IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i10p4092-d359211.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Importance of Social Media in the Image Formation of Tourist Destinations from the Stakeholders’ Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Carlos de las Heras-Pedrosa

    (Department of Advertising and Public Relations, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain)

  • Elena Millan-Celis

    (Department of Advertising and Public Relations, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain)

  • Patricia P. Iglesias-Sánchez

    (Department of Economics and Business Administration, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain)

  • Carmen Jambrino-Maldonado

    (Department of Economics and Business Administration, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain)

Abstract

This research aimed to provide a more informed and systematic basis on which to develop the positioning strategy in social media due to the interactive capacity and influence that social media has in the success of tourist destinations. In particular, we investigated the role of stakeholders. We carried out an exploratory study using a mixed method which included interviews and an analysis of the activity conducted on the official social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) of the Spanish regions of Andalusia, Catalonia, and Valencia. The findings provide insight into how tourist destinations promote their image through the use of social media. Social media was found to be a strategic platform for enhancing brand image and achieving tourist engagement. Additionally, the role of stakeholders in supporting and facilitating the image destination strategy is worth highlighting. This study shows that the results achieved by social media can be improved by identifying all stakeholders and defining a content generation strategy by integrating and adding value.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlos de las Heras-Pedrosa & Elena Millan-Celis & Patricia P. Iglesias-Sánchez & Carmen Jambrino-Maldonado, 2020. "Importance of Social Media in the Image Formation of Tourist Destinations from the Stakeholders’ Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-27, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:10:p:4092-:d:359211
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/10/4092/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/10/4092/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. King, Robert Allen & Racherla, Pradeep & Bush, Victoria D., 2014. "What We Know and Don't Know About Online Word-of-Mouth: A Review and Synthesis of the Literature," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 167-183.
    2. Charles Edquist & Leif Hommen & Maureen McKelvey, 2001. "Innovation and Employment," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 2138.
    3. De Bruyn, Arnaud & Lilien, Gary L., 2008. "A multi-stage model of word-of-mouth influence through viral marketing," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 151-163.
    4. Craig Standing & Jean‐pierre Tang‐taye & Michel Boyer, 2014. "The Impact of the Internet in Travel and Tourism: A Research Review 2001–2010," Post-Print hal-01243414, HAL.
    5. Peters, Kay & Chen, Yubo & Kaplan, Andreas M. & Ognibeni, Björn & Pauwels, Koen, 2013. "Social Media Metrics — A Framework and Guidelines for Managing Social Media," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 281-298.
    6. Sarpong, David & AbdRazak, Azley & Alexander, Elizabeth & Meissner, Dirk, 2017. "Organizing practices of university, industry and government that facilitate (or impede) the transition to a hybrid triple helix model of innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 142-152.
    7. Dwivedi, Abhishek & Merrilees, Bill & Miller, Dale & Herington, Carmel, 2012. "Brand, value and relationship equities and loyalty-intentions in the Australian supermarket industry," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 19(5), pages 526-536.
    8. Lo, Iris Sheungting & McKercher, Bob & Lo, Ada & Cheung, Catherine & Law, Rob, 2011. "Tourism and online photography," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 725-731.
    9. Luo, Qiuju & Zhong, Dixi, 2015. "Using social network analysis to explain communication characteristics of travel-related electronic word-of-mouth on social networking sites," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 274-282.
    10. Chen, Chun-Chu & Lai, Ying-Hsiao (Rebecca) & Petrick, James F. & Lin, Yueh-Hsiu, 2016. "Tourism between divided nations: An examination of stereotyping on destination image," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 25-36.
    11. Gökçe Özdemir & Duygu Çelebi, 2015. "Reflections of Destinations on Social Media," Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics, in: Vicky Katsoni (ed.), Cultural Tourism in a Digital Era, edition 127, pages 243-249, Springer.
    12. Llodrà-Riera, Isabel & Martínez-Ruiz, María Pilar & Jiménez-Zarco, Ana Isabel & Izquierdo-Yusta, Alicia, 2015. "A multidimensional analysis of the information sources construct and its relevance for destination image formation," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 319-328.
    13. Patricia P. Iglesias-Sánchez & Marisol B. Correia & Carmen Jambrino-Maldonado & Carlos de las Heras-Pedrosa, 2020. "Instagram as a Co-Creation Space for Tourist Destination Image-Building: Algarve and Costa del Sol Case Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-26, April.
    14. Mariani, Marcello M. & Di Felice, Marco & Mura, Matteo, 2016. "Facebook as a destination marketing tool: Evidence from Italian regional Destination Management Organizations," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 321-343.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Diana Foris & Adriana Florescu & Tiberiu Foris & Sorin Barabas, 2020. "Improving the Management of Tourist Destinations: A New Approach to Strategic Management at the DMO Level by Integrating Lean Techniques," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-22, December.
    2. Yi Sheng Tan & Angela S. Wright, 2022. "Exploring “Smart and Green” Concepts: A New Synergy for Irish Hospitality," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-21, March.
