Social media as a destination marketing tool: its use by national tourism organisations

TLDR

Social media are becoming a key marketing tool for destination marketing organisations as public sector funding cuts push them to maximise limited budgets and reach global audiences efficiently. This study investigates how the DMOs of the world’s ten most visited countries use social media. Using content analysis and semi‑structured interviews, the authors examine social media practices and develop a best‑practice framework for other national tourism organisations. They find that top DMOs’ social media use remains largely experimental and that strategies differ markedly.

Abstract

Social media are gaining prominence as an element of destination marketing organisation (DMO) marketing strategy at a time when public sector cuts in their funding are requiring them to seek greater value in the way marketing budgets are spent. Social media offers DMOs with a tool to reach a global audience with limited resources. The aim of this study is to explore the usage of social media among the DMOs of the top 10 most visited countries by international tourists. The study uses content analysis and semi-structured interviews to examine the usage and impact of social media marketing strategies and identifies a framework of best practice for other national tourism organizations (NTOs) to learn from. The study argues that social media usage among top DMOs is still largely experimental and that strategies vary significantly.