Social media is fundamentally changing the way travellers and tourists search, find, read and trust, as well as collaboratively produce information about tourism suppliers and tourism destinations. Presenting cutting-edge theory, research and case studies investigating Web 2.0 applications and tools that transform the role and behaviour of the new generation of travellers, this book also examines the ways in which tourism organisations reengineer and implement their business models and operations, such as new service development, marketing, networking and knowledge management. Written by an international group of researchers widely known for their expertise in the field of the Internet and tourism, chapters include applications and case studies in various travel, tourism and leisure sectors.

This volume addresses the transformative power of tourism social media and offers novel theoretical and methodological approaches to its academic investigation. Acknowledging the collective value creation mechanisms of new media, the authors explore how technology nurtures, augments and modifies social or commercial interactions in tourism.

The global tourism industry stands at a crossroads, facing unprecedented challenges that demand immediate attention. Despite its undeniable economic significance, the sector has weathered various crises, prompting a critical reevaluation of its traditional modus operandi. Decision-makers grapple with the urgent need for a transformative approach, questioning how best to navigate the complex web of issues threatening the industry's stability. The convergence of evolving tourist behaviors, uncertainties related to new trends, and the escalating pressure for sustainability creates a pressing need for collaborative, tech-driven strategies to reshape the future of tourism management. Social Media Strategies for Tourism Interactivity emerges as a pivotal resource in this tumultuous landscape. Within the pages of this book, a strategic guide unfolds for decision-makers seeking to thrive in the face of challenges. By delving into the current trends of cooperative competition among traditional micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (TSMEs), the book advocates for a transformative approach that leverages technological advancements and digitalization. It explores how these strategies can lead to more efficient resource utilization, rapid adaptation to changing tourism demands, and a sustainable balance that aligns with contemporary concerns. In the context of rapid change, this book becomes an essential tool, offering practical and visionary solutions for the substantial challenges of the tourism industry.

This book describes ongoing developments in social media within the tourism and hospitality sector, highlighting impacts on both the demand and the supply side. It offers a combination of theory and practice, with discussion of real-life business experiences. The book is divided into three parts, the first of which provides an overview of recent trends in social media and user-generated content, clarifies concepts that are often used in an overlapping way and examines the “digitization of word of mouth” via online networks. The second part analyzes the impacts that social media can have on traveler behavior for each step in the travel process and also on suppliers, highlighting opportunities, threats and strategies. In the third part of the book, future potential trends deriving from the mobile marketing technologies are explored and possible methods for social monitoring by means of key performance indicators are examined. It is considered how engaging customers and prospects by means of social media might increase customer loyalty, foster electronic word-of-mouth communication, and consequently have important effects on corporate sales and revenues. The discussion encompasses methods to measure company performance on each of the social media in order to understand the optimal mix that will support and improve business strategies.

This comprehensive Handbook offers an overview of current research on the use of social media within the tourism industry, investigating a range of social media practices and proposing strategies to address key challenges faced by tourist destinations and operators. International contributors analyse both conceptual and practical social media topics, addressing cutting-edge social media issues in destination management and marketing. Drawing on empirical case studies and examples, chapters explore dark tourism, gastro-tourism, travel blogs, electronic word-of-mouth, sentiment analysis and a variety of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The Handbook also defines central social media concepts and explores the impact they have on the success of tourist destinations, setting the stage for a better understanding of the relationship between social media and tourism. Through an examination of current trends in social media, as well as future trajectories, it provides critical insights for the successful development and implementation of social media marketing strategies. This Handbook will be a critical read for scholars and students of geography and business management, with a specific interest in tourism and hospitality management. Its practical considerations will also be beneficial for planners, policy makers, managers and marketers in the tourism industry.

This book brings together cutting edge research and applications of social media and related technologies, their uses by consumers and businesses in travel, tourism and hospitality. The first section addresses topical issues related to how social media influence the operations and strategies of tourism firms and help them enhance tourism experiences: open innovation, crowdsourcing, service-dominant logic, value co-creation, value co-destruction and augmented reality. The second section of the book looks at new applications of social media for marketing purposes in a variety of tourism-related sectors, addressing crowd-sourced campaigns, customer engagement and influencer marketing. The third section uses case studies and new methodologies to analyze travel review posting and consumption behaviors as well as the impact of social media on traveller perceptions and attitudes, with a focus on collaborative consumption and sharing economy accommodation. Finally, the fourth section focuses on hot topics and issues related to the analysis, interpretation and use of online information and user-generated content for deriving business intelligence and enhancing business decision-making. Written by an international body of well-known researchers, this book uses fresh theoretical lenses, perspectives and methodological approaches to look at the practical implications of social media for tourism suppliers, destinations, tourism policy makers and researchers alike. For these reasons, it will be a valuable resource for students, managers and academics with an interest in information and communication technologies, marketing for tourism and hospitality, and travel and transportation management.

Digital marketing and online social media platforms have become the cornerstones to the success of places and accommodation. This edited volume investigates the current status of digital marketing and social media utilization by both travellers and service providers and explores future digital marketing and social media research trends.

Tourists frequently rely on social networks to provide information about a product or destination as a decision support tool to make adequate decisions in the process of planning a trip. In this digital environment, tourists share their travel experiences, impressions, emotions, special moments, and opinions about an assortment of tourist services like hotels, restaurants, airlines, and car rental services, all of which contribute to the online reputation of a tourist destination. The Handbook of Research on Social Media Applications for the Tourism and Hospitality Sector is a fundamental reference source that provides vital theoretical frameworks and the latest innovative empirical research findings of online social media in the tourism industry. While highlighting topics such as e-business, mobile marketing, and smart tourism, this publication explores user-generated content and the methods of mobile strategies. This book is ideally designed for tour developers, travel agents, restaurateurs, hotel management, tour directors, entrepreneurs, social media analysts, managers, industry professionals, academicians, researchers, and students.

Smart tourism is an upcoming concept, which involves the application of information and communication technology for the purpose of developing innovative tools and approaches for improving tourism. Some of the technologies on which smart tourism relies considerably are mobile communication, cloud computing, AI and virtual reality. Traditionally, tourists were passive recipients of services and had no say in the way tourism industry worked. However, the emergence of social media along with smart tourism has made it possible for tourists to share their experiences and provide feedback to the industry. Prospective tourists make their decisions based on information and reviews available on the social media. This book provides significant information of smart tourism to help develop a good understanding of its relationship with social media. It presents researches and studies performed by experts across the globe. The book will serve as a reference to a broad spectrum of readers.

Understanding how places, particularly cities and towns, are marketed to and consumed by tourists, is vital to anyone working in the tourism industry. By creating and promoting a unique branded destination, the successful marketer can attract new visitors to their city or tourism attraction. With the rise of social media, there is even more scope to explore how tourism marketers can use their own and other social media sites to communicate with today’s tech connected traveler. In a new updated volume, Tourism Marketing for Cities and Towns provides thorough and succinct coverage of place marketing theory specific to the tourism industry. It focuses on clearly explaining how to develop the branded destination with special emphasis on product analysis, promoting authenticity and, new to this edition, the use of social media to create the personalized experiences desired by visitors. In addition, it contains a wide range of international examples and perspectives from a large variety of different stakeholders, alongside discussion questions and strategic planning worksheets. This book provides both practical advice with real-world application and a theoretical background to the field as a whole. Written in an engaging style, this book will be valuable reading for upper level students and business practitioners of Tourism, Marketing, Urban Studies, Business Management and Leisure Studies.