Let’s see the whole picture: a multi-platform visual analysis of historic Mission San José on Instagram, Pinterest, Flickr, and TripAdvisor

Abstract

ABSTRACT Tourists frequently research, plan, and reflect on their travel experiences online via social networking sites (SNSs). While past tourism research suggests that differences exist in the type of content shared by tourists on different SNSs, there is little research comparing the tourist-generated content (TGC) or user-generated photographs (UGPs) from multiple SNSs. To address this gap in literature, the current study utilized a visual content analysis of tourist-generated social media images from Instagram, Pinterest, Flickr, and TripAdvisor in order to compare these platforms and the messages they communicate about the heritage tourist destination of Mission San José located in San Antonio, Texas, United States. Employing a case study approach of a single tourist destination allowed for the exploration of how a destination can be visualized differently by tourists across different SNSs, how different SNSs are used in different ways by tourists, and how historic visual narratives are communicated in contemporary online spaces. Study findings establish the importance of analyzing visual content from across multiple SNSs because each site offers a unique perspective on the destination. These findings have implications for tourism marketers and researchers attempting to leverage user-generated online content to better understand perceived destination image, particularly in heritage tourism spaces.