The use of social media in destination marketing: An exploratory study

Social media provides customers and businesses of modern times with an unprecedented growth in ways of commu-nication and interaction. Tourism organisations can benefit from the limitless opportunities offered by social media and ideally, evolve their relationship with their customers into a networked process of innovation. While there is a growing number of social media studies in the context of tourism, few researches have addressed the application of social media by tourism providers. Thus, this study employed an exploratory research design aimed at establishing a detailed understanding of current use of social media among National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) of the world’s 193 countries. To this end, data mining was used to identify the social media applications and types that are used by NTOs, and it was followed by content analysis, to investigate NTOs’ strategic use of social media. The findings of this study suggest that many NTOs are still not aware of potential and opportunities offered by social media and for those with social media presence, there is a great room for improvement in strategic use of social media. This study contributes to the existing body of literature by providing an understanding of use of social media in destination marketing. The study also offers some interesting insights for tourism marketers

Promoting Ecotourism to Millennials Through Social Media

This paper explores how coastal ecotourism marketers can utilize social media to effectively market to millennials. Coastal Tourism is one of four types of ecotourism identified by Honey and Krantz (2007) in their study Global Trends in Coastal Tourism sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund. An online survey of university students from the millennial generation was utilized. Findings indicate that millennials are interested in ecotourism and gather information about it from friends and social media. They check their accounts several times a day and usually from their smartphones. They would choose an ecotourism destination if money were not an issue. They believe it is a good cause and plan to visit an ecotourism destination within the next year. Millennials who are involved in ecotourism decisions and use social media to gather information also intend to visit an ecotourism destination. There is a need to build the literature base as few studies about social media and ecotourism exist. This study is exploratory but does provide a foundation for further research. Coastal ecotourism marketers should utilize a multi-platform approach; put out positive reviews via social media; consider budget-friendly options; and focus on the natural environment and animal conservation efforts. This study extends the literature by bringing together social media marketing, millennials, and ecotourism

Do TripAdvisor Valences are Trustworthy on South Asian Destinations?

Travellers prefer to rely on peers’ recommendations and review websites to look for reliable and unbiased information. Trustworthy communicators are more influential than the untrustworthy one. Trustworthy content is need of the hour in specific to post COVID19 travel. This research is analysing what propels a traveller towards destinations and empirically verify the valences of trustworthiness on TripAdvisor reviews.  Content analysis of TripAdvisor reviews (153799 numbers) on South Asian destinations are captured, modelled, and analysed using Descriptive statistics, Regression Analysis and Structural Equation Modelling. Positive reviews are more trustworthy than the negative reviews and are helpful to potential tourist who seeks ‘real’ or ‘genuine’ reviews. There is no moderating effect of negative sentiments on Trustworthiness. Our research results find that valences of TripAdvisor review are useful to potential tourists for their travel planning and actions. Practitioners should listen to TripAdvisor review valences and keep up with the value chain, make the destinations more tourist friendly and evolve new themes. Tourism ecosystem should use modicum of digital opportunities emanating from sentiments and apply appropriate strategies to develop their destinations. This way, tourists will develop brand equity. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on polarity analysis in TripAdvisor reviews and investigated the relationship between positive and negative valences with trustworthiness

Effectiveness of social media in promoting tourism in Bangladesh

Thesis(Master) -- KDI School: Master of Development Policy, 2020In this paper, we will be scrutinizing the efficacy of web-based social networking sites in the tourism industry of Bangladesh. Alongside that, we will be exploring the fact if social media usage can effectively change the condition in the current tourism sector of the country. The paper will be putting a relation among the variables of the tourism industry to navigate the scopes for the application of the social media platforms. Consequently, the importance of brand image formation and using it as an essential tool for marketing will be emphasized in the paper. The goal is to explore the tourists’ perception, attitude, satisfaction, loyalty, and intention to visit Bangladesh using social networking sites as a promotional channel. In order to implement the plans regarding the sectors it is very necessary to form a partnership among the native start-ups that have grown centering the tourism sites and the digital marketing firms. The transparent regional and central governmental relation is essential as well. There needs to be certain establishments in the tourist regions where the businessmen are going to consult for any necessities and consequently reaching up to the central department for tourism. This paper will study all these implications after exploring the mentioned perceptions of the tourists.I. Introduction II. Concept of Tourism III. Literature Review IV. Research Objective V. Research Methodology VI. Cognitive, Effective and Symbolic Perception VII. Hypothesis Development VIII. Theoretical Background IX. Data Analysis and Interpretations X. ConclusionmasterpublishedTasnim TARANNU

Strategy for Developing the Potential of Batu Lawang Tourism Through the Digital World in Cupang Village, Gempol District, Cirebon Regency

