Influence of Traveloka's Instagram Social Media Advertising on Sumba on Followers' Visit Decisions

The latest developments in information technology have provided quick and technically straightforward access. In the rapidly evolving world of the internet, various types of e-commerce, such as online travel agent (OTA) companies, have emerged. Tourism in Indonesia is currently considered one of the significant influences in the country. Traveloka is an online travel agent used for booking tickets and various accommodations online. Additionally, Traveloka is known for its active presence in advertising on various social media platforms. The aim of this research is to determine the Influence of Traveloka's Instagram Social Media Advertising on Sumba on Followers' Visit Decisions. This study employs communication theory (S-O-R) or Stimulus-Organism-Response. The research method is quantitative, involving several data analysis techniques to analyze the obtained data from questionnaire distribution, including Normality Test, Correlation Test, and Simple Linear Regression Test to understand the extent of the influence among the variables being studied using SPSS. The research concludes that Instagram advertising influences visitation decisions. The hypothesis can be interpreted as Instagram advertising having an impact on Visit Decisions.


Introduction
The latest developments in information technology have facilitated quick and userfriendly access, requiring minimal time and technical know-how.The use of technology has the potential to create new routines across various aspects of life.The number of digital platform users in Indonesia continues to grow each year, as indicated by a study from the Association of Internet Service Providers in Indonesia (APJII).According to their research, the number of individuals using the internet in Indonesia reached 215.63 million during the 2022-2023 period.For comparison, this figure represents a 2.67% increase compared to the 210.03 million users in the preceding period.(apjii.or.id, 2023).edition, with content views reaching 1.1M, 70,572 likes, and 667 comments and interactions from Traveloka followers.The content focuses on obtaining recommendations and quickly and easily booking tickets while in Sumba using the Traveloka app, featuring Refal Hady.According to Kotler & Keller, social media is applied as a tool for consumers to disseminate information widely in the form of captions, photos, sound, and video recordings (Kurniawan, 2020).The decision of followers to visit is influenced by social media advertising on potential consumers.By making efforts to improve advertising content on Instagram with high-quality videos, compelling messages, and avoiding monotony, it is expected to influence followers' decisions to visit Sumba with Traveloka.Based on the above phenomenon, the research problem is formulated as follows: Does the Traveloka Sumba edition advertisement significantly influence the decision of followers to visit, and to what extent does the Traveloka Sumba edition advertisement impact the decision of followers to visit?The objective of this research is to determine the influence of Traveloka's Instagram social media advertising, specifically the Sumba edition, on followers' visit decisions.The academic benefit of this research lies in providing information for future reference, utilizing the same concepts and foundations, particularly in terms of methods such as communication through advertising on Instagram social media.On the practical side, the hope is that Traveloka will facilitate online ticket purchases and consistently engage in social media campaigns within the scope of local tourism.

Stimulus Organism Response (S-O-R) Theory
This research employs the Stimulus Organism Response (S-O-R) theory, which posits that communication operates based on a series of reactions.Essentially, this theory suggests that words, nonverbal expressions, and specific symbolic signs can stimulate a target to respond in a particular way.The S-O-R theory was introduced by Houland in 1953, outlining the existence of these three elements.According to Efendy, the primary goal of media communication, especially in stimulating and altering the attitudes and behaviors of the target audience, is to encourage them to take similar actions.(Abidin, 2021).

Instagram Advertising
In general, according to Tjiptono, advertising is a form of communication conducted indirectly or through intermediaries, based on information about the usefulness or benefits of a product.It is intended to create a joyful and pleasant feeling to encourage purchases (Santosa, 2020).Advertising is structured as a collection of impersonal communication information, typically characterized by persuasion for payment through various media for goods, services, and ideas identified as sponsors (Pristiwa, 2021).The above definitions of advertising represent a form of non-personal communication with the goal of inviting potential consumers to influence the advertised product or service.
Instagram advertising is a feature that businesses can utilize to promote and introduce their products or services.Instagram users can contribute to the displayed advertisements by liking and commenting on them (Alfaruq, 2021).Advertising on social media disseminates a lot of information to help understand the desires, intentions, goals, and media choices that will impact the target audience of the advertisement (Hardany, 2022).
There are five indicators in Instagram advertising: Information, so that potential targets can easily understand and remember the content of the advertisement; Image, to present visually appealing visualizations with eye-catching colors; Audio, so that potential targets can clearly understand the message conveyed, including engaging sound effects; Price, to provide the best competitive offerings to attract the attention of potential targets; and Promotion, to offer discounts and attractive promo codes (Yudha et al., 2022).

