Virtual streamer has been utilized in the field of destination marketing where it has gained considerable success. This study develops an emotional richness–streamer attractiveness–parasocial relationship (PSR)–destination attractiveness–visit intention framework to explain the effect of virtual streamers on destination visitation based on image transfer theory. A total of 400 valid responses were collected through a questionnaire and then analysed with partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results indicate that the emotional richness of virtual streamers increases the viewer's perception of the streamer's attractiveness. In turn, such attractiveness could transfer to the destination through the mediation of the PSR, which further arouses visit intention. Moreover, the results reveal the moderating effects of streamer type (AI vs. non-AI) and streamer–viewer gender congruity. This study not only contributes to the live-streaming and destination marketing literature but also offers several useful suggestions for practitioners.

中文翻译：

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虚拟主播和目的地访问：吸引力转移视角


虚拟主播已应用于目的地营销领域，并取得了相当大的成功。本研究开发了情感丰富度-主播吸引力-类社会关系（PSR）-目的地吸引力-访问意图框架，以基于图像传递理论解释虚拟主播对目的地访问的影响。通过问卷调查共收集了 400 份有效答复，然后采用偏最小二乘结构方程模型进行分析。结果表明，虚拟主播的情感丰富度增加了观众对主播吸引力的感知。反过来，这种吸引力又可以通过PSR的中介传递到目的地，进一步激发旅游意向。此外，结果揭示了主播类型（人工智能与非人工智能）和主播与观众性别一致性的调节作用。这项研究不仅为直播和目的地营销文献做出了贡献，还为从业者提供了一些有用的建议。