Exploring the Role of Mental Imagery in Destination Short-Form Video Marketing

Purpose: Short-form travel video plays a significant role in promoting the development of the global tourism industry and the recovery of tourism after prolonged health crises. However, only a limited number of studies have explored the specific influence of short-form video tourism content on individuals’ travel behavioral intentions particularly from the perspectives of mental imagery formation and information processing fluency. This study bridges this gap by integrating the theory of mental imagery with processing fluency, applying these concepts to the domains of tourism and short-form video research. Research design, data and methodology: Data were gathered using a web-based survey method with Chinese short-form video users (N=390). Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were employed to assess the research model and test the hypotheses. Results: This study examines the structural influence of comprehension fluency and imagery fluency, which act as both direct and indirect antecedents to mental imagery elaboration, ultimately shaping individuals' intentions to visit a destination. Conclusions: This study delves deeper into the role of processing fluency in mental imagery, addressing the gaps in existing research on the “processing fluency-mental imagery” framework. The findings provide both theoretical and practical insights into how individuals process short-form travel video and how this processing influences their intentions regarding travel behavior.