{"id":45682,"date":"2024-09-23T17:21:11","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T17:21:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essays.homeworkacetutors.com\/2024\/09\/effect-of-social-media-on-destination-choice\/"},"modified":"2024-09-23T17:21:11","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T17:21:11","slug":"effect-of-social-media-on-destination-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/effect-of-social-media-on-destination-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"Effect of Social Media on Destination Choice"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Does social media
\nmarketing affect your choice of destination?
<\/h4>\n

Abstract<\/h3>\n

The importance for tourism destinations to have a good visual presence on social media is becoming more apparent. Social media is becoming more advanced and is offering more options for a tourist to visualise the destination before they decide to go. The following work will consider the destination marketing and how it markets on social media.\u00a0 Using online questionnaires, the research aimed to establish whether Social Media Marketing directly affects a consumers\u2019 choice of destination but the results of the data collection established that participants will put more reliance of traditional word of mouth rather than information found on social media<\/a>.\u00a0 For future research, it may be worth considering that whilst social media can have a profound influence on many people, there are also other motivations outside of other consumers\u2019 opinions and view of a place such as: traveling for religious purposes or just a one of take a chance last minute booking.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Key
\nWords: Social Media, Destination Marketing, Tourism, Motivations, Data Collection,
\nElectronic Word of Mouth. <\/p>\n

1.0 Introduction<\/h2>\n

In recent times, it has been estimated that there is almost 85% of
\nhouseholds now have a fixed broadband connection in the UK according to a
\nKeynote study, by the percentage that gives a market of around 55million people
\nthat have access (Keynote, 2017).\u00a0 With
\nthis advancement, more and more people are replying on the internet, and more
\nspecifically, Social media to help in the decision making of their purchases.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Carr & Hayes
\n(2015) defined Social Media as:<\/p>\n

\n

Social media are Internet-based channels that allow users to opportunistically interact and selectively self-present, either in real-time or asynchronously, with both broad and narrow audiences who derive value from user-generated content and the perception of interaction with others.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This
\ndefinition has stemmed much of the discussion behind my proposed question for
\nresearch-the impact of social media marketing on traveler\u2019s destination
\nchoice.\u00a0 Social media or social
\nnetworking has advanced in such way that it has become a valuable marketing
\ntool for companies but also proving to be a valuable source of information to consumers
\nplaying a massive part in consumption decisions.\u00a0 In a bid to increase market sales, companies
\nare now integrating Social Media into their campaigns as it gives them the
\nopportunity to interact with consumers on a personal or impersonal platform.\u00a0 Companies need to be prepared that much
\ninformation, whether positive or negative, is being communicated from consumer
\nto consumer via social media sites and every day is influencing that consumers
\npre-purchase and post-purchase actions.\u00a0
\n(Papasolomou and Melanthiou, 2012) With the ability to readily \u2018share\u2019 information,
\nwebpages, posts and images, consumer reviews have no replaced professional
\nreviews.\u00a0 It seems that this new source
\nof information that is made available on social networking sites is on hand to
\noffer a richer and more varied set of reviews on products and is so widely
\navailable it is proving to be more valuable to consumers than the traditional
\nword of mouth.\u00a0 (Viglia, Minazzi and
\nBuhalis, 2016)<\/p>\n

According to recent statistics, there are over 2.01 billion monthly
\nactive Facebook users active in June 2017 (Facebook, 2017).\u00a0 This is one social networking platform, out
\nof many, that gives users the opportunity to share information but it can also
\nprovide tourist experiences and destination choices between consumers.\u00a0\u00a0 Not just with Facebook, but other social
\nmedia and networking sites such as; Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Trip Advisor,
\ntourists are able to share their travel experiences, (both positive and
\nnegative), with other consumers offering advice, recommendations and
\ndestination feedback which will influence other consumers on their travel
\ndecisions (Xiang &
\nGretzel, 2010<\/a>).\u00a0 In one particular survey conducted by, WAYN
\nfor the World Travel and Tourism Council, (2012), found that, \u2018<\/em>52% of
\nfacebook users claimed their travel plans were affected by seeing pictures
\nbelonging to family and friends of trips\u2019.\u00a0
\n<\/em>It has become
\napparent that there has been a decline on those planning to travel relying on
\nguidebooks, maps to plan out routes and destinations and consultations with
\ntravel agents.\u00a0 With the growing social
\nmedia and networking stand, consumers are now turning to the experiences of
\nfamily, friends and social media influences to inspire them with new and
\nexciting travel plans (Brown, 2017). <\/p>\n

Many destination boards have taken to the changes in how information is
\nshared via social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and many others by
\ncreating profiles to become a place of advertising but also somewhere in which
\nthey can monitor opinions and reviews of travellers following their visits to
\nspecific destinations.\u00a0 Larger cities
\nsuch as Liverpool have created profiles on Twitter @VisitLiverpool that has
\nsupport of 40.5 thousand followers meaning previous and potential travellers
\nare viewing tweets which about others experience of that destination.\u00a0 The visitors can also access all the social media
\nplatforms used by the destination marketing company on their webpage and
\nutilise these to plan or review their visits (Visitliverpool.com, 2017). <\/p>\n

