Sharing Travel Experience on Social Media about the Kenyan Coast: A Case of Wanderlust Diaries, a Facebook Travel Platform

Abstract

Social media users share posts with different motivations. The study determined the motivations for sharing travel experiences about the Kenyan coast on wanderlust diaries and analyzed the travel experiences expressed on wanderlust diaries about Kenyan coast. The study utilized cross-sectional research design. An online survey with 50 respondents was used to determine motivations for sharing travel experiences about the Kenya Coast on Wanderlust diaries. The target population was 394500 followers. The study employed both probabilistic and non-probabilistic sampling method since the study was both quantitative and qualitative. The sampling frame was all the users of the page on facebook. A sample size of 384 was chosen using the formula. The response rate was 13% (50 questionnaires) which was allowed by the professor due to time constraints. For the qualitative data, textual data from 20 Wanderlust diaries posts on Facebook was analyzed. The posts were coded with the theme Mombasa 1 to 20. The study results indicated that motivations for sharing travel experiences include identification (sharing travel experiences, informing, recognition, raising awareness, informing others about my trip), internalization (diarizing my trip, rating products and services, entertainment and making friends) and compliance (earning a commission, getting a job, likes, it is a requirement). The travel experiences expressed on wanderlust diaries about Kenyan coast was that majority of the posts showed attractions as key to their travel experiences (22%), followed by activities (18%). Safety and weather were the least experiences posted on Wanderlust diaries about the Kenyan coast (7% and 2% respectively). The study concluded that motivations for sharing travel experiences include identification, internalization and compliance. The travel experiences expressed on wanderlust diaries about Kenyan coast include posts showing attractions, followed by activities, safety and weather. The study recommended that a qualitative study should be carried out using interviews to further interpret and confirm or disconfirm motives for sharing on Wanderlust diaries. A quantitative study using surveys should be carried out to gain insight on other descriptive about the Wanderlust Diaries participants. The Kenyan Coast local governments and tourism circuit organizations should use big data and employ smart destination development and management. Keywords: Motivations, sharing travel experiences, travel experiences, wanderlust diaries, Kenyan coast