    3. Mohammad Tipu Sultan & Farzana Sharmin & Alina Badulescu & Darie Gavrilut & Ke Xue, 2021. "Social Media-Based Content towards Image Formation: A New Approach to the Selection of Sustainable Destinations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-22, April.
    4. Sánchez, Ernesto Batista & Leyva, Beatriz Serrano & Cruz, Leudis Orlando Vega de la, 2021. "Imagen cognitiva de destinos turísticos. Una aproximación desde el destino turístico Holguín, Cuba," Revista Tendencias, Universidad de Narino, vol. 22(2), pages 288-308, July.
    5. Csaba Sidor & Branislav Kršák & Ľubomír Štrba, 2023. "Basic Input Data for Audiences’ Geotargeting by Destinations’ Partial Accessibility: Notes from Slovakia," Data, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-19, January.
    6. Isaac Taberner & Albert Juncà, 2021. "Small-Scale Sport Events as Place Branding Platforms: A Content Analysis of Osona’s Projected Destination Image through Event-Related Pictures on Instagram," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-21, November.
    7. Xiaojun Xu & Guanghui Cheng, 2024. "Save the Day: How the Dissemination of Tourism Crises Can Reinvigorate a Tourism Destination Image after the Seoul Halloween Crowd Crush," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-22, March.
    8. Marcela Korenkova & Milan Maros & Michal Levicky & Milan Fila, 2020. "Consumer Perception of Modern and Traditional Forms of Advertising," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-25, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zajadacz Alina & Minkwitz Aleksandra, 2020. "Using Social Media Data to Plan for Tourism," Quaestiones Geographicae, Sciendo, vol. 39(3), pages 125-138, September.
    2. Patricia P. Iglesias-Sánchez & Marisol B. Correia & Carmen Jambrino-Maldonado & Carlos de las Heras-Pedrosa, 2020. "Instagram as a Co-Creation Space for Tourist Destination Image-Building: Algarve and Costa del Sol Case Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-26, April.
    3. Yadav, Manjit S. & de Valck, Kristine & Hennig-Thurau, Thorsten & Hoffman, Donna L. & Spann, Martin, 2013. "Social Commerce: A Contingency Framework for Assessing Marketing Potential," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 311-323.
    4. Isaac Taberner & Albert Juncà, 2021. "Small-Scale Sport Events as Place Branding Platforms: A Content Analysis of Osona’s Projected Destination Image through Event-Related Pictures on Instagram," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-21, November.
    5. Beatriz Moliner-Velázquez & María Fuentes-Blasco & Irene Gil-Saura, 2019. "Effects of value and innovation on brand equity in retailing," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 26(6), pages 658-674, November.
    6. Christina Katsikari & Leonidas Hatzithomas & Thomas Fotiadis & Dimitrios Folinas, 2020. "Push and Pull Travel Motivation: Segmentation of the Greek Market for Social Media Marketing in Tourism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-18, June.
    7. Palazzo, Maria & Vollero, Agostino & Vitale, Pierluigi & Siano, Alfonso, 2021. "Urban and rural destinations on Instagram: Exploring the influencers’ role in #sustainabletourism," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    8. Thomas Wozniak & Brigitte Stangl & Roland Schegg & Andreas Liebrich, 2017. "The return on tourism organizations’ social media investments: preliminary evidence from Belgium, France, and Switzerland," Information Technology & Tourism, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 75-100, March.
    9. Mohammad Tipu Sultan & Farzana Sharmin & Alina Badulescu & Darie Gavrilut & Ke Xue, 2021. "Social Media-Based Content towards Image Formation: A New Approach to the Selection of Sustainable Destinations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-22, April.
    10. Ana Babić Rosario & Kristine Valck & Francesca Sotgiu, 2020. "Conceptualizing the electronic word-of-mouth process: What we know and need to know about eWOM creation, exposure, and evaluation," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 422-448, May.
    11. Luo, Qiuju & Zhong, Dixi, 2015. "Using social network analysis to explain communication characteristics of travel-related electronic word-of-mouth on social networking sites," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 274-282.
    12. Estela Marine-Roig & Salvador Anton Clavé, 2016. "A detailed method for destination image analysis using user-generated content," Information Technology & Tourism, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 341-364, January.
    13. Filip Cvitic & Mario Plenkovic, 2018. "Attracting User’s Attention for Travelling Purposes via Visual Messages," Academica Turistica - Tourism and Innovation Journal, University of Primorska Press, vol. 11(1), pages 3-18.
    14. Mariani, Marcello M. & Di Felice, Marco & Mura, Matteo, 2016. "Facebook as a destination marketing tool: Evidence from Italian regional Destination Management Organizations," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 321-343.
    15. Shahbaznezhad, Hamidreza & Dolan, Rebecca & Rashidirad, Mona, 2021. "The Role of Social Media Content Format and Platform in Users' Engagement Behavior," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 47-65.
    16. Simona Franzoni & Michelle Bonera, 2019. "How DMO Can Measure the Experiences of a Large Territory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-14, January.
    17. Thao Thanh Thi Nguyen & Shurong Tong, 2023. "The impact of user-generated content on intention to select a travel destination," Journal of Marketing Analytics, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(3), pages 443-457, September.
    18. Molinillo, Sebastian & Liébana-Cabanillas, Francisco & Anaya-Sánchez, Rafael & Buhalis, Dimitrios, 2018. "DMO online platforms: Image and intention to visit," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 116-130.
    19. Ralf Buckley & Mary-Ann Cooper, 2021. "Assortative Matching of Tourists and Destinations: Agents or Algorithms?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-10, February.
    20. Liu, Ran & Ford, John B. & Zhang, Weiyong & Bonnici, Joseph, 2023. "Reappraising the roles of review valence and conflict in online relationships," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:10:p:4092-:d:359211. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.