Travel Bloggers as Influencers: What Compels Them to Blog

Travel blogs have become an influential source of travelling information. Bloggers share their travel experiences and are generally considered as a trusted source of knowledge. They influence readers’ opinions and perceptions of places, affecting travel decisions. Despite the importance of bloggers as influencers, there is limited research on the factors affecting these individuals to blog about travel destinations. This is the topic of our study, which is based on data collected through interviews to Turkish travel bloggers. The interviews covered issues concerning motivations of bloggers, existence of collaboration and bloggers’ perceptions concerning their role as influencers. The research has important implications for theory and practice, since an improved understanding of these factors can help destinations market themselves better through blogs.