, and narration appeal, Tourism Management, 99, 104795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2023.104795IDEAS/RePEc+2profile.cpce-polyu.edu.hk+2OUCI+2.
  13. Tham, A., Chen, S.-H., & Durbidge, L. (2023), A pentadic analysis of tourism (re)presentation in TikTok – The case of Penang, Malaysia, Tourist Studies, 24(1), 75–103. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468797623121848.
  14. Wang, C., Cui, W., Zhang, Y., & Shen, H. (2022). Exploring short video apps users’ travel behavior intention: Empirical analysis based on SVA-TAM model. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 912177. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.912177.
  15. Cheung, C. M. K., & Thadani, D. R. (2012), The impact of electronic word-of-mouth communication: A literature analysis and integrative model, Decision Support Systems, 54(1), 461–470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2012.06.008.
  16. Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1986), The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion, In Communication and persuasion, (1–24), Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4964-1_1.
  17. Lee, S. Y., & Wei, L. (2018), Gen Z is set to outnumber millennials within a year. Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-20/gen-z-to-outnumber-millennials-within-a-year-demographic-trends.
  18. Marozzo, V., Schifilliti, V., & Abbate, T. (2024), Artificial intelligence and Generation Z: Evidence from tourism and hospitality, Micro and Macro Marketing, 33(1), 161–188. https://doi.org/10.1431/108161.
  19. Hoang, D. P., Vu, T. H., Nguyen, N. Q., Nguyen, A. T. P., Nguyen, L. T., Bui, M. C., & Vo, N. T. B. (2025), How to promote dark tourism among Gen Z travellers: A motivational perspective, Consumer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality. https://doi.org/10.1108/CBTH-06-2024-0194.
  20. Priporas, C-V., Stylos, N., Fotiadis, AK. (2017), Generation Z consumers' expectations of interactions in smart retailing: A future agenda, Computers in Human Behavior, 77(1), 374–381. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2017.01.058.
  21. Sun, Y., Wang, R., Cao, D. and Lee, R. (2022), Who are social media influencers for luxury fashion consumption of the Chinese Gen Z? Categorisation and empirical examination, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 26(4), 603–621. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-07-2020-0132.
  22. Ismail, A. R., Nguyen, B., Chen, J., Melewar, T. C., & Mohamad, B. (2021), Brand engagement in self-concept (BESC), value consciousness, and brand loyalty: A study of Generation Z consumers in Malaysia, Journal of Brand Management, 28(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-020-00211-3.
  23. Condor Ferries. (2024). 100+ Gen Z travel statistics. Retrieved from https://www.condorferries.co.uk/gen-z-travel-statistics.
  24. Gupta, A., & Dogra, N. (2017), Tourist adoption of mapping apps: A UTAUT2 perspective of smart travellers, Tourism and Hospitality Management, 23(2), 145–161. https://doi.org/10.20867/thm.23.2.6.
  25. Nilashi, M., Abumalloh, R. A., Alrizq, M., Alghamdi, A., Samad, S., Almulihi, A., Althobaiti, M. M., Ismail, M. Y., & Mohd, S. (2022), What is the impact of eWOM in social network sites on travel decision-making during the COVID-19 outbreak? A two-stage methodology, Telematics and Informatics, 69, 101795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2022.101795.
  26. Tormala, Z. L., & Petty, R. E. (2004), Source credibility and attitude certainty: A metacognitive analysis of resistance to persuasion, Journal of Consumer Psychology, 14(4), 427–442. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327663jcp1404_11.
  27. Saleem, A., & Ellahi, A. (2017), Influence of electronic word of mouth on purchase intention of fashion products in social networking websites, Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences, 11(2), 597–622. https://www.econstor.eu/handle/10419/188307.
  28. Tien, D. H., Amaya Rivas, A. A., & Liao, Y. K. (2019), Examining the influence of customer-to-customer electronic word-of-mouth on purchase intention in social networking sites, Asia Pacific Management Review, 24(3), 238–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2018.06.003.
  29. Ismagilova, E., Dwivedi, Y. K., & Rana, N. (2021), The use of elaboration likelihood model in eWOM research: Literature review and weight-analysis, In Responsible AI and Analytics for an Ethical and Inclusive Digitized Society: 20th IFIP WG 6.11 Conference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society, I3E 2021, Galway, Ireland, September 1–3, 2021, Proceedings 20, 495–505, Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85447-8_41.
