Artificial Intelligence for Tourism Analytics: Predicting Travel Intentions from Youtube and Influencer Dynamics: Case Study of Riyadh

Social media sites have become quite important in helping tourists make decisions in the digital age. This study looks at how YouTube tourism videos, the credibility of influences, and how engaged viewers are affecting tourists' plans to visit Riyadh. Destination image is used as a mediating variable. The study used a quantitative survey design based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) theoretical framework. It got data from 310 people who had watched YouTube videos about Riyadh. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed that the measurement model was both reliable and valid. Structural equation modeling showed that the quality of YouTube travel videos, the legitimacy of the influences, and the level of viewer involvement all have a positive and substantial effect on the intention to travel. Destination image was discovered to partially moderate these correlations, which shows how important it is in people's minds. The results add to both theory and practice by combining digital marketing concepts with the creation of destination images. They give tourism marketers and policymakers useful information on how to make Riyadh more appealing to people across the world. We talk about the study's limitations and suggest ways for future research to go. We stress the necessity for long-term and cross-platform studies to learn more about how social media affects tourism behavior.