Due to advancements, this is just one smaller part of a bigger
\ndestination-marketing tool used in conjunction with the Visit Britain brand to
\nencourage tourism from domestic and international visitors through the use of
\nsocial media. Visit Britain understands that this is a need, which has been
\ndeveloped though growth of access to the internet, Visitbritain.com<\/a>, (2017), states, \u201cSocial media is a vital
\ncomponent of our marketing strategy. We\u2019re strongly positioned on Twitter,
\nFacebook, YouTube, Flickr, Pinterest, Instagram, WeChat and Weibo to engage
\nactively with our target audience, ensuring they feel part of an engaged
\ncommunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

These advancements with engaging in social
\nnetworking can come at a price however, whereby a company may have to face the
\nbacklash of negative media coverage as a result of a customers experience.\u00a0\u00a0 This was observed with latest
\nsituation involving United airlines where a live video of a customer on an
\noverbooked flight was forcibly removed and injured.\u00a0 This incident was recorded and shared on the
\ninternet with millions of people from around the world.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Due to the frenzy on Social Media, newspapers then began reporting on
\nthis.\u00a0 Helen Coffey, (2017) from The
\nIndependent stated;<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cPeople are using the hashtag #flight3411 to express their anger and concern at the footage, with many vowing they will not fly with United again in the future.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Social Media can have major on tourists behaviour, having then a
\ndetrimental effect on the sales of companies.\u00a0
\nThe United Airline case is only one such example in understanding of what
\nimplications Social Media can have on tourism.\u00a0
\nThe power of social media is uncontrollable by many companies, as
\nwitnessed in this case. <\/p>\n

Eric Qualman, (2012), expresses that, \u201cSocial
\nmedia touches nearly every facet of our personal and business lives\u2026. Social
\nmedia is living and breathing, and it touches every part of an organization
\nfrom customer service and frontline sales to human resources and information
\ntechnology.\u201d <\/em>\u00a0While consumer
\nbehaviour is the most researched topic in the marketing and consumer field,
\n(McIntosh and Thyne, 2005), \u00a0the objective of this study proposes
\nan analysis of the association of social networking sources to the choice of
\nholiday destination for travel consumers and whether Qualman\u2019s claim that it is
\nthe social media \u2018frontline sales\u2019 to consumers destination choice when booking
\ntheir travel experiences.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The aim of this research
\nis to: <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. To investigate the effect of social media on tourist destination choice.<\/li>\n
  2. To explore how past experiences, affect consumers on their future
    \ndecision of destination.<\/li>\n
  3. To review how a review how destination marketing has developed to take
    \nsocial media influences into account.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    2.0
    \nLiterature Review<\/h2>\n

    2.1 Social Media<\/h3>\n

    For
    \nmany tourists\u2019 destinations, how social media users perceive the destination is
    \na major influence on their success. The potential amount of information that is
    \navailable to travellers is enormous; the internet is a platform that is full of
    \nimportant information, which could be exchanged easily between all parties
    \ninvolved in the industry process (Xiang and Gretzel, 2010). The reach of social
    \nmedia is unquestionable Keynote (2015) believes that in 2014 alone social media
    \nhas witnessed a growth of 65% and shows that networks such as Facebook,
    \nInstagram and YouTube with hundreds of millions of users along with many new
    \nand improving social networking sites.<\/p>\n

    With
    \nthis expansion gives tourists the ability to find out information about destinations
    \nall over the world; the information shared is not only from the destination
    \nproviders but also by other tourists that have experienced the outlet these
    \nplatforms allow for the sharing of personal pictures, videos and written views
    \nfrom there time spent there. For many destinations, this is both good or bad as
    \nthe experiences shared may not always be flattering and it is not as easy for a
    \ntourism destination to moderate what has been shared.\u00a0 Marketers are now realising that social media
    \nis providing power to consumers to provide feedback not just on a one to one
    \nbasis but to thousands of potential consumers at once (Papasolomou and
    \nMelanthiou, 2012). \u00a0Social networking
    \nsites allows the consumer the ability to gain knowledge on how previous people
    \nfound the destination during their visit. One major provider of this is
    \nTripAdvisor is a website, which allows its users to place reviews and ratings
    \non all aspects of tourist\u2019s destinations from the hotels down to the beaches.
    \nTripavdisor.com, (2017) believes \u2018in the power of travel \u2014 and in helping you
    \nmake the most of every trip. With over 500 million candid traveller reviews, we
    \ncan help you make the right choice when you shop for hotels, restaurants and
    \nattractions\u2019 although how reliable this is remains to be seen.\u00a0 It is widely known that hotels and some
    \ndestinations have the ability to also control what can be viewed by the sites
    \nvisitors. This then will not always give you a complete image when the provider
    \ncan control it at times.\u00a0 As well as
    \nthis, some consumers see social networking as some sort of friendship and place
    \ntrust in the comments and reviews made by other consumers.\u00a0 From this theory, it needs to be established
    \nhow much trust consumers are actually placing on the word of mouth of this
    \nonline world (Papasolomou and Melanthiou, 2012).<\/p>\n

    The
    \nability to share information about experiences have developed into a simplified
    \nmethod because people have access to the internet on any device worldwide. This
    \nhas a major impact on a destinations image and shows the influence of social
    \nmedia on tourist spots.\u00a0 In a review,
    \nPapaolomou and Melanthious, 2012) suggest that future research should be placed
    \non the communication of marketers to consumers through social media.\u00a0 However, this research will explore the
    \nlikelihood that consumers will use the readily accessible information available
    \non social media to make their decision with destination choice and how likely
    \nthey are to provide feedback to support their fellow consumers.\u00a0 As well as this, a further strand to explore
    \nis whether social media is leading the consumption world in today\u2019s society or is
    \nit just a phrase or \u2018buzz word\u2019 (Papaolomou and Melanthious, 2012).<\/p>\n