Social Media
Social Media is a platform that serves a dual role.Its utility extends beyond being a tool for communication; it is a medium used by users to explore various kinds of information.Social media is also referred to as an Internet tool for users to represent themselves, socialize virtually, collaborate, interact with other users, and build relationships online (Mustapa et al, 2022).
Social media is an online medium utilized by society as a means to engage in social interactions through the internet (Butar et al., 2022).Social media is known as one of the internet-based platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, used for sharing information with various concepts like text, images, audio, and even videos, typically aimed at conveying specific information to others (Hartawan et al., 2021).Meanwhile, according to Keller, social media serves the purpose of disseminating information in the form of text, images, sound, and video recordings with others and other business endeavors.A common characteristic of all social media is the openness of dialogue among users (Batee, 2019).From these definitions, it can be concluded that social media is the most effective way to promote businesses due to its broader reach.In advertising on social media, several commonly used platforms include Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (Prasetyo, 2016).Therefore, social media is known as one of the effective alternative media for interacting with consumers through discussions to disseminate information (Prasetyo, 2016).
Instagram is a photo and video-sharing tool launched in October 2010, applying digital filters to users' content.It allows users to share moments with other social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.The rapid development of the digital era has made Instagram an excellent application for social media, information, and news.Many people appreciate Instagram for its ease and speed in sharing content.This is supported by several indicators that facilitate interactivity in advertising on Instagram, such as the use of adequate facilities, users' responses matching expectations, and effective interactions between sellers and buyers (Ma'ruf, 2017).

Online Travel Agent
An Online Travel Agent, commonly known as an OTA, is an agency that handles travel arrangements, typically serving as a sales medium through online platforms, either websites or applications.The term "Biro Perjalanan" is another way of expressing Online Travel Agent, with a mission to mediate the target market and conduct sales online through a website.A travel agency's website is controlled by an OTA by facilitating distribution and providing booking facilities for operators (Hendriyanti, 2021).
An Online Travel Agent is a virtual travel agency, also known as OTA, that serves various aspects of travel beyond just online bookings (Santosa, 2020).Many portals often expand their travel services to cover international visits, including flight reservations, accommodations, vacation packages, transportation, and insurance.

Visiting Decision
According to Kotler & Keller, the decision of followers to visit, also known as Purchase Decision made by prospective consumers, is the most prevalent option when buying products with a popular brand compared to several other brands (Dewi et al., 2020).
In general, people act rationally, considering the types of information provided and evaluating the risks of their actions before engaging in specific behaviors.Therefore, according to Simamora, before making a purchase decision, prospective consumers identify problems, deepen their product knowledge, evaluate, think about the decision in purchasing, and then the purchasing behavior can take place (Kristiutami, 2017).Understanding consumer behavior is crucial for the long-term success of anyone involved in sales.The decision to use a service is also a series of actions taken by consumers in relation to their needs, such as recommendations and satisfaction after using a product.
According to (Amelia, 2014), changes in tourists can be studied from various approaches, including psychographic, socio-economic, geographic, and travel patterns.There are five indicators of the visiting decision established by Damanik and Weber, namely: (1) Destination Area, which relates to the connection between the tourist destination and the visitor's needs; (2) Traveling Mode, which is the decision in choosing transportation access to reach the tourist destination; (3) Time and Cost, which involves adjusting to travel time and expenses; (4) Service Source, which includes alternatives for various services such as tour guides, souvenir centers, etc. (Hapsara, 2022).Providing alternatives for various services such as tour guides, souvenir centers, etc.

Result
After distributing questionnaires according to the calculated sample size using the Slovin formula and obtaining 100 respondents, the survey was successfully distributed and filled out according to the criteria with each respondent providing their respective answers.The following are the results of the data processed using SPSS 25:

Validity Test
The purpose of testing validity is to determine the reliability of each item in the instrument.By conducting a trial of the instrument/pre-test, data used for validity testing consisted of 30 respondents, taken from the calculated sample size, which became the predetermined research population to be distributed with values approaching the normal curve.The data were processed using SPSS version 25.The validity test criteria were based on the comparison of the recorded rhitung values, with the lowest value being 0.725 and the highest value being 0.916, while the rtabel value was 0.361.It can be observed that rhitung > rtabel.This indicates that the statements in the research instrument are considered valid.
The results of the validity test state that out of 23 statements, each item in the variables "Instagram Advertisements" and "Decision to Visit" has a sig value of 0.000 < 0.05.Therefore, the validity test results for the variables "Instagram Advertisements" and "Decision to Visit" can be considered valid.

