An Exploratory Study of Online Destination Images via User-Generated Content for Southeastern Rural Transylvania

Author(s):  
Androniki Kavoura ◽  
Florin Nechita

The advent of new technologies has brought forth an incredible power to online users of social media who may act as active contributors and co-creators of the tourism communication and promotion of the areas that have visited, influencing in that way the online image that is created for an area, a region or a country. The user-generated content (UGC) that is created and uploaded, text and/or travel photos allows research to examine tourists' behavior. How can this be depicted with the use of photos taken from visitors for a rural area? The present chapter aims to (a) examine the destination image of Brasov County's (Romania) based on UGC created via photos uploaded on Facebook by a selected group of visitors in the area; (b) to examine the projected image and strategy in official Brasov County's websites and strategic documents and (c) to create a set of recommendations for the promotion of the Brasov County's rural area on the international tourism market.

Author(s):  
Androniki Kavoura ◽  
Florin Nechita

The advent of new technologies has brought forth an incredible power to online users of social media who may act as active contributors and co-creators of the tourism communication and promotion of the areas that have visited, influencing in that way the online image that is created for an area, a region or a country. The user-generated content (UGC) that is created and uploaded, text and/or travel photos allows research to examine tourists' behavior. How can this be depicted with the use of photos taken from visitors for a rural area? The present chapter aims to (a) examine the destination image of Brasov County's (Romania) based on UGC created via photos uploaded on Facebook by a selected group of visitors in the area; (b) to examine the projected image and strategy in official Brasov County's websites and strategic documents and (c) to create a set of recommendations for the promotion of the Brasov County's rural area on the international tourism market.


Author(s):  
Roman Egger ◽  
Oguzcan Gumus ◽  
Elza Kaiumova ◽  
Richard Mükisch ◽  
Veronika Surkic

AbstractSocial media plays a key role in shaping the image of a destination. Although recent research has investigated factors influencing online users’ perception towards destination image, limited studies encompass and compare social media content shared by tourists and destination management organisations (DMOs) at the same time. This paper aims to determine whether the projected image of DMOs corresponds with the destination image perceived by tourists. By taking the Austrian Alpine resort Saalbach-Hinterglemm as a case, a netnographic approach was applied to analyse the visual and textual posts of DMO and user-generated content (UGC) on Instagram using machine learning. The findings reveal themes that are not covered in the posts published by marketers but do appear in UGC. This study adds to the existing literature by providing a deeper insight into destination image formation and uses a qualitative approach to assess destination brand image. It further highlights practical implications for the industry regarding DMOs’ social media marketing strategy.


Author(s):  
Jean-Eric Pelet ◽  
Jashim Khan ◽  
Panagiota Papadopoulou ◽  
Emmanuelle Bernardin

From the perspective of improving e-learning, the free access and user friendliness of User Generated Content (UGC) tools, such as social media, embedded onto mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, make them attractive to be adopted by students and professors in many institutions around the world. This chapter presents the results of an exploratory study on the use of smart phones and social media, identifying differences among countries, focusing on the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa). The objective is to facilitate the understanding of the rapidly evolving and expanding technology of smart phones and social media and explore its potential for m-learning purposes. Results show that social media and mobile devices can be effectively combined in a promising way to enable m-learning.


Author(s):  
Hillary Clarke ◽  
Ahmed Hassanien

This study aims at evaluating the cognitive, affective, and conative components of destination image from the perception of tourists on social media. The netnography technique is used for data analysis and interpretation. Through a textual content analysis approach, an interpretation of meaning of content produced from tweets by tourists is conducted. The findings show that destination attractions were the most commented on component of the cognitive component. Throughout the travelling process, tourists assessed the affective destination image. It was found that tourists' evaluation was of favourable emotions towards Toronto as a destination. The conative component was assessed before, during, and after visiting Toronto. Tourists provided insight into their behaviour online through personal updates and information sharing. The research outcomes provide scholars and practitioners with greater insight into the dimensions of destination image formed by user-generated content from tourists and their usefulness for information exchange in various settings.


Author(s):  
María Pilar Martínez-Ruiz ◽  
Isabel Llodrá-Riera ◽  
Ana Isabel Jiménez-Zarco

Tourists use social media to share their experiences and obtain information about travel and tourism destinations. Information shared by tourists is different than information published by destination marketing organizations (DMOs) in the sense that it does not include formal messages and photographs. Some researchers have proven that user-generated content (UGC) through social media exerts an influence on the perceived image of a tourist destination and the motivations for visiting it. Tourists and travelers tend to use a combination of official and unofficial information to make travel decisions. Nowadays, there are still plenty of opportunities to advance destination image research using social media. With these ideas in mind, this chapter aims to review different types of Web 2.0 platforms and discuss their influence on destination image formation and sustainability perception.