    2.3 Social Media Marketing<\/h3>\n

    Social
    \nmedia marketing is the use of different online social tools to market a product
    \nof consumption targeting customers. Social media marketing can be categorised
    \nas an online marketing tool that permits \u2018\u2018marketers to communicate a brand\u2019s
    \nbenefits, value proposition, and personality to its target audience\u2019\u2019 (Di Pietro, Di Virgilio and Pantano, 2012).<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Social
    \nmedia marketing is not altogether straight forward it cannot be completely
    \ncontrolled by a team of marketing professionals the way a TV advertisement can
    \nthat is because on social media it is a world very much controlled by what the
    \nconsumer says and views. This for marketers makes the world of social media a
    \ndifficult one to work with.\u00a0 Due to the
    \nmany forms of social media that is based upon content that has been created and
    \ngenerated by the consumer on many outlets such a blogs, virtual communities,
    \ntagging on social networking, Social Media Websites has risen in popularity for
    \ntravellers use and aid (Gretzel, 2006; Pan, MacLaurin and Crotts, 2007).<\/p>\n

    Using
    \nsocial media as a marketing tool by tourism is key to the meet the current
    \ngeneration trends. Social media gives the marketer the ability to target
    \nspecific groups on outlets such as Facebook, twitter and Instagram all of these
    \nsocial networking groups show an individual\u2019s personal trends, what they
    \nsearched on the internet or where they have visited show on a person\u2019s specific
    \nprofile history. Tourism companies pay a fee to the social media provider to
    \ntarget these trends in the person\u2019s profile. Weber, (2009) claims that
    \nsegmentation has changed with the arrival of new platforms, focusing on social
    \nand psychographic individualities. Pay for ads or Clicks is one way in which
    \ncompanies market their products on social media there is two other forms of
    \ndigital marketing that social media marketers use the second one is owned
    \ncontent such as a destinations own personal social media profile which allows
    \nthem to gain followers and to promote and advertise. The last way to direct
    \nmarket on social media is earned content this to many tourism bodies is the
    \nmost effective and sought after as this is user generated content such as file
    \nsharing reviews and such many tourism products try to find effective ways of
    \ngaining this. Places like hotels have Tripadvisor.com review cards and window
    \nadvertisements and believe that if they are performing positively on this area
    \nthen it will be a more influential for of marketing. (Bagley and Lanz, 2014). <\/p>\n

    2.4 Destination Marketing and Electronic Word of Mouth <\/h3>\n
    \n

    A Destination Marketing Organisation is \u2018any organisation, at any level, which is responsible for the marketing of an identifiable destination<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n


    (Pike, 2004, p. 14) <\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    The way a destination is
    \nmarketed is key to the success or failure of the area. Tourism destinations
    \nregularly have marketing teams specifically for the area.\u00a0 The job of these bodies is to promote the
    \nactivities within the city for both possible visitors and persons of the city;
    \nthe organisation is focused on displaying the most attractive up to date
    \ninformation on the destination.\u00a0 Travel
    \nagents and destination marketers are encouraged to uploads high class images
    \nand reviews about these destinations through social media in order to grab the
    \nattention of travel consumers.\u00a0 This
    \ngives further focus to the research in this study to observe how much influence
    \nthis marketing has on destination choice as opposed to traditional word of
    \nmouth.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

    Regardless of this,
    \nwithout effective marketing, things can go seriously wrong and create a bad
    \nimage of a particular destination, which could result in a loss of income from
    \ntourism.\u00a0 Social media does have some
    \nability to influence consumer decisions and agents and marketers needs to make
    \nuse of this tool (Di Pietro, Di Virgillio and Pantano, 2012).<\/p>\n

    While a solid online
    \npresence is needed in such a technological era, it is not all that can be part
    \nof the marketability on a destination.\u00a0
    \nWhile marketers can produce attractive pictures in order to grab the
    \nattention of the consumers it is other interactions that consumers face along
    \nthe way that can then influence future travel decision.\u00a0 This then leads to their experiences being
    \nshared through word of mouth, electronically or not.\u00a0 A recent example of this was the Frye
    \nfestival-a major disaster that has been well documented online on media outlets
    \nsuch as Facebook through their live feed, Twitter and Snapchat. The expensive
    \nfestival had been promoted by popular celebrities and bands that were due to be
    \nin attendance.\u00a0 However, on the day,
    \nguests were greeted by the information of bands cancellations and high-profile
    \nguests no longer in attendance.\u00a0 Further
    \nto this, the festival itself was cancelled and as a result many people attending
    \nthe event where left stranded in Barbados and the local tourism board claiming
    \nno responsibility. This has created an awful image of both the island and the
    \npossible festival may never happen again.\u00a0
    \nIt is imperative that agents and marketers understand that tourist
    \nconsumptions and their behaviour is heavily influenced by other interactions in
    \nthe pre, during and post-holiday and this needs to be a key factor in the
    \ndestination marketing strategies for marketers (Ye et al, 2011) and if this is
    \na negative experience may have severe consequences for the image of the
    \ndestination in question (Lee et al, 2002).<\/p>\n

