From Scroll to Stroll: The Role of FOMO and Climate Advocacy in Shaping Gen Z’s Travel Intentions for Sustainable Tourism Destination

2.1 Travel sharing influence and travel FOMO

Social media is a very effective tool for integrating into the world, from social life to economics [23]. Several studies describe social media as networking sites or platforms, which allow participants to create and share their experiences [11, 24]. The role of social media can increase the capacity of individuals and groups to share their experiences more widely [17], as well as strengthen collaboration through more open and real-time interactions [25] states that social media is a dynamic platform that allows for the exchange of ideas, discussions, and collaboration across geographical boundaries, thus creating an inclusive and participatory communication ecosystem. In the tourism industry, the use of social media such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, etc. is often used by tourists as a tool in searching for destinations [26, 27]. As said by Sivakumar et al. [27] that the presence of social media today has changed the way people look at seeking information, especially in determining travel plans and making travel decisions.

In addition, social media is also a tool for promoting ecotourism information and strengthening tourism sustainability [28]. The influence of social media has become a force that shapes tourist behavior, especially when the FOMO phenomenon emerges [29]. The FOMO phenomenon is a psychological condition where someone feels afraid of missing out on an experience they consider important [16]. When they see friends or influencers sharing amazing vacation moments or experiences on social media, they tend to feel left out, which leads them to want a similar trip [7, 30]. Engaging visual content and engaging experiential narratives create a powerful emotional appeal, where the desire to participate becomes the primary motivation [2]. This suggests that social media is not only a tool for sharing experiences, but also triggers a person's desire to travel for social existence and emotional satisfaction. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed.

H1. Shared traveler experiences have a positive effect on travel FOMO.

2.2 Travel FOMO, tourist visit intention, and sustainable tourism destination

Dependence on social media has changed modern lifestyles, where individuals can actively seek out information about other people's lives shared online [31]. In the context of tourism, uploading photos, videos, and travel stories on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube can make people feel emotional pressure to not miss out on the exciting experiences that others have had [32]. Kim et al. [7] stated that someone who experiences FOMO will experience psychological anxiety that arises when seeing others doing something fun, useful, or interesting. In the context of tourism, this feeling arises when someone sees friends or influencers sharing their vacation moments on social media [6]. Travel content that is frequently shared on social media can often trigger feelings of FOMO in viewers, thus encouraging individuals to plan or have the desire to travel to pursue similar experiences at the destination [4, 6]. This can ultimately give rise to an intention to make a visit that has the potential to increase tourists' visit intentions through an emotional aspect to participate in experiences that are considered valuable and worth sharing.

H2. Travel FOMO has a positive effect on tourist visit intention.

In the context of tourism, the FOMO phenomenon triggered by social media not only has an impact on increasing a person's intention, but can also be used to support the promotion of sustainable tourism destinations [12]. For example, travel content that focuses on natural beauty and cultural preservation that is shared massively can potentially create a sense of FOMO among its viewers [6, 12, 33]. Furthermore, travel FOMO can act as a driving force for destinations that integrate sustainability principles, thereby increasing the attractiveness of sustainable tourism destinations [4]. In today's digital era, the FOMO phenomenon has a powerful role in predicting tourists' decisions to visit a destination [3]. Therefore, tourism destination managers need to carefully capture and capitalize on this phenomenon as a strategic opportunity. FOMO can be leveraged to maintain a destination's existence by creating unique, authentic, and shareable experiences on social media. This will foster and spread positive perceptions of the destination, ultimately driving visitor interest and opening up opportunities to implement sustainability principles in its management [6]. Furthermore, to maintain the sustainability of a destination, the active role of management is crucial. Tourist satisfaction with a destination must be balanced with efforts to preserve the environment and local culture to ensure the destination's long-term sustainability [4]. When travelers are satisfied, they tend to actively share their vacation moments on digital platforms. This content then creates a FOMO effect for others who see it. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed:

H3. Travel FOMO has a positive impact on sustainable tourism destinations.

