Among the many methods of revitalizing intangible cultural heritage (ICH), tourism undoubtedly has the largest social and economic benefits. Taijiquan, also known as Tai Chi, was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2020. It provides the local destination with a unique selling point for strengthening local tourism competitiveness. The research on the relationship between the heritage proximity and residents’ perceived impacts to ICH tourism is not sufficient within the tourism literature, whereas they have recently attracted numerous interests worldwide. In response, this study aims to examine the relationships among residents’ heritage proximity, perceived impacts of ICH tourism, attitude and support. Structural equation modelling has been performed and a total of 262 residents were investigated in Wen County, China. Results indicates that residents’ heritage proximity has positive influence on perceived positive impacts, while has no influence on perceived negative impacts. Residents’ heritage proximity and perceived impacts significantly influence their attitude, so that to influence residents’ support for tourism development. This study makes a significant theoretical contribution to the ICH tourism literature. Furthermore, this study has a number of practical implications for the local departments of tourism and ICH.

As social media platforms become integral to information dissemination, they play a crucial role in shaping tourist decision-making and travel behavior. However, while previous studies have examined the general influence of social media on tourism, limited research has explored the interplay between source attributes, content quality, destination image, and trust in fostering impulsive travel intentions, a key yet underexplored aspect of tourist behavior. To address this gap, this study integrates the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) theory and the Information Adoption Model (IAM) to analyze how source credibility, source homophily, and content quality on social media influence impulsive travel intentions through destination image and trust. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) on survey data from 419 Chinese respondents, the results reveal that source credibility and homophily significantly enhance content quality, while both credibility and content quality positively shape destination image. Moreover, destination image and trust serve as crucial mediators, strengthening the relationship between social media attributes and impulsive travel behavior. This study advances the discourse on sustainable tourism development by shedding light on the role of digital engagement in shaping tourists’ spontaneous travel decisions, a dimension often overlooked in discussions on long-term economic sustainability. Furthermore, by examining the nuanced mechanisms of social media influence, this research provides practical implications for tourism marketers and policymakers aiming to leverage digital platforms for sustainable destination marketing.

Although social media influencers (SMIs) play a pivotal role in destination marketing, the underlying factors through which they shape tourists’ interest and travel intentions remain underexplored. Based on the modified attention interest desire action (AIDA) model, this study addresses this gap by investigating how the characteristics of SMIs influence travel intentions through destination perceived trust and destination perceived attractiveness. A total of 416 valid questionnaires were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and an artificial neural network (ANN). The results revealed that SMIs’ similarity, expertise, physical attractiveness, social attractiveness, sincerity, and visibility enhanced tourists’ destination perceived trust and destination perceived attractiveness, thereby influencing travel intentions. Additionally, the ANN analysis complements the PLS-SEM results by comparing predictive performance and identifying the relative importance of SMI characteristics. These findings provide several suggestions for destination management organizations to improve influencer marketing.