APPRECIATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA BY TOURIST ACCOMMODATION OWNERS IN GREECE

Abstract

The primary aim of this paper is to examine the use of social media by managers in the field of tourism, especially in small and medium-sized businesses in Greece. An explanatory quantitative survey has been applied to collect, process and analyze primary data using questionnaires answered by 302 tourist accommodation owners, originated from 35 prefectures across the mainland and the islands of Greece. The research has indicated that the degree of social media dynamics is also large in small and medium-sized businesses. Regarding the goals that every business wishes to achieve by using social media, it has come up that businessmen seem to be content with their simple preserve on social media and retain mainly an informative and advertising approach. Based of the findings, it has become apparent that social media use, even for advertising purposes, occurs but without being a part of a general strategy promotion, thus with no specific plan or goals, without realizing the benefits of their advantages, and with no results measurements.