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This study conducts a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of 20 empirical and conceptual articles published between 2020 and 2025 to examine the influence of city branding on tourism interest and consumer behavior, with a particular focus on the city of Balikpapan. The synthesis reveals that city branding significantly shapes tourist perceptions through key elements such as destination image, brand identity, brand personality, and digital communication. Destination image consistently emerges as the primary mediator linking city branding to visit intention, while experiential and emotional branding further strengthen tourists’ cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses. The findings also highlight the growing importance of digital media and e-WOM in amplifying city branding strategies, especially in the post-pandemic tourism landscape. Despite strong branding potential rooted in cleanliness, safety, and Balikpapan’s strategic role as a supporting city for the new capital (IKN), gaps remain in digital branding, differentiation, and identity storytelling. The review emphasizes the need for more integrated, innovative, and data-driven branding approaches to enhance the city’s competitiveness and attract greater tourism engagement.

This systematic literature review explores the application of the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model in understanding tourist behavior, focusing on empirical studies from 2019 to 2025. The tourism industry, a key economic driver globally, necessitates a deep understanding of tourist behavior to develop effective marketing strategies and enhance the tourist experience. The SOR model, which examines the impact of external stimuli on tourists' psychological and emotional responses, offers a comprehensive framework for analyzing tourist behavior. This review synthesizes findings from recent studies to highlight how external stimuli such as destination image, social media marketing, and sensory experiences affect tourists' perceptions, motivations, and behaviors, influencing their loyalty and intention to revisit destinations. It also discusses the role of internal factors, including satisfaction, trust, and tourist engagement, in mediating the response to external stimuli. The findings suggest that understanding these dynamics can help destination managers and tourism marketers design more targeted and sustainable marketing strategies. The review also identifies gaps in the current literature and provides recommendations for future research, particularly in the integration of digital technologies and the increasing importance of sustainability in tourism behavior.

The phenomenon of TikTok content aesthetics has emerged as a new strategy in tourism promotion, including in Labuan Bajo. However, not all content produced has appealing aesthetic quality. Many videos still appear monotonous, lack creativity, or fail to highlight local uniqueness. As a result, some content falls short in building a strong destination image and instead gets lost in the increasingly saturated digital content competition. This research aims to examine in depth how the aesthetics of TikTok content contribute to increasing tourist interest in visiting Labuan Bajo, one of Indonesia’s super-priority destinations. Labuan Bajo was chosen as a case study not only because of its world-class tourism appeal but also because it is currently being actively promoted through digital branding strategies. The study employs a qualitative approach with a case study design. Data were collected through TikTok content observation, in-depth interviews with content creators and local tourism stakeholders, as well as literature analysis on smart tourism and destination branding. This approach was selected to uncover the underlying meaning behind aesthetic content strategies while also highlighting the challenges faced in their implementation. The findings reveal that the aesthetics of TikTok content play a significant role in building a positive image of Labuan Bajo, enhancing its visual appeal, and creating emotional connections between prospective tourists and the destination. Nevertheless, the research also identifies challenges such as limited digital literacy, uneven content quality, and the risk of narrative homogenization that may reduce local uniqueness. Based on these findings, the study recommends the development of destination branding strategies that are more adaptive to social media trends, including the creation of aesthetic guidelines rooted in local culture, digital literacy training for tourism stakeholders, and close collaboration between government, industry, and content creators. Through these efforts, Labuan Bajo has the potential to strengthen its position as a leading world-class destination.

Indonesian tourism makes a significant contribution to the Indonesian economy, thus having a positive impact on the growth of the tourism industry. This research aims to analyze the influence of social media, service quality and memorable tourist experiences on return visit intentions. Quantitative method with cross-sectional survey method used in this research, as many as 110 respondents were selected using purposive sampling technique based on certain criteria consisting of tourists aged 17-40 years, domiciled in Jakarta, and had visited the National Monument and National Museum in the last six months. Although previous research reveals the mediating role of memorable tourism experiences on return visit intentions, not many have examined the influence of social media and service quality together. The results show that social media has a significant influence on return visit intentions. Service quality also has a significant influence on return visit intentions. Memorable tourism experiences also have a significant influence on tourists' return visit intentions. This research can also be expanded by adding other variables that can influence tourists' revisit intentions, such as motivation, price, or destination image. In addition, further research could consider the mediating role of other variables, for example tourist satisfaction as a mediator between memorable tourism experiences and return visit intentions.

This study investigates the influence of Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), a psychological phenomenon amplified by social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, on the behavior of each individual. Focusing on the case of Agroeduwisata MarkazKomobid in Serang Regency, this study uses qualitative methods to explore how digital exposure shapes travel motivation. Referring to insights on digital culture, the psychological effects of FoMO, and social media-driven tourism strategies, this analysis reveals that online trends often serve as social benchmarks, pressuring individuals to engage in experiences that are considered popular or viral. These findings emphasize the strategic importance of social media in creating an attractive destination image and driving visitor interest, especially for active social media users.

The rising trend of halal lifestyle has significantly impacted various sectors, including tourism. Bandung has emerged as a promising halal tourism destination in Indonesia. This study investigates the influence of Islamic Attributes, Destination Image, and Tourist Experience on Tourist Satisfaction and Revisit Intention. A quantitative approach was employed using a survey method, with 195 respondents selected through purposive sampling. Data analysis was conducted using the PLS-SEM method via SmartPLS 3 software. The findings indicate that Islamic Attributes, Destination Image, and Tourist Experience positively and significantly affect Tourist Satisfaction. Moreover, Destination Image and Tourist Experience have a significant impact on Revisit Intention. However, Islamic Attributes do not directly or indirectly influence Revisit Intention through Tourist Satisfaction. These results offer valuable insights for tourism stakeholders in enhancing visitor satisfaction and encouraging return visits. Strengthening Islamic elements and aligning tourism services with Islamic values may increase Muslim tourists’ intention to revisit. This research contributes to the literature by exploring these relationships within the halal tourism context in Greater Bandung, a topic that has received limited academic attention. Future studies are encouraged to examine other destinations or include additional variables to broaden understanding of Muslim tourist behavior in halal tourism.

This study analyzes the influence of Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) and destination image on visit intention and decision to Sebalang Beach, South Lampung. With tourists increasingly relying on online reviews, understanding these relationships is essential for effective destination marketing. The research addresses the issue of how eWOM and destination image affect tourists' decisions, aiming to provide insights for tourism stakeholders. A quantitative approach was used, employing a survey method with purposive sampling of 110 respondents who have visited or intended to visit Sebalang Beach. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings indicate that destination image significantly influences visit intention and visit decisions, while visit intention also mediates the effect of destination image on visit decisions. However, eWOM does not have a significant impact on visit intention or visit decisions, and visit intention does not mediate the relationship between eWOM and visit decisions. These results suggest the importance of strengthening online promotional strategies and enhancing the positive image of Sebalang Beach. Encouraging content creation on social media and collaborating with influencers can effectively increase engagement and attract visitors. This study offers practical recommendations for tourism stakeholders to optimize Sebalang Beach’s potential and enhance its competitiveness as a tourist destination.