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.

Against the backdrop of the rise of the "New Liberal Arts" and the collaborative integration of government, industry, academia, and research institutions, this study examines pressing issues such as the weak professional identity among tourism management students and the disconnect between talent development models and actual industry needs. The theoretical framework adopted in this study encompasses institutional support, perceptions of classroom atmosphere, professional identity, and professional adaptability, and analyzes the underlying mechanisms linking these constructs. Between December 2024 and September 2025, the research team conducted an online survey, collecting a total of 645 valid responses. The researchers used SPSS 26.0 and Smart PLS 4.0 software to perform reliability and validity tests, path analysis, and hypothesis testing. The results indicate that all dimensions of institutional support and perceived classroom atmosphere are significantly and positively associated with professional identity, with academic support and teacher-student relationships exhibiting relatively stronger predictive associations. Furthermore, a significant positive association exists between professional identity and career adaptability; while some dimensions exert indirect associations through professional identity as a mediating variable, others demonstrate a direct positive association with career adaptability. Drawing on the concept of the "New Liberal Arts" and the integration of government, industry, academia, and research institutions, this study makes a significant contribution to the theoretical literature on current tourism management students. It provides empirical evidence and practical insights for institutional development, the refinement of existing support systems, the creation of a positive classroom atmosphere, and the enhancement of students' professional identity and adaptability.