2.3 Tourist visit intention and sustainable tourism destination

The positive influence between tourists' visiting intentions and the sustainability of tourism destinations can be explained through the Theory of Planned Behavior approach, which states that intentions are the main predictor of actual behavior [34, 35]. In the context of younger travelers who actively use social media, travel intentions are not only reflected in personal travel decisions but are also reinforced by exposure and interactions on digital platforms. Social media has become a crucial channel for travelers in shaping destination perceptions, sharing experiences, and amplifying sustainability values through the content they consume and share [36, 37]. When tourists have a high intention to visit a destination they see appealing on social media—especially one that showcases eco-friendly practices, cultural authenticity, and local community involvement—they are more likely to support and choose destinations that implement sustainability principles. Conversely, destinations that go viral or gain high exposure through social media are also motivated to maintain their reputation by adopting sustainable management approaches [38]. Thus, travel intentions influenced by social media experiences and representations can contribute significantly to the growth of sustainability-oriented tourism destinations.

H4. Tourist Visit Intention has a positive influence on Sustainable Tourism Destinations.

2.4 The mediating role of travel FOMO

In the context of modern tourism influenced by the development of social media, shared traveler experiences play a crucial role in shaping the perceptions and interests of potential travelers [8]. When these experiences are widely shared through digital platforms, the exposed audience can experience the FOMO phenomenon, a feeling of worry about missing out on the shared enjoyable experience. Consequently, the mediating role of FOMO in the relationship between shared traveler experiences and visit intention and destination sustainability can be established. Traveler experiences shared on social media have a strong influence on shaping the perceptions and interests of potential travelers. This psychological boost can increase potential travelers' intentions to visit a particular destination [39]. Furthermore, if managed strategically by stakeholders, the influence of FOMO can also be directed to support the sustainability goals of destinations by encouraging more conscious, responsible, and long-term-oriented tourist behavior so that it can be directed to support sustainable tourism practices [1]. Thus, the hypothesis is proposed as follows:

H5. Travel FOMO mediates the relationship between shared traveler experiences and tourist visit intention.

H6. Travel FOMO mediates the relationship between shared traveler experiences and sustainable tourism destinations.

2.5 The moderating role of climate advocacy

Climate advocacy, as stated by Zaman [8], emphasizes active involvement by individuals and groups in supporting environmental sustainability. In the context of tourism, climate advocacy is a factor that can increase environmental awareness. Having a climate advocacy attitude can strengthen visit intentions and encourage commitment to destination sustainability [40]. When tourists show concern for environmental and social issues, it not only increases their propensity to visit destinations that align with eco-friendly values but also strengthens support for sustainable tourism practices [41]. The role of climate advocacy in the relationship between travel FOMO and visit intention and destination sustainability is an important element that can strengthen the intention to visit in a more responsible and sustainable direction [8].

Travel FOMO often creates an emotional urge to visit a trendy destination, without considering the environmental or social impact. However, when someone has a heightened awareness and concern for climate change issues, this urge increases, impacting visit intention [42]. Besides that, Mase et al. [43] stated that most existing research shows that tourists' attention to environmentally friendly practices is getting attention from tourists, especially on sustainability issues, especially those related to environmental sustainability [44, 45]. Therefore, FOMO behavior, which encourages tourists to immediately visit popular destinations without considering environmental capacity and carrying capacity, has the potential to put pressure on the destination's sustainability. Furthermore, high levels of climate advocacy can moderate the influence of FOMO on destination sustainability, as tourists' awareness and concern for environmental issues can dampen the impulsive urge to visit without considering the ecological impact [14, 15]. Thus, the hypothesis is proposed as follows:

H7. Climate advocacy moderates the relationship between travel FOMO and tourist visit intention.

H8. Climate advocacy mediates the relationship between travel FOMO and sustainable tourism destinations.

The research model used in this study is presented in Figure 1.

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Figure 1. Conceptual framework

Table 1 presents demographic information about respondents, including gender, education, and age. It also includes the intensity of social media use and the most frequently used social media platforms. The findings indicate that the majority of respondents in this study were female (58%), with the largest age group being in the 20-25 age range (61%), reflecting the typical characteristics of Gen Z. Most respondents had a bachelor's degree (55%), indicating a relatively high level of education. The findings further indicate that 40% of respondents came from Medan, reflecting the high level of social media activity and digital access in the urban center of North Sumatra. Buffer cities like Binjai and Pematang Siantar also showed significant participation, while other cities provided representation that enriched the regional perspective.