  30. Yue, R. Q., & Li, J. (2024), The impact of short video content on users' tourism intentions, Tourism Spectrum: Diversity & Dynamics, 1(1), 40–53. https://doi.org/10.56578/tsdd010104.
  31. Jiang, J., Hong, Y. X., Li, W. W., & Li, D. (2022), A study on the impact of official promotion short videos on tourists’ destination decision-making in the post-epidemic era, Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1015869. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1015869.
  32. Liu, J., Wang, Y. J., & Chang, L. Y. (2023), How do short videos influence users’ tourism intention? A study of key factors, Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1036570. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1036570.
  33. Fei, C., & Koo, J. J. (2020), The impact of communication characteristics of short video content on users’ revisit intentions: A case study of TikTok (Douyin), Journal of Brand Design Association of Korea, 18, 51–66. https://doi.org/10.18852/bdak.2020.18.3.51.
  34. Du, X., Liechty, T., Santos, C. A., & Park, J. (2022), ‘I want to record and share my wonderful journey’: Chinese Millennials’ production and sharing of short-form travel videos on TikTok or Douyin, Current Issues in Tourism, 25(21), 3412–3424. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1810212.
  35. Filieri, R., Lin, Z., Pino, G., Alguezaui, S., & Inversini, A. (2021), The role of visual cues in eWOM on consumers' behavioral intention and decisions, Journal of Business Research, 135, 663–675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.06.055.
  36. Li, H., & Tu, X. X. (2024), Who generates your video ads? The matching effect of short-form video sources and destination types on visit intention, Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 36(3), 660–677. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-04-2023-0300.
  37. Chowdhury, S., Ceder, A. A., & Schwalger, B. (2015), The effects of travel time and cost savings on commuters’ decision to travel on public transport routes involving transfers, Journal of Transport Geography, 43, 151–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2015.01.004.
  38. Erkan, I., & Evans, C. (2016), The influence of eWOM in social media on consumers’ purchase intentions: An extended approach to information adoption, Computers in Human Behavior, 61, 47–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.03.003.
  39. Moradi, M., & Zihagh, F. (2022), A meta-analysis of the elaboration likelihood model in the electronic word-of-mouth literature, International Journal of Consumer Studies, 46(5), 1900–1918. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12814.
  40. Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022), A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.), SAGE Publications.
  41. Cheah, J. H., Magno, F., & Cassia, F. (2024), Reviewing the SmartPLS 4 software: The latest features and enhancements, Journal of Market Analysis, 12(1), 97–107. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41270-023-00266-y.
  42. Nunnally, J. (1978), Psychometric methods, New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
  43. Chin, W. W., & Gopal, A. (1995), Adoption intention in GSS: Relative importance of
  44. beliefs, ACM SIGMIS - Data Base, 26(2e3), 42e64.
  45. Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981), Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error: Algebra and statistics, Journal of Marketing Research, 18(3), 382e388.
  46. Chi, C. G., Deng, D. S., Chi, O. H., & Lin, H. X. (2024), Framing food tourism videos: What drives viewers’ attitudes and behaviors?, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 48(3), 533–548. https://doi.org/10.1177/10963480221123097.
  47. Chi, L. M., & Nghiem, L. T. (2018). The impact of electronic word-of-mouth on purchase intention among social media users. Can Tho University Journal of Science, 54(1), 133–143. https://doi.org/10.22144/ctu.jvn.2018.018 (in Vietnamese).
  48. Thao, H. T. P., Hai, T. N. H., & Hai, T. N. H. (2024), The impact of short video marketing on online fashion purchase intentions of Generation Y and Z, Ho Chi Minh City Open University Journal of Science – Economics and Business Administration, 19(10), 22–36. https://doi.org/10.46223/HCMCOUJS.econ.vi.19.10.3073.2024 (in Vietnamese).
  49. Wang, S., & Nguyen, T. N. L. (2018), A study on the attitude of customers towards viral video advertising on social media: A case study in Viet Nam, The International Journal of Engineering and Science (IJES), 7(6), 54–60.
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2025 Array