Invisible Power of Culture: Mapping Tourist Information Flow of National DMO websites

Abstract

Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) websites serve as hubs for disseminating information to tourists and communicating with destination stakeholders via a system of hyperlinks. These websites and their hyperlink structures potentially reflect cultural variations among societies and, therefore, differ in what tourists from other cultures might expect in terms of the information search process, affecting early impressions about the destination. The study compares the hyperlink structure of official DMO websites of South Korea, the United States, and Germany and examines whether the ways of organizing and distributing tourist information are reflective of cultural variations. The collected data were examined using the blockmodeling technique. The main differences among the three networks were found in structural properties and the ways tourist information was distributed. Cultural dimensions can explicate the different patterns of information flow. The findings contribute to the literature on how hyperlinked information can be leveraged to the benefit of tourists.

Bridges: a tourist attraction and iconic element at urban cities’ tourism promotion websites

“…Indeed, DMOs and OTAs know of tourists' perception of the destination through official websites and social media to develop promotion and advertising campaigns related to their most famous tourist attractions (Egger, Gumus, Kaiumova, Mu ¨kisch, & Surkic, 2022). DMO websites provide information and iconic images of famous attractions to tourists and communicating with their stakeholders (OTAs and airlines) to promote a horizontal distribution of cities' tourism products and services through communication tools (Park & Stepchenkova, 2023). In 2018, the Golden bridge with its two giant hands put Ba Na Hills (Vietnam) on the map for international tourists thanks to digital media, particularly in social media, according to Daily Mail (2021) more than 20,000 posts about the Golden bridge appeared on Instagram.…”

Exploring the Cultural Significance of Ecommerce Websites Through Semiotic Analysis: A Literature Review

“…Scholars from sociology and anthropology such as Hall [13], Hofstede [14] and Schwartz [15] have studied culture to understand its emergence and evolution, as well as its various behavioral norms across societies. However, measuring cultural notions directly presents a challenge for researchers [4]. Despite this, some scholars have attempted to conceptualize and operationalize culture, with Hofstede's [14] model of culture gaining the most recognition.…”

“…Hofstede's model is a crucial factor in cross-cultural website development as it presents the essential dimensions of cross-cultural website design that have been analyzed and evaluated by different researchers and theorists [4]. By understanding cultural dimensions, web developers can gain insights into cultural preferences and values.…”

“…Culture is a powerful phenomenon that includes norms, values, and actions and is critical to developing consumer subjectivity. Researchers have examined the contributions of Hofstede's cultural dimensions, which differentiate among cultural systems, norms, and values [4]. Cultural awareness and sensitivity have also been emphasized to evaluate a given society's adaptability to technology [5], [6].…”

The Impact of Information Technologies Development on Tourism Industry

“…With technological advancement, DMOs are required to find the most effective communication strategies to connect with potential tourists, provide information, and promote service providers at the destination. Primary communication channels used are national and local destination websites, social networks, and TV ads, with printed brochures and postcards widely used in the past (Park & Stepchenkova, 2023). Consumers rely heavily on social media reviews and content.…”