This study aims to explore the role of social media influencers (SMIs) in building trust in halal hotels and their impact on Muslim tourist satisfaction. As halal tourism grows globally, understanding how digital influencers shape consumer trust and satisfaction has become critical for marketers. Drawing on the source credibility model and expectation confirmation theory, this study investigates the relationships between SMI’s (attractiveness, expertise and trustworthiness), trust in halal hotels and Muslim tourist satisfaction.
A quantitative research methodology was used, with data gathered through surveys of 245 Muslim tourists. The proposed hypotheses were empirically examined using a combination of partial least squares structural equation modeling and necessary condition analysis (NCA). Furthermore, the innovative methodology adopted in this study includes the application of partial least squares prediction, importance-performance map analysis and NCA.
The findings show that an SMI’s attractiveness, expertise and trustworthiness significantly influence trust in halal hotels, with trustworthiness acting as a key mediator in enhancing Muslim tourist satisfaction. Although halal certification visibility does not moderate these relationships, its high performance and importance underscore its value in enhancing tourist confidence.
This study offers three key original contributions: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first study to empirically validate how SMIs help in trust building among Muslim tourists. It introduces a novel trust-mediation model and halal certification visibility moderation model, showing how influencer credibility indirectly enhances Muslim tourist satisfaction. Methodologically, it pioneers the use of NCA in halal tourism to identify minimum trust thresholds for satisfaction.
