Social media technologies in the tourism industry: an analysis with special reference to their role in sustainable tourism development

Sarkar, Sudipta Kiran; George, Babu

doi:10.1080/15980634.2018.1551312

Cited by 34 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…On the other hand, social media platforms allow tourists to develop networks and share travel experiences, which in turn influences travel decisions of other users (Choe et al, 2017;Noone et al, 2011). Moreover, social networks promote sustainable development in many ways (Sobhanifard and Vaeysi, 2020), for example, by encouraging participatory, improving expectation, pro-environmental behaviour and helping users search for diverse product and service information (Dinan and Sargeant, 2000;Han et al, 2018;Sarkar and George, 2018;Narangajavana et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of social media on travel planning process by Chinese tourists: the way forward to tourism futures

Yuan

Chan

Eichelberger

et al. 2022

JTF

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Purpose This paper investigates the usage and trust of Chinese social media in the travel planning process (pre-trip, during-trip and post-trip) of Chinese tourists.Design/methodology/approach Through a combination of structured online survey (n = 406) and follow-up interviews, the research identifies the diversification of the demand-and-supply patterns of social media users in China, as well as the allocation of functions of social media as tools before, during and after travel.Findings Social media users are diverse in terms of their adoption of social media, use behaviour and scope; the levels of trust and influence; and their ultimate travel decisions and actions. Correlations between the level of trust, influence of social media and the intended changes in travel decisions are observed. Destination marketers and tourism industries should observe and adapt to the needs of social media users and potential tourist markets by understanding more about user segmentation between platforms or apps and conducting marketing campaigns on social media platforms to attract a higher number of visitors.Research limitations/implications This paper demonstrated the case of social media usage in mainland China, which has been regarded as one of the fastest growing and influential tourist-generating markets and social media expansions in the world. This study further addressed the knowledge gap by correlating social media usage and travel planning process of Chinese tourists. The research findings suggested diversification of the demand-and-supply pattern of social media users in China, as well as the use of social media as tools before, during and after travel. Users were diversified in terms of their adoption of social media, use behaviour, scope, the levels of trust, influence and the ultimate travel decisions.Practical implications Destination marketing organizations should note that some overseas social media platforms that are not accessible in China like TripAdvisor, Yelp, Facebook and Instagram are still valued by some Chinese tourists, especially during-trip period in journeys to Western countries. Some tactics for specific user segments should be carefully observed. When promoting specific tourism products to Chinese tourists, it is necessary to understand the user segmentation between platforms or apps.Originality/value Social media is a powerful tool for tourism development and sustainability in creating smart tourists and destinations worldwide. In China, the use of social media has stimulated the development of both information and communication technology and tourism.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of social media on travel planning process by Chinese tourists: the way forward to tourism futures

Yuan

Chan

Eichelberger

et al. 2022

JTF

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“…This article examines the impact of the photographs used in online tourism marketing through a case study of the approach of Japanese-style inns (Sarkar and George, 2018). In other words, it investigates how photographs provided by Japanese-style inns themselves or their guests influence prospective clients decision-making processes and/or expectations, using the netnography of eWOM (Mkono and Markwell, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of photographs on the online marketing for tourism: The case of Japanese-style inns

Jimura

Lee

2020

Journal of Vacation Marketing

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This article examines the impact of the use of photographs in online marketing for tourism through a case study based on Japanese-style inns. Nowadays, most Japanese-style inns present photographs of what they think are their key appealing elements on their own social networking and/or video/photo-sharing websites, while guests upload their photographs and write comments on travel or social networking websites and/or on the websites of e-travel agents. Through the medium of ‘netnography’, this research has identified that the photographs presented online by Japanese-style inns can affect decision-making processes of guests and/or expectations in both a positive and a negative way, and e-word of mouth can work together with the photographs to influence prospective guests.

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“…The use of social media is not only popular in information technology, but the application of social media in the tourism and hospitality sector has also grown rapidly (Sarkar & George, 2018). It has been accepted as an important tool.…”

Section: Discussion Conclusion and Implications Of Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Media Attributes and Sustainable Indigenous Tourism Among Mah Meri Community in Carey Island, Malaysia

Hamid¹,

Johari²,

Kunasekaran³

2021

IJARBSS

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This study aims to understand the role of social media in influencing the sustainable indigenous tourism practice. This research contributes to the scope of indigenous tourism and social media. A deductive approach is used to identify the level of the social media attributes, namely adoption, participation, interactivity and sharing. Past studies relevant to social media technology and sustainability were analysed and discussed. It is evident that the existing literature heavily supports the need for social media in tourism development. Local communities, especially the indigenous people, are urged to utilise the virtual platform to sell their tourism products. However, the unavailability of community capacity often hinders them to used social media at the desired level. Thus, a critical understanding of social media and sustainable tourism conceptualisation is highlighted to provide a holistic perspective. The construct of social media in this study shows a high level of consistency. The finding contributes to a scale development on social media and tourism from indigenous people perspectives.

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Social media technologies in the tourism industry: an analysis with special reference to their role in sustainable tourism development

Cited by 34 publications

References 33 publications

The effect of social media on travel planning process by Chinese tourists: the way forward to tourism futures

The effect of social media on travel planning process by Chinese tourists: the way forward to tourism futures

The impact of photographs on the online marketing for tourism: The case of Japanese-style inns

Social Media Attributes and Sustainable Indigenous Tourism Among Mah Meri Community in Carey Island, Malaysia

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