In recent years, the popularity of reality travel shows has triggered outbound travel fever. In order to clarify the mechanism of this effect, a structural equation model was used to investigate the influence of audience involvement on outbound tourism intention from the perspective of audience involvement, using destination image perception as the mediating variable and cultural distance as the moderating variable. The results showed that: (1) audience involvement was positively related to outbound tourism intention; (2) audience involvement had a positive and significant effect on destination image perception, and destination image perception had a positive and significant effect on outbound tourism intention, and destination image perception mediated the effect of audience involvement on outbound tourism intention; (3) cultural distance negatively moderated the effect of audience involvement on outbound tourism intention, and this moderating effect is mediated by the perception of the destination image. Based on the above results, destination marketing organizations should carefully design the content of the program to improve audience involvement, reinforce destination image shaping and promotion, and highlight cultural similarities to stimulate the intention of the audience to visit the destination.