An Evaluation of the Usability of a DMO's Digital Marketing Strategy

Destination management organisations should be able to reach all those who intend to visit the region they manage in the digital environment, directing their actions towards the development of consolidated strategies, promoting the creation of awareness through extremely informative content, disseminating the notion that the most reliable means for collecting information will be through the organisation that manages the destination. This research aims to understand if the main digital marketing channel of destination management organisations in the Center of Portugal (website) is optimised in terms of usability and content to provide a relevant experience to the tourist. To this end, a qualitative evaluation was used. The qualitative assessment, which relates to the most technical part of the usability, was analysed through interviews with professionals relevant to the study area. The analysis allowed to perceive the evaluation and the usability of the websites of the Center of Portugal.

Travel Instagramability

Digital technologies enabled the emergence of ever-broader networks of connection, communication, and sharing between users across the globe, forging new cultural, social, political, and economic scenarios. This chapter aims to investigate this transformation in the perspective of tourism communication, through a reflection on the impacts of new media on the relationship between consumers and the choice of their tourism destinations. For this, it proposes a literature review on the reconfiguration of tourism communication in the culture of participation. It develops an empirical analysis of the content among the most followed digital influencers' profiles and those with greater engagement in Portugal.

Communicating and Building Destination Brands With New Media

The chapter aims to discuss building destination brands with the use of brand placements, like in movies and in songs, brand communities, and storytelling through new media options. The objective is to share how these three tools using new media can help build a destination's brand awareness, brand recognition, brand associations, and brand personality. The chapter presents the meaning of new media and old media and then details the meaning and applications of brand placements, brand community, and storytelling. There is a discussion to understand how these three tools help build a destination brand by sharing information with consumers. The use of three techniques will help gain consumers' attention and may develop their attitudes in favour of destination brands to visit the destination.

The Importance of Social Media in Destination Choice

The widespread use of the internet by individuals has brought companies to carry out their marketing activities on social media. Destinations offer goods and services for their customers, just like the companies. They present different kinds of tourism products under their brands. The aim of the destinations is to satisfy their customers' needs and wants. Modern tourists want to choose the best destinations that meet their needs in a short time. This chapter aims to present and discuss conceptually the significance of social media in destination choice of tourists. Therefore, the concept of social media, the relation between social media and the tourism industry, word-of-mouth and electronic word-of-mouth are discussed. Destination choice, the positive and negative effects of electronic word-of-mouth in the tourism industry is also discussed in this chapter. Moreover, a literature review about social media and tourists' destination choice has also been provided.

Reshaping of Museums With Experiences

Today, experiences that emphasise many known areas suggest that consumers do not only buy products or services, but they also buy a holistic experience that includes purchasing processes. In this context, the contemporary museum understanding implies that experiences are more important and gives its visitors the message that “I understand what you are looking for and design it for you” is becoming widespread. This study aims to explain museum experiences by making use of consumer experience scales in today's conditions when the contemporary understanding of museums is becoming popular. It was observed that the Hatay Archaeological Museum, in Turkey, undertook the mission of creating value for its visitors with experiential marketing techniques, the works in the museum were arranged and exhibited in a way that allows guests and customers to have social, purposeful, cognitive, and introspection experiences. The study revealed museum visitors' experiences and emotions and the sensory stimulants by which they are impressed.

The Impact of Digital Technologies on Marketing and Communication in the Tourism Industry

The growing openness between regions accompanied by the rising of the tourism industry enhances its importance and the ensuing search for competitive advantages in terms of communication, marketing, and technology. It, therefore, gave rise to the concept of integrated marketing communication (IMC) that together with information and communication technology (ICT) could highlight tourist experiences. This literature review (LR) attempts to unveil how digital technologies determine marketing and communication in the tourism industry and, conversely, what industry areas should be targeted by those digital technologies. The study employs a scoping review approach based on a search of literature through the SCOPUS database. Ten articles were selected. On the one hand, this LR concludes that digital technologies are filling the gap concerning the needs of tourists through, for instance, mobile marketing. On the other hand, it discloses that digital technologies are essential for the tourism industry as it improves marketing communication by diverse means.

Instagram Influencers in Social Media-Induced Tourism

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.

Digital Marketing Best Practices for Management in Tourism Destinations

This work fills a gap that has existed up to now, proposing a series of specific indicators that serve as a manual of good digital marketing practices for the promotion of tourism destinations. According to the proposed model, the variables to take into account are those related to web metrics, SEO positioning, and social networks. Likewise, the indicators and metrics proposed in the tourism destination Malaga (Spain) are applied. In this way, the model can serve as a guide for the managing institutions of tourism destinations that wish to measure the results of their efforts. This analysis facilitates the identification of the strengths of the strategy followed, as well as those that need to be improved. It can also be used to verify the positioning of tourism destinations with respect to their competitors.

Digital Tourism

The advancements in technology and social media have changed the sphere of marketing. Digital marketing became one of the imperative areas for business organisations all over the globe. E-marketing methods and strategies have revolutionised the tourism sector in various ways. From convenient booking engines to creating customised experiences, digital marketing has helped the tourism sector reach out to a wider audience, which was not possible with traditional marketing. Growth in the tourism sector boosts the economy of a country and improves the revenues, employment, and infrastructure. E-marketing influences beyond limits and allows the tourism sector to entice people from all over the world of the different places they can visit. The chapter focuses on the digital tourism practices, challenges, key inhibitors to innovation, legal issues, consumer protection, benefits of ICTs, digital marketing strategies, the influence of e-marketing technology, and reasons for adopting e-marketing. Further, it attributes the technology enablers of e-marketing and current trends in digital tourism.

Transformational Tourism Experiences

Transformational tourism is an emergent research field, reflecting a broader paradigm shift that encompasses changes in tourist profiles that challenge tourism businesses to deliver experiences that meet the expectations of tourists seeking opportunities for self-development and inner transformation. This chapter presents the outcomes of a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis (CAQDAS) exploring how service providers are communicating transformational tourism experiences online. The findings reveal that the place where the experiences are delivered and the experience characteristics are frequently emphasised, which reinforces their relevance in the process of tourist transformation. Contents addressing the transformation process and the needs of the tourist can also be found. Based on these findings and the literature review, research implications are discussed, and future research directions are presented.