Table 1. Respondent demographic

In terms of the intensity of social media use for finding travel destinations, the majority of respondents reported using it very frequently (53%), indicating this generation’s strong reliance on digital platforms when planning trips. Among the social media platforms used, TikTok (85%) and Instagram (81%) were the most popular, followed by YouTube (72%) and Facebook (30%). The percentages for social media platforms may exceed 100% because respondents were allowed to select more than one platform they frequently use (multiple responses), resulting in a cumulative total that surpasses the number of respondents.

Furthermore, the results of the study also show that all constructs in this research model exhibit excellent convergent validity and reliability (Table 2). The loading factor values of all indicators are above 0.70 (except for some that approach the minimum threshold of 0.70), indicating a significant contribution of each indicator to the construct. Cronbach's Alpha (α) values range from 0.800 to 0.919, and Composite Reliability (CR) values range from 0.883 to 0.933, all exceeding the minimum threshold of 0.70, indicating consistent internal reliability. Furthermore, the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) values for all constructs are above 0.50, confirming that each construct has met the requirements for convergent validity. Thus, all constructs in this model are suitable for further analysis.

Table 2. Result of convergent validity and reliability

Table 3. Result of discriminant validity with Forrell Larcker & HTMT ratio

The results of the discriminant validity test (Table 3) using the Fornell-Larcker Criterion show that the square root of the AVE value (diagonal value) for each construct is higher than the correlation between other constructs (values below the diagonal), indicating that discriminant validity has been met. For example, the square root of the AVE value for Climate Advocacy (0.826) is greater than its correlation with other constructs such as Tourist Visit Intention (0.593) and Travel FOMO (0.494). In addition, the HTMT Ratio results for all pairs of constructs are below the threshold of 0.85, indicating that each construct is truly distinct from each other conceptually. Thus, both Fornell-Larcker and HTMT confirm that the model has strong discriminant validity.

The results of the discriminant validity test using the cross-loading (Table 4) method show that each indicator has the highest loading on its original construct compared to its loading on other constructs, indicating that these indicators better represent the construct being measured. For example, the CA2 indicator has the highest loading on the Climate Advocacy construct (0.877) compared to its loading on other constructs such as Travel FOMO (0.442) or Tourist Visit Intention (0.445). The same is seen for indicator STE5 (0.898), which most strongly measures Shared Traveler Experience. Thus, discriminant validity has been met. The cross-loading method has advantages compared to the Fornell-Larcker Criterion and HTMT ratio, especially in providing information at the indicator level. This allows researchers to identify whether certain indicators have an unnaturally high loading on other constructs, so they can be immediately revised or removed. In contrast, Fornell-Larcker and HTMT work at the construct level, making them more suitable for overall model validation. Therefore, cross-loading becomes an important complement to more detailed and granular discriminant validity analysis.

Table 4. Cross-loading discriminant validity test

The results of the multicollinearity and common method bias tests in Table 5 show that all VIF values are below the threshold of 3.3, with a range between 1,000 and 1,789. This indicates the absence of multicollinearity problems among the independent variables in the model. Furthermore, because no VIF value exceeds 3.3, the assumption of freedom from common method bias is also met. Thus, the data in this study can be said to be free from the influence of common method bias and does not experience symptoms of multicollinearity that could interfere with model estimation.

Table 5. Multicollinearity test & common method bias

To strengthen the results of the common method bias analysis, Harman’s single-factor test was conducted using all measurement items through an unrotated exploratory factor analysis in SPSS. The results, as shown in Table 6, indicate that the first factor accounts for 40.245% of the total variance, which is well below the recommended threshold of 50%. This suggests that no single factor dominates the variance structure of the dataset, thereby providing strong evidence that common method variance is not a significant concern in this study. The variance is distributed across multiple factors, confirming that the relationships observed among the constructs are not substantially affected by common method bias and that the data are suitable for further structural analysis.