    In
    \na study on how Social Networking acts as a tool for the choice of tourist
    \ndestination, Di Pietro, Di Virgilio and Pantano, (2011), aimed to establish
    \nwhether social media was beneficial in promoting and marketing tourist
    \ndestinations-hypothesising that communication through Electronic Word of Mouth
    \nhas a direct influence on the decision of destination choice for many consumers.\u00a0 Unlike the study focused on Generation Y, the
    \nparticipants were selected from various age ranges and occupations from
    \nSouthern Italy.\u00a0 It was highlighted in
    \nthe research for the use of social media for tourism is still quite new and in
    \nfact, to the extent that Italian consumers use social networking for their
    \nchoice in holiday destination is still quite underdeveloped (Kasavanna et al,
    \n2010).\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Similar to the Generation Y study,
    \nparticipants are extensively using social media to make decisions on choice of
    \nholiday destinations and as well as this the study does have areas of developed
    \nthrough focus on background specifics of the participants. <\/p>\n

    2.5 Tourism Motivations<\/h3>\n

    Motivation
    \nwas referred to as psychological needs and wants, these include essential
    \nforces that provoke, direct, and incorporate a person\u2019s behaviour and activity.
    \nSince a paradigm of tourism is always related to human beings and to human
    \nnature, it is a complex proposition to investigate why people travel and what
    \nthey want to enjoy. Many disciplines have been utilized to explain wonders and
    \nfeatures connected to motivation. In psychology and sociology, the definition
    \nof motivation is focused toward emotional and cognitive motives or internal and
    \nexternal motives. An internal motive is associated with drives, feelings, and
    \ninstincts. An external motive involves mental representations such as knowledge
    \nor beliefs. From an anthropological point of view, tourists are motivated to
    \nescape the routine of everyday life, seeking authentic experiences.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    In tourism
    \nresearch, this motivation concept can be classified into two forces, which
    \nindicate that people travel because they are pushed and pulled to do so by
    \n\u201csome forces\u201d or factors. According to     Uysal and Hagan (1993)<\/a>, these forces describe how individuals are pushed by motivation
    \nvariables into making travel decisions and how they are pulled or attracted by
    \ndestination attributes. In other words, the push motivations are related to the
    \ntourists\u2019 desire, while pull motivations are associated with the attributes of
    \nthe destination choices Push motivations are closely related to inner or
    \nemotive characteristics. Pull motivations, on the other hand, are connected to
    \nexterior or cognitive aspects. (Yoon and Uysal, 2005)<\/p>\n

    The motivation of the social media user is to
    \ngain the most knowledge possible of the destination before deciding on where to
    \ngo they use the facilities at their disposal to compare the places that they
    \nfind most desirable and find where is most suited to their needs and the needs
    \nof all parties involved with it. On the destinations side the motivation to
    \ngain as big a following and as high a consumer back is key to them this
    \nmotivates them to meet the needs of the consumers both in online image and
    \npresence but at the destination to ensure that it is being consistently met.
    \nFollowing what new trends is socially acceptable and creating new online
    \npositive feedback is away in which the destinations use social networking
    \noutlets to promote business. <\/p>\n

    Tourists
    \nalso have a motivation whilst on holidays to use social media as an outset to
    \nallow friends and family know where they are and what they are doing.\u00a0 Many also believe this to be a way of
    \nnotifying those concerned that everything is ok. The second motivation people
    \nhave whist using their social media while at a tourism destination is the
    \nprocess of boasting, showing off to gain social status or recognition of where
    \nthey are.\u00a0 Tourists can share experiences
    \nthrough sharing reviews and photographs (Berger & Schwartz, 2011).\u00a0 The expansion of new media and mobile
    \ntechnologies increases the possibility of real-time experience sharing and
    \nencourages synchronic communication types (B\u00f8dker & Browning, 2012; Litvin
    \net al., 2008; Qualman, 2009; Shih, 2009). Increasingly, not only telephone
    \ncalls but also real-time electronic media such as short message services (SMS)
    \nallow tourists to maintain relationships while away on holiday. Tourists may
    \nthus gain a sense of real-time integration into home events by initiating
    \nmessages about their experiences by texting, sending photographs\/video by
    \nphone, using email and posting on Internet sites.\u00a0 This goes hand in hand with the
    \ndecision-making process that consumers are faced with when making the decision
    \nof where the destination will be.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

    2.6 The Decision-Making Process<\/h3>\n

    Consumer
    \nbehaviour involves \u2018all activities directly
    \ninvolved in obtaining, consuming and disposing of products and services,
    \nincluding the decision processes that precede and follow these actions\u2019 (Engel,
    \nBlackwell, & Miniard,     1995<\/a>. P.4)\u00a0 In order for social media
    \nmarketing to be successful and effective with consumers, companies need to
    \nunderstand the process in which consumers go through in order to make their
    \ndecision on destination choice.\u00a0 The
    \ndecision making process is one of the five major aspects of consumer behaviour
    \nin tourism that is under developed, leaving room for future research and
    \ntherefore stemmed the basis of the topic of research in this paper (Cohen et
    \nal, 2013).\u00a0 In their narrative review,
    \n(Cohen et al, 2013) attempted to establish where the gap lies in consumer
    \nbehaviour in tourism and hoped to establish what the external influences where
    \non the decision-making process for consumers.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

    Assuming that social media marketing has an effect on the destination
    \nchoice for many tourist, implies that the decision-making process is one that
    \ntaking planning and research for the consumer.\u00a0
    \nHowever, Cohen et al (2013) has found research that challenges this
    \nideology.\u00a0 Hyde and Lawson (2003) states
    \nthat the decision making process combines of both unplanned and planned
    \ndecisions as well as some impulsive choices.\u00a0
    \nHowever, this could be argued that some planned decision can be a result
    \nof extensive research through social media outlets, but also some impulsive
    \ndecisions made as a result of something that has been viewed on a social
    \nnetworking site.\u00a0 Although in this paper,
    \nCohen (2013) warns that urgent research is required in the field of the
    \ndecision making process, this paper only uses research up until 2012 and since
    \nthen further advancements with the web and social media has been made.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