Reliability Test
The purpose of testing reliability is to determine the extent to which the results of a research measuring tool are consistent when repeated, indicating whether the instrument is reliable or not.A variable can be considered to have a reliable value if it has a Cronbach's alpha coefficient greater >0.70, or in other words, the research instrument can be trusted and used.
Here are the results of the reliability test for each variable:

Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's Alpha N of Items .953 10 Source: Output SPSS 25 Based on the reliability test table above, it is stated that the Cronbach's Alpha value is 0.955 for variable X and 0.953 for variable Y. Therefore, the variables "Instagram Advertisements" and "Decision to Visit" have several dimensions that are in accordance with the criteria and are considered reliable based on Cronbach's Alpha >0.70.

Normality Test
The normality test is conducted to determine whether the sample used is derived from a population that is claimed to follow a normal distribution.The results of the normality test using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test are presented in Table 4.3.

Tabel 4.3 The result of Normality Test
In Table 4.3, it is observed that the asymp.sigvalues for Variable X and Variable Y are both 0.200, which is greater than 0.05.This suggests that the data can be considered to follow a normal distribution.

T Test
Based on Table 4.5.1, it is evident that the t-test has a significance value of 0.000, which is less than 0.05.Additionally, the calculated t-value of 8.800 > critical t-value of 1.660 (t-table).Therefore, it can be stated that there is a significant difference between Variable X and Variable Y.
Referring to Table 4.5.1, the hypothesis formulated beforehand is supported by the results.The hypothesis states that Instagram Advertisements have an influence on the Decision to Visit.

Correlation Test
The correlation test is conducted to determine the extent to which two variables have a close relationship between Variable X and Variable Y.

Discussion
From the processed data, it is evident that the results align with the predetermined hypotheses based on the data tested using SPSS.The hypothesis can be interpreted as indicating that Instagram Advertisements have an influence on the Decision to Visit.
Furthermore, the results of the data analysis using simple linear regression suggest that there is an impact of Instagram Traveloka's social media advertisement on the decision of followers to visit.This finding is in line with the research theory used, namely S-O-R (Stimulus-Organism-Response).The theory suggests that communication is based on a series of reactions to stimulate the target audience to give specific responses and change attitudes and behaviors so that they take similar actions.In this case, the stimulus (advertisement on Instagram) impacts the organism (audience), resulting in the response (Decision to Visit) stimulated by the content of the Sumba edition advertisement.
The S-O-R theory explains that communication is carried out based on reaction processes to stimulate the target audience to give specific responses and change attitudes and behaviors to take similar actions.This is reflected in the responses of respondents who viewed the Instagram Traveloka advertisement, leading to a decision to visit Sumba significantly.
After distributing questionnaires, the interpreted results indicate that Variables X and Y have a negative directional relationship.This occurs because the Instagram Advertisements variable increases, while the Decision to Visit variable decreases.In this case, it is noted that Traveloka has frequently advertised on Instagram, but there is still a decline in the decision to visit, attributed to the Time & Cost dimension within the Decision to Visit variable, which discusses travel time and costs.In this context, Time & Cost has the lowest scores in the questionnaire responses, with statements such as "Purchasing Tour Tickets Through Traveloka is Very Cost-Effective and Time-Saving."The highest scores in respondent answers are found in the Instagram Advertisements variable, particularly in the Information dimension.
The S-O-R theory also explains the influence of individual attitudes, relying on a reaction by creating attractive Instagram advertisements in Sumba.The stimulus distributed must have strong power compared to the knowledge and experiences of the audience.This way, the stimulus can generate the desired action, which is the decision to visit Sumba.
There is also a connection with the factor of attitude change in each individual respondent who answered the questionnaire.This factor is typically formed based on the communication skills of an individual or a social group regarding the decision to visit Sumba.

Conclusion
In this conducted research, the following conclusions can be drawn based on the data analysis and discussions presented above: The hypothesis testing indicates a significant difference between the variables Instagram Advertisements and the Decision to Visit.
Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Tabel 2.1 Operational Concept Therefore
, the hypotheses for the study below are: Ho : Instagram advertising has no influence on the Visiting Decision.Ha : Instagram advertising has an influence on the Visiting Decision.