Table 6. Harman’s single factor test

Table 7. Coefficient of determination (R²)

Table 7 indicates that the model demonstrates strong explanatory power for the endogenous variables. The highest R² value is observed for Sustainable Tourism Destination (0.523), followed by Travel FOMO (0.457) and Tourist Visit Intention (0.378), suggesting that the combination of digital experiences, emotional aspects, and sustainability values substantially explains Gen Z’s travel behavior. The effect size analysis in Table 8 further reveals that Shared Traveler Experiences have a very large effect on Travel FOMO (f² = 0.843), emphasizing the dominant role of social media experiences in shaping emotional responses. Additionally, Climate Advocacy shows a large effect on Sustainable Tourism Destination (f² = 0.431) and a moderate effect on Tourist Visit Intention (f² = 0.288), while Travel FOMO has a moderate effect on both (f² = 0.191 and 0.312). These findings highlight that the interaction of social, emotional, and sustainability-related factors serves as a key determinant in fostering responsible digital travel behavior among Gen Z tourists.

Table 8. Effect size (f²)

The results of the predictive relevance (Q²) test in Table 9 show that all endogenous constructs in the model have positive Q² values, namely 0.393 for Sustainable Tourism Destination, 0.262 for Tourist Visit Intention, and 0.262 for Travel FOMO. A Q² value greater than 0 indicates that the model has good predictive ability for these variables. Specifically, Sustainable Tourism Destination has the highest Q² value, indicating that the model is most capable of predicting this variable. Thus, this research model has adequate predictive relevance and is suitable for use in hypothesis testing.

Table 9. Predictive relevance (Q2)

Table 10. Model fit PLS-SRMR

Table 11. Path coefficient test

The results of the model fit assessment using the Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) in Table 10 indicate that both the saturated model (SRMR = 0.070) and the estimated model (SRMR = 0.076) meet the acceptable threshold of ≤ 0.08, suggesting a good model fit. This implies that the discrepancy between the observed and predicted correlations among constructs is minimal, demonstrating that the structural model accurately represents the empirical data. The slightly lower SRMR value in the saturated model compared to the estimated model reflects that the model’s specified relationships are consistent with the underlying data structure, without significant model misspecification. Overall, these results confirm that the proposed SEM-PLS model is well-fitting and theoretically sound, supporting the adequacy of the hypothesized relationships between digital experiences, emotional triggers, and sustainability-oriented behaviors among Gen Z tourists.

The results of the path coefficient test in Table 11 and Figure 2 show that all relationships between variables are significant with a p-value < 0.05. The direct effect of Shared Traveler Experience (STE) on Travel FOMO (TF) has the highest coefficient (β = 0.676), indicating that shared travel experiences strongly encourage the emergence of FOMO in the travel context. Among the mediation pathways, the indirect effect of STE on Sustainable Tourism Destination (STD) through TF (β = 0.255) is greater than the mediation pathway to Tourist Visit Intention (TVI) (β = 0.120), which means FOMO plays a greater role in encouraging perceptions of sustainable destinations than simply visiting intentions. For the moderation pathway, the interaction of TF and Climate Advocacy on TVI (β = 0.100) is higher than its effect on STD (β = 0.056). Meanwhile, the direct relationship of TVI to STD (β = 0.383) is also quite strong and significant. Overall, the direct path from STE to TF is the most dominant in this model, followed by the influence of TVI on STD, as well as the mediation of STE→TF→STD.

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Figure 2. Outer model

This study highlights the central role of Travel FOMO as a psychological mechanism linking digital exposure to both visit intention and support for sustainable tourism among Gen Z tourists. By integrating shared traveler experiences, emotional responses, and climate advocacy in a single framework, the research provides a holistic view of how digital behavior translates into meaningful travel-related actions. The findings emphasize that in today’s social media-saturated environment, travel content functions not only as inspiration but also as a predictor of responsible tourism engagement. Beyond confirming the influence of social stimuli and internal values on tourism behavior, the study positions Gen Z as a key segment for sustainability-oriented travel strategies, with their responsiveness to emotionally engaging and value-driven narratives offering significant opportunities for destination marketers, tourism stakeholders, and sustainability advocates to create impactful interventions rooted in digital influence and climate awareness.

However, this study is limited by its geographic scope, focusing solely on major cities in North Sumatera, which may affect the generalizability of findings to other regions or cultural contexts. Additionally, the cross-sectional design restricts the ability to establish causality over time. Future research could expand to diverse geographic areas, employ longitudinal or experimental designs, and explore other psychological factors such as digital trust or virtual community engagement that may interact with FOMO and climate advocacy to influence sustainable tourism behavior.