2015 ◽  
pp. 256-290
Author(s):  
Jean-Eric Pelet ◽  
Jashim Khan ◽  
Panagiota Papadopoulou ◽  
Emmanuelle Bernardin

From the perspective of improving e-learning, the free access and user friendliness of User Generated Content (UGC) tools, such as social media, embedded onto mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, make them attractive to be adopted by students and professors in many institutions around the world. This chapter presents the results of an exploratory study on the use of smart phones and social media, identifying differences among countries, focusing on the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa). The objective is to facilitate the understanding of the rapidly evolving and expanding technology of smart phones and social media and explore its potential for m-learning purposes. Results show that social media and mobile devices can be effectively combined in a promising way to enable m-learning.


Author(s):  
Rizalniyani Abdul Razak ◽  
Nur Aliah Mansor

Social media-induced tourism happens when a traveller visits a destination/attraction after being exposed to certain social media content. A user-generated content (UGC) provider, such as a social media influencer, has been identified as the initial motivator in social media-induced tourism. Social media influencers generate persuasive messages for their followers and are typically sources of credibility. In destination marketing and tourism destination studies, the UGC of social media influencers is significantly related to the destination image, destination brand, tourist trust, and tourist expectations. Of particular interest for Instagram influencers, this chapter proposes a conceptual framework to describe the role of the Instagram influencer in inducing his/her followers to travel and suggests a guide for future research.


2016 ◽  
pp. 1078-1110
Author(s):  
Jean-Eric Pelet ◽  
Jashim Khan ◽  
Panagiota Papadopoulou ◽  
Emmanuelle Bernardin

From the perspective of improving e-learning, the free access and user friendliness of User Generated Content (UGC) tools, such as social media, embedded onto mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, make them attractive to be adopted by students and professors in many institutions around the world. This chapter presents the results of an exploratory study on the use of smart phones and social media, identifying differences among countries, focusing on the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa). The objective is to facilitate the understanding of the rapidly evolving and expanding technology of smart phones and social media and explore its potential for m-learning purposes. Results show that social media and mobile devices can be effectively combined in a promising way to enable m-learning.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4241
Author(s):  
Mohammad Tipu Sultan ◽  
Farzana Sharmin ◽  
Alina Badulescu ◽  
Darie Gavrilut ◽  
Ke Xue

When addressing the ever-increasing role that social media plays in generating a clear image of the travel destination chosen by tourists, the research and specialty literature tends to be rather limited. Despite an increase in social media-generated content, the process is not yet fully understood, although research suggests the importance of two different factors (i.e., tour-operator-generated content and user-generated content) in influencing destination image formation. In this regard, the present paper aims to examine the most significant factors currently affecting the potential behavior of travelers towards the selection of sustainable destinations. What is more, another purpose of this paper is to explore the effects that tour-operator-generated content and user-generated content have upon the formation of the overall mediating destination image through cognitive and affective destination images. For the current analysis, a structural equation modeling (SEM) method was used in order to test the conceptual model. Data from Shanghai, China (n = 425) were used. The results demonstrate and establish that travel information sources (i.e., tour-operator-generated content and user-generated content) have a positive effect on destination image formation. The analytical results also revealed that in order to select a sustainable destination, travelers are influenced by tour-operator-generated content, as well as by user-generated content, with the effect of the latter being more important and influential. Travelers’ use of social media content has played a key role in the formation of the overall destination image through the mediating effect of cognitive and affective destination images. This research thus provides valuable theoretical and practical implications for academics and practitioners alike, implications which are valuable for the fields of destination marketing and management. Furthermore, practitioners of the management of sustainable destinations can thus make use of the results throughout the entire decision-making process.


Author(s):  
Hillary Clarke ◽  
Ahmed Hassanien

This study aims at evaluating the cognitive, affective, and conative components of destination image from the perception of tourists on social media. The netnography technique is used for data analysis and interpretation. Through a textual content analysis approach, an interpretation of meaning of content produced from tweets by tourists is conducted. The findings show that destination attractions were the most commented on component of the cognitive component. Throughout the travelling process, tourists assessed the affective destination image. It was found that tourists' evaluation was of favourable emotions towards Toronto as a destination. The conative component was assessed before, during, and after visiting Toronto. Tourists provided insight into their behaviour online through personal updates and information sharing. The research outcomes provide scholars and practitioners with greater insight into the dimensions of destination image formed by user-generated content from tourists and their usefulness for information exchange in various settings.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document