The Role of Influencers in Destination Marketing through Instagram Social Platform

Abstract

Today, social media has considerably affected all social and economic aspects of our lives. Marketing is one of the fields which has significantly evolved through applying the power of virtual networks and social platforms, particularly marketing of tourism and travel products. Social platforms such as Instagram, by using their capabilities in sharing photos and video clips, have played an effective role in promoting tourist destinations. On the other hand, having a large number of followers, influencers on social platforms have a huge impact on tourists’ decision-making patterns. Thus, studying how social platforms affect marketing activities is vital to survival in today’s competitive environment. In this regard, the present research aims to study the role of social platform influencers in marketing tourist destinations, as well as identify appropriate criteria in selecting influencers by marketers. Therefore, the Instagram platform was targeted as the case. A series of semi-structured, in-depth interviews took place to gather the required data, which were analysed using the Thematic Analysis method. A sample of nine experts was taken from a population of specialists in the fields of marketing, tourism, media and content production. Finally, extracted themes were classified into six groups including: criteria to select influencers by tourism marketers; shared content; destination promotion; prerequisites for tourism businesses; influencer–business interactions; and potential of the Instagram platform. In turn, sub-themes were extracted and described in detail. The findings of the present study have several practical implications for destination marketers, particularly for those who are active in the field of digital marketing, as well as influencers and individuals seeking to attract audiences and increase their credibility on social media.