    One particular advancement, is the
    \nemergence of a sophisticated technology Web 2.0- a strong influence on
    \nconsumers that allowed the transformation in the travel decision-making
    \nprocess. Web 2.0 brought the unidirectional communication flow of \u2018the static
    \nweb\u2019 to \u2018the second phase\u2019 of bidirectional communication. This had a huge
    \nimpact on the tourists\u2019 behaviour (Ghandour and Bakalova, 2014).\u00a0 This new effective change brought about new
    \nconsumers, which embraced the improvements by becoming digital consumers.<\/p>\n

    This
    \ngrowth of Web 2.0 has transformed Social Media consisting of social networking,
    \nvarious travel review websites, blogging and any internet based application
    \nthat allowed users to create and review content that can be shared with other
    \nusers (Mintel, 2013).\u00a0 From this then brought
    \naround Travel 2.0; Travel 2.0 being the development that the consumer could
    \nkeep up with the latest tourism trends, check out various offers and readily
    \nfind other consumer opinions on tourism products with much less difficulty
    \n(Viglia, Minazzi and Buhalis, 2016).\u00a0 Word
    \nof mouth reviews were being brought to consumers from global scale with the
    \nadvancement to Electronic Word of Mouth as a result of Web 2.0 and Travel
    \n2.0.\u00a0 \u00a0Mu\u00f1oz\u2010Leiva,
    \nHern\u00e1ndez\u2010M\u00e9ndez and S\u00e1nchez\u2010Fern\u00e1ndez (2012), express the opinion of
    \nTravel 2.0, \u201cusers believe that using Travel 2.0 websites will improve their
    \nperformance when searching for information on a tourist destination and\/or
    \nhotel. Ease of use is related to website structure, that is, users find the
    \nsite simple to use, easily understand its contents and functions and can find
    \nthe information they want fairly quickly.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

    Web
    \nand travel 2.0 was the beginning of where the social media and social media
    \nmarketing became a larger influence on tourism destinations. The freedom of
    \ninformation lead to more and more places to share and express your feelings on
    \na place.<\/p>\n

    In
    \none study, focused around Generation Y aiming to study their reliance on Social
    \nMedia in the holiday decision making process.\u00a0
    \nIn this study, similar to the methodology in this research, surveys were
    \nused in order to collect data.\u00a0 The
    \nresearchers disregarded any surveys that were submitted from a participant over
    \nthe age of thirty-five.\u00a0 However, this
    \ncould be a cause of concern for the reliability of validity of their research
    \nbecause it is unknown when he cohort of Generation Y actually began.\u00a0 The term \u2018generation\u2019 revolves around similar
    \nattitudes and behaviours, not necessarily age (Benckendorff et al, 2010) and is
    \nonly estimated that Generation Y could vary between 1977-1983.\u00a0 Therefore, it is not possible to use finding
    \nto make generalisations about the whole Generation Y cohort.\u00a0 It may have been worthwhile in this study to
    \nanalyse the questionnaires completed by over 35s in order to make a comparison
    \nof the social media influences on different generations.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

    Despite
    \nthe fact that this study focused on a specific age cohort of participants, it
    \ndid not take into account cultural differences and backgrounds of the
    \nparticipants.\u00a0 It did, however, focus on
    \nconsumer behaviour before and after the holiday and found that social media was
    \nreadily utilised pre-holiday and post-holiday.\u00a0\u00a0
    \nGeneration Y, in this study, did rely heavily on social media for
    \ninspiration and ideas on destination choice as well as a platform for
    \nexpressing their opinions and views post-holiday.\u00a0 This supports that ideas that many travellers
    \ncheck social media outlets before making decision on destination choice (Fotis
    \net al, 2011) and that there is a heavy reliance on comments and photographs of
    \nother consumers to aid in the decision-making process for tourism consumers
    \n(Mintel, 2013). <\/p>\n

    With
    \nmy particular study, there will be no limitation on age of participants but
    \nsimilar to this study, will focus on the influence of Social Media Marketing on
    \ndestination choice how this replaces the traditional reviews of word of mouth
    \nfrom family and friends.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n

    3.0 Methodology<\/h2>\n

    According
    \nto Baggio and Klobas, (2011), \u201cTourism,
    \nlike many other human activities, relies heavily on data of all sorts and the
    \nquantitative treatment of data and information collected in a wide variety of
    \nways is a crucial endeavour for both academics and practitioners.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

    We
    \ndefine quantitative methods as a collection of techniques and methods used by
    \nresearchers to assess or measure social phenomena (Cheia, 2010).\u00a0 Quantitative surveys are often used in
    \ntourism research where respondents provide their opinions on a stance using a
    \nrange of structured questions provided by the researcher.\u00a0 In this case, primary quantitative data was
    \nused using a survey.\u00a0 This survey was
    \ntailor and conducted for this study.\u00a0
    \nSome disadvantaged have been highlighted in the past such as cost and
    \ntime, however, due to advances of the internet, the cost and time of running
    \nthese surveys have been significantly reduced.\u00a0
    \nSurvey experts find these methods of data collected valid and unbiased
    \nas they believe that the information comes directly from the participant
    \nwithout the researcher having to interact with the data entry (Dillman, 2007). <\/p>\n

