The Influence of Social Media Marketing and Electronic Word of Mouth on Visiting Interest through Perceived Value at Kampoeng Kauman Heritage

Abstract

Digital transformation has changed how tourists gather information and evaluate travel decisions, making digital sources such as social media increasingly important in shaping visitors’ perceptions and behavioral intentions. However, the roles of Social Media Marketing (SMM) and Electronic Word of Mouth (E-WOM) in shaping Visiting Interest (VI) through Perceived Value (PV) remain underexplored in local heritage destinations. This study examines the effects of SMM and E-WOM on VI and PV, the effect of PV on VI, and the mediating role of PV, at Kampoeng Kauman Heritage. Using an explanatory quantitative approach with a cross-sectional design and purposive sampling, 219 initial responses were collected; after eliminating 108 responses with constant patterns (STDEV = 0), 111 responses were analyzed using PLS-SEM in SmartPLS, yielding a final measurement model of 19 indicators with outer loadings of 0.739-0.861. The results show that SMM significantly and positively affects both PV (β = 0.685) and VI (β = 0.279), while E-WOM significantly affects VI (β = 0.277) but not PV (β = 0.114); PV significantly affects VI (β = 0.387), and PV significantly mediates the SMM-VI relationship (β = 0.265) but not the E-WOM-VI relationship. Five of seven hypotheses are supported, with the model explaining 59.0% and 69.9% of the variance in PV and VI, respectively. These findings highlight the importance of credible, value-communicating social media content and authentic E-WOM in strengthening digital marketing strategies for heritage tourism destinations.