Cupang Village is one the villages located in Gempol District, Cirebon Regency, which is the southernmost tip. Cupang Village has an area of +/- 192,000 Ha. With a population of around 3,828 people or 1,226 households and a population density od 199 per/km. Cupang Village is a village thas has a lot of potential to be developed. One of them is the potential of a tourist village owned by Cupang Village in the form of natural tourism called Batu Lawang. However, currently the potential in the Batu Lawang tourism sector has not been widely exposed to the public. This study aims to determine the strategy in introducing Batu Lawang Tourism through the digital world to the wider community. This study uses qualitative methods with research techniques of observation, interviews, Focus Group Discussion, participation, asset based community development and documentation. The result of this study are the development strategy of Batu lawang tourism by conducing Focus Group Discussion to related pasties, making banners, making accessories that function to beautify documentation and making promotional videos for Batu Lawang tourism

Strategy for Developing the Potential of Batu Lawang Tourism Through the Digital World in Cupang Village, Gempol District, Cirebon Regency

Cupang Village is one the villages located in Gempol District, Cirebon Regency, which is the southernmost tip. Cupang Village has an area of +/- 192,000 Ha. With a population of around 3,828 people or 1,226 households and a population density od 199 per/km. Cupang Village is a village thas has a lot of potential to be developed. One of them is the potential of a tourist village owned by Cupang Village in the form of natural tourism called Batu Lawang. However, currently the potential in the Batu Lawang tourism sector has not been widely exposed to the public. This study aims to determine the strategy in introducing Batu Lawang Tourism through the digital world to the wider community. This study uses qualitative methods with research techniques of observation, interviews, Focus Group Discussion, participation, asset based community development and documentation. The result of this study are the development strategy of Batu lawang tourism by conducing Focus Group Discussion to related pasties, making banners, making accessories that function to beautify documentation and making promotional videos for Batu Lawang tourism

How Instagram Influencers Contribute to Consumer Travel Decision: Insights from SEM and fsQCA

In recent years, social media influencers (SMIs) have become independent entities capable of influencing their audiences. Businesses look towards SMIs on Instagram as a marketing communication tool due to their popularity and effectiveness. In tourism, few studies investigate the role of SMI in influencing travel behaviors. The study examines how SMI can influence Instagram followers' travel behaviors. This study determined SMI based on attractiveness, similarity, and expertise. SMI can generate parasocial interactions with followers and build trust by promoting destinations based on these three dimensions. This study tested the research hypothesis on 364 respondents using a dual-approach analysis of structural equation modeling and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis. The results of the SEM analysis confirm that consumers were more likely to trust SMI based on their expertise and similarity. Also, this study demonstrated that highly attractive SMI and similarity with followers can lead to parasocial interactions. When consumers trust and feel parasocial interaction with SMI, they are more likely to consider traveling. FsQCA results confirm the presence of two configurations with high travel intention. The causal conditions configuration presented in this study demonstrated the interdimensional relationship between SMIs (attractiveness, similarity, and expertise), trust, and parasocial interaction in terms of travel intention. This study also achieved theoretical contributions and managerial implications on how scholars and tourism managers leverage SMIs to create high travel intentions. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-07-01-02 Full Text: PD

Enhancing travel recommendations: Ai-driven personalization through user digital footprints

Esta tesis tiene como objetivo examinar la manera en que la huella digital que dejan los usuarios en internet puede utilizarse para optimizar la personalización de los servicios turísticos, mediante el uso de inteligencia artificial. El documento propone que el auge de la inteligencia artificial ha abierto un mundo de oportunidades para desarrollar nuevas herramientas para mejorar la experiencia de viaje digital. El enfoque se basa en la idea de que las huellas digitales son únicas y particulares de cada individuo y estos valiosos datos pueden dar lugar a sugerencias de viaje más inteligentes y certeras. Se consideran las actitudes de comportamiento del usuario, como la influencia del contenido generado por el usuario en las redes sociales y el boca a boca electrónico en el proceso de planificación del viaje, así como las implicaciones de este rastro de datos en la optimización de los servicios de viaje personalizados. Este modelo describe la relación entre la inteligencia artificial y la hiper personalización de servicios. Como es una tendencia creciente que está alterando nuestra realidad actual, la tesis presentada desarrolla una aplicación de viajes a medida que, con el permiso del usuario, aprovecha los datos recopilados de las redes sociales personales para construir un plan de viaje específico basado en las preferencias individuales.This thesis aims to examine the way the digital footprint users leave behind can be utilized to optimize the personalization of tourism services, through the use of artificial intelligence. The paper proposes that the surge of artificial intelligence has opened a world of opportunities to develop new tools to improve the digital travel experience. The approach is based on the idea that digital footprints are unique and particular to each individual and this valuable data can result in smarter and unerring travel suggestions. Behavioral attitudes of the user, such as the influence of user-generated content in social media and e-word of mouth in the travel planning process, are considered, as well as the implications of this data trail in the optimization of customized travel services. This model describes the relationship between artificial intelligence and hyper-personalization of services. As it is a growing trend that is disrupting our current reality, the presented thesis develops a tailor-made traveling application that, with permission of the user, leverages the data collected from personal social media to build a specific travel plan based on each user’s preferences