    The two main choices of data collection are
    \nquantitative and qualitative research there is also the choice to use both in a
    \nmixed method research technique.\u00a0 This
    \ncan ensure that there is a greater understanding of the research by integrating
    \nthe two methods (Bergman, 2009).\u00a0 Due to
    \ntimerestraints associated with the research, I felt that qualitative data would not allow
    \nme to gain enough thorough and reliable responses through interviews or focus
    \ngroups. The quantitative method of questionnaires would allow me to use a
    \nsmaller sample group to make assumptions about a larger proportion without the
    \ncost and time restraints (Hotlon and Burnett, 1997).\u00a0 I chose to proceed with both open and closed
    \nquestions, this way it would give the person completing the questionnaire the
    \nopportunity to elaborate on their answers and give me a better understanding of
    \nwhy they chose the answer they did. The outlet to supply the questionnaires was
    \nthrough an online website, which also allowed me to collect and process the
    \ndata on the website.<\/p>\n

    When
    \nconsidering the questions for your research, it is important to ask that right
    \nones-they needs to result in valid and reliable feedback, they must test the
    \ntheory that is being researched and investigate a topic (Payne, 1951).\u00a0 With this in mind, I felt that a ten-item questionnaire would help me to
    \ncharacterise the data giving the participant opportunity to think about their
    \nresponses.\u00a0 The questions all had
    \nmultiple-choice answers with a text box for follow up answers. The initial
    \nnumber of participants requested was 150 I chose this number because I believe
    \nthat it would help in the analysis of them to create an image of who is
    \ninfluenced by what. <\/p>\n

    Previously,
    \ndata collection would have been known to be costly and time consuming and y
    \ndecision to conduct online questionnaires was an attempt to reduce the time for
    \nthe data collection.\u00a0 Although this is a
    \nrelatively new methods of data collection, online data collection is already
    \nproving to be efficient and convenient for researchers (Mertler, 2002).\u00a0 Limitations of using online data collections
    \nmay pose problems from a technical stance.\u00a0
    \nThis could arise from issues with the internet explorer, or from the users\u2019
    \ninability or inexperience with using the internet.\u00a0 This could have been an issue with the access
    \nof the questionnaire for this research as I obtained only 96 out of a possible
    \n150 completed questionnaires.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

    4.0 Findings<\/h2>\n

    In
    \nthe following chart Figure 1, it shows what the demographic between male and
    \nfemale was for answering the questionnaire. The questionnaire only had people
    \nthat identify as male and female to reply with just over 80% of the respondents
    \nwas female.\u00a0 Only one person did not
    \nrespond to this question for reasons unknown.<\/p>\n

    Fig.1<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n

    Fig
    \n2. <\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n

    Figure
    \n2 displays the age range of the individuals 50% of these individuals ranged in
    \nthe 18-34 years old-35% in the 24-34 age category.\u00a0 The remainder of respondents fall into 35 and
    \nover.\u00a0 It may be worth giving
    \nparticipants the opportunity to be more specific when stating their age in
    \nfuture research.\u00a0 However, the fact that
    \n50% of participants were under the age of 34 supports the above Generation Y study
    \nand the reliance and confidence with using social media.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

    Fig.3<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n

    Figure
    \n3 displays the figures for people that used social media to research a destination
    \nbefore selecting it.\u00a0 This demonstrates
    \nthat a dependency for information on a specific is in 74% of respondents and
    \n26% chose to go without the need for outside confirmation.\u00a0 Although the ultimate outcome is that the
    \nmajority of participants rely mainly on word of mouth, there is still a clear
    \nlink and reliance on social media when choosing destination.<\/p>\n

    Fig
    \n4. <\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n

    With
    \nfigure 4, this shows what people believe the influence of social media has on
    \ntheir choice of destination. The largest number of people believe that social
    \nmedia plays a moderate likely hood that it would influence their decision
    \nmaking. Only 26% of participants are very likely to let social media influence
    \ntheir choice of destination.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

    Fig
    \n5.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n

    The
    \nresponse to this question, in some manner supports the previous question.\u00a0 It demonstrates that although many the
    \nparticipants have said that an advertisement on social media has influenced, the
    \nmajority said that it did not have an influence on their decision.<\/p>\n

    Fig.6.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n

    Fig.7<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n

    While
    \nmany respondents expressed that if they were to make a complaint or promote a
    \nspecific holiday destination, they would use TripAdvisor, the majority of
    \nparticipants still believe that the traditional word of mouth is more reliable
    \nthan social networking reviews.\u00a0 According
    \nto Bolton et al, (2013), the social media platform had actually existed since
    \n1981, but it wasn\u2019t until 2003 that it was actually widely adopted.\u00a0 With this in mind, it may be this
    \ninexperience or lack of knowledge that prevents the 51% of participants in the
    \nstudy from trusting social media outlets for information on tourist
    \ndestinations. <\/p>\n

