Abstract
Purpose This paper investigates the usage and trust of Chinese social media in the travel planning process (pre-trip, during-trip and post-trip) of Chinese tourists.Design/methodology/approach Through a combination of structured online survey (n = 406) and follow-up interviews, the research identifies the diversification of the demand-and-supply patterns of social media users in China, as well as the allocation of functions of social media as tools before, during and after travel.Findings Social media users are diverse in terms of their adoption of social media, use behaviour and scope; the levels of trust and influence; and their ultimate travel decisions and actions. Correlations between the level of trust, influence of social media and the intended changes in travel decisions are observed. Destination marketers and tourism industries should observe and adapt to the needs of social media users and potential tourist markets by understanding more about user segmentation between platforms or apps and conducting marketing campaigns on social media platforms to attract a higher number of visitors.Research limitations/implications This paper demonstrated the case of social media usage in mainland China, which has been regarded as one of the fastest growing and influential tourist-generating markets and social media expansions in the world. This study further addressed the knowledge gap by correlating social media usage and travel planning process of Chinese tourists. The research findings suggested diversification of the demand-and-supply pattern of social media users in China, as well as the use of social media as tools before, during and after travel. Users were diversified in terms of their adoption of social media, use behaviour, scope, the levels of trust, influence and the ultimate travel decisions.Practical implications Destination marketing organizations should note that some overseas social media platforms that are not accessible in China like TripAdvisor, Yelp, Facebook and Instagram are still valued by some Chinese tourists, especially during-trip period in journeys to Western countries. Some tactics for specific user segments should be carefully observed. When promoting specific tourism products to Chinese tourists, it is necessary to understand the user segmentation between platforms or apps.Originality/value Social media is a powerful tool for tourism development and sustainability in creating smart tourists and destinations worldwide. In China, the use of social media has stimulated the development of both information and communication technology and tourism.
Highlights
In the era of information and communication technology (ICT) and social media, the Internet has evolved from a broadcast medium into an open platform, which allows users to become “media” themselves, giving them the power to search, organize, share, annotate and contribute content in a collaborative way (Parra-Lopez et al, 2011)
The research findings identified the pattern of social media usage in China, pinpointing to the travel planning process of tourists, and the resultant possibilities of tourism development futures connecting to smartness and innovativeness
This paper demonstrated the case of social media usage in mainland China, which has been regarded as one of the fastest growing and influential tourist-generating markets and social media expansions in the world (CTA and Ctrip, 2017 CNNIC, 2017)
Summary
In the era of information and communication technology (ICT) and social media, the Internet has evolved from a broadcast medium into an open platform, which allows users to become “media” themselves, giving them the power to search, organize, share, annotate and contribute content in a collaborative way (Parra-Lopez et al, 2011). As the key industry and driver for economic growth in many cities, tourism has been greatly affected by the expanding use of social media (Information about the authors can be found at the end of this article.). The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/ licences/by/4.0/legalcode
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