    5.0 Limitations and Future Developments <\/h2>\n

    This study
    \ncould have shown a lot more information and has left gaps and motivations for
    \nfurther research. \u00a0The study helps to fill a gap in knowledge that will
    \ncontinue to exist in the literature. The questionnaire developed could have
    \nbeen a lot longer to included more details of which webpage was the most
    \neffective in its destination promotion. The questionnaire also needed a larger
    \nnumber of respondents to correctly represent the public\u2019s views.\u00a0 In
    \nfurther research, I would recommend increasing the numbers to over one thousand
    \nrespondents as I believe this could help to gain more data to analysis. The
    \nmain age range was also a poor reflection of the study with mainly the younger
    \nrespondents answering the questionnaire so targeting a larger audience like
    \nwith the Generation Y study and putting requirements on how many from each age
    \ngroup could filter the results to bring more validity to the study.\u00a0
    \nHowever, this could also highlight the lack of confidence older members of
    \nsociety have in accessing the internet and using it for a reliable source of
    \ninformation for their holiday destination.<\/p>\n

    \u00a0The
    \nnext recommendation would be to hold a focus groups over a long period to gain
    \nthe views of people within a group setting.\u00a0 This would give the
    \nresearcher the opportunity to gain more information to compare and support with
    \nthe results of data collected from questionnaires.\u00a0 A mixed method
    \napproach would open the answers received in the questionnaires, as many of the
    \nresults were short and to a point. (Creswell, 2014)<\/p>\n

    Through
    \nfocusing the research on more specific tourism destinations would be more
    \nsuitable as it would focus the study into how the destination marketing
    \norganisations compare to others rather than having it as an open section to any
    \ndestination.\u00a0 For example, I would focus on destinations that are becoming
    \nincreasingly popular and over a period of time and explore how and why this
    \npopulation rises.\u00a0 Would this be a result of social media?\u00a0 It could
    \nalso help in understanding in where success is with one destination and why
    \nanother is failing.\u00a0 This would be
    \nbeneficial for both tourism destinations to know where they need to focus their
    \nmarketing to increase the consumer numbers.<\/p>\n

    In addition
    \nto this, it would be extremely beneficial to hold interviews with Tour Agents
    \nand explore how they use social media for their method of promotion and
    \ndestination marketing.\u00a0 One participant used Loka Travel to plan their
    \nEast Coast adventure and this was as a result of their pro-active use of
    \nInstagram.\u00a0 On further investigation of this, Loka\u2019s Instagram is packed
    \nwith images of another backpackers\u2019 experience on their trip.\u00a0 Through
    \nthis, consumers can observe real life experiences of those who actually
    \nexperienced the company.\u00a0 This further supports in my questionnaire how
    \none participant mentioned how the use of pictures for advertisement-this was
    \nthe main deal breaker for their choice of destination.\u00a0 This could
    \nhighlight the power of using pictures for advertisements. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

    6.0 Conclusion<\/h2>\n

    The
    \naim of this dissertation was research how social media affects consumers
    \nopinions on tourism destinations. With the use of linked studies, I was able to
    \nexplore strands to base my own research upon. \u00a0From this, I could understand the first links
    \nmade between Social Media and Tourism with the advancements that tour agents
    \nand destination marketers have made to keep up with the internet trends.\u00a0 It was easy to pinpoint that the
    \nestablishment of Web 2.0 gave Travel 2.0 the opportunity to followed suit and gave
    \nthe consumer more power and control over destination marketing and tourism
    \ncontent.\u00a0 Linking to this, I \u00a0wanted to understand social media\u2019s role in
    \ntourism and how developing a solid basis for social media and destination marketing
    \na large section of all tourist destinations was imperative for the tourism
    \nconsumer. The information found that domestic marketing organisations such as
    \nthe Visitbritian.org helped to understand that an accessible online presence
    \noffering all platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and many of the other social
    \nmedia networks should play an integral role in each destination plans.<\/p>\n

    The
    \ndata collection illustrated that there is a lot more data collection need in
    \nboth methods and it has been recommended that a mixed method research should be
    \nemployed for future studies. It has also been expressed the need to control the
    \ntime scale that you set for the data collection and analysis as this will bring
    \nabout more respondents and open the value of data collected.<\/p>\n

    It
    \nis felt that many times social media is a constant in people\u2019s lives but it
    \ndoes not control every decision that people makes as demonstrated in my study
    \nand data collection.\u00a0 A consumers\u2019 choice
    \nof destination has many other factors involved. Social media marketing is
    \nimportant for some people so it is effective and the work that tourism bodies
    \ndo in social media will continue to follow the times.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

    7.0 References<\/h2>\n

    Baggio,
    \nR and Klobas, J (2011). Quantative Methods: The Handbook<\/em>. Bristol:
    \nChannel View. 6-12.<\/p>\n

    Bergman, M. (2009). Advances
    \nin mixed methods research<\/em>. 1st ed. Los Angeles: Sage.<\/p>\n

    Coffey, H. (2017). This video of a passenger being dragged off a flight is making people angry<\/em>. [online] The Independent. Available at: http:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/travel\/news-and-advice\/united-airlines-man-video-dragged-off-plane-overbooked-flight-3411-twitter-viral-a7676846.html
    \n[Accessed 2 May 2017\n<\/p>\n

    Creswell, J. (2014). Research
    \ndesign<\/em>. 1st ed. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.<\/p>\n

    Di Pietro, L., Di Virgilio, F.
    \nand Pantano, E. (2012). Social network for the choice of tourist destination:
    \nattitude and behavioural intention. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism
    \nTechnology<\/em>, 3(1), pp.60-76.<\/p>\n

    Faculty of Tourism &
    \nHospitality Management in Opatija. Biennial International Congress. Tourism
    \n& Hospitality Industry. (2010). 1st ed. Tourism & Hospitality
    \nManagement, pp.890-901.<\/p>\n

    Ghandour,
    \nR and Bakalova, R. (2014). Social Media influence on the holiday decision
    \nmaking process. Journal of organisational studies and innovation<\/em>. 1 (2),
    \np41-52.<\/p>\n

    Hannam, K. (2004). Tourism and
    \ndevelopment II: marketing destinations, experiences and crises. Progress in
    \nDevelopment Studies<\/em>, 4(3), pp.256-263.<\/p>\n

    Kaplan, A. and Haenlein, M.
    \n(2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social
    \nMedia. Business Horizons<\/em>, 53(1), p.61.<\/p>\n

    Keynote.co.uk. (2017). Internet
    \nAdvertising | Key Note<\/em>. [online] Available at:
    \nhttps:\/\/www.keynote.co.uk\/market-report\/media-marketing\/internet-advertising?full_report=true
    \n[Accessed 2 May 2017].<\/p>\n

    Knoblich, S., Martin, A.,
    \nNash, R. and Stansbie, P. (2016). Keys to success in Social Media Marketing
    \n(SMM) \u2013 Prospects for the German airline industry. Tourism and Hospitality
    \nResearch<\/em>, 17(2), pp.147-164.<\/p>\n

    Lefever,S,
    \nDal, M and Matth\u00edasd\u00f3ttir, A . (2007). Online data collection in academic
    \nresearch: advantages and limitations. British Journal of Educational
    \nTechnology<\/em>. 38 (4), p574-582.<\/p>\n

    McIntosh,
    \nA. J., & Thyne, M. A. (2005). Understanding tourist behavior using the
    \nmeans-end chain theory. Annals of Tourism Research, 32(1), 259\u2013262.<\/p>\n

    Mertler, C. (2002).
    \nDemonstrating the potential for web-based survey methodology with a case
    \nstudy.\u00a0 American Secondary Education, 30
    \n(2), 49\u201362. <\/p>\n

    Munar, A. and Jacobsen, J.
    \n(2014). Motivations for sharing tourism experiences through social media. Tourism
    \nManagement<\/em>, 43, pp.46-54.<\/p>\n

    Mu\u00f1oz\u2010Leiva, F.,
    \nHern\u00e1ndez\u2010M\u00e9ndez, J. and S\u00e1nchez\u2010Fern\u00e1ndez, J. (2012). Generalising user
    \nbehaviour in online travel sites through the Travel 2.0 website acceptance
    \nmodel. Online Information Review<\/em>, 36(6), pp.879-883.<\/p>\n

    Papasolomou,
    \nI and Melanthiou, Y. (2012). Social Media: Marketing Public Relations\u2019 New Best
    \nFriend. Journal of Promotion Managment <\/em>. 18 (3), 319-328<\/p>\n

    Qualman, E. (2012). Socialnomics<\/em>.
    \n2nd ed. John Wiley & Sons Inc., p.ix.<\/p>\n

    Smith, T. (2017). Qualitative
    \n& Quantitative Research. Research Starters Education<\/em>, 1, p.1.<\/p>\n

    Sparks, B. A., and Browning, V. (2011). The impact of online
    \nreviews on hotel booking intentions and perception of trust.<\/em> Tourism Management<\/em>, 32<\/em>,
    \n1310\u20131323<\/p>\n

    VisitBritain. (2017). Digital
    \n& online marketing<\/em>. [online] Available at:
    \nhttps:\/\/www.visitbritain.org\/digital-online-marketing [Accessed 4 May 2017].<\/p>\n

    Visitliverpool.com. (2017). Hello
    \nand welcome to Liverpool \u2013 a city of culture, heritage & people\u2026 \u2013 Visit
    \nLiverpool<\/em>. [online] Available at: http:\/\/www.visitliverpool.com\/ [Accessed
    \n4 May 2017].<\/p>\n

    Weber, L. (2013). Marketing
    \nto the social web<\/em>. 1st ed. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, pp.37-39.<\/p>\n

    Yoon, Y. and Uysal, M. (2005).
    \nAn examination of the effects of motivation and satisfaction on destination
    \nloyalty: a structural model. Tourism Management<\/em>, 26(1), pp.45-56.<\/p>\n

    Zivkovic, R., Gajic, J. and
    \nBrdar, I. (2014). The Impact Of Social Media on Tourism. Impact of Internet
    \non Business Activities in Serbia and Worldwide<\/em>, p.758.<\/p>\n

    8.0 Appendices<\/h2>\n

    Fig.1<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n

    Fig.2<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n

    Fig.3<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n

    Fig.4<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n

    Fig.5<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n

    Fig.6<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n

    Fig.7<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n

    Fig.8<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n

    Fig.9<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n

    Fig.10<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Does social media marketing affect your choice of destination? Abstract The importance for tourism destinations to have a good visual presence on social media is becoming more apparent. Social media is becoming more advanced and is offering more options for a tourist to visualise the destination before they decide to go. The following work will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8514,8396,8344],"tags":[5676,5686,5780,5294,5674,5677,5678,6403,4639],"class_list":["post-45682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-do-my-homework-tourism-examples","category-paper-writing-service","category-tourism-examples","tag-1500-words-assessment-task","tag-ace-homework-tutors","tag-assignment-homework-help-answers","tag-bishops-writing-bureau","tag-create-a-2-4-page-resource","tag-create-powerpoint-include-harvard-referencing","tag-i-need-completed-essay-in-300-400-words","tag-write-a-3-5pg-paper","tag-write-a-page-assignment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45682\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}