Using travel blogs to examine the postconsumption behavior of tourists

Abstract

This study proposes that travel blogging has become part of tourist practices, particularly in the postconsumption stage. Travel blogs serve as platforms where tourists can remember, evaluate, store, and enrich their travel experiences. Extant literature has recognized travel blogs as a valuable source of information on tourists’ activities, perceptions of destinations, and word-of-mouth communication. This study suggests that an examination of travel blogs, looking at how tourists reconstruct their travel experiences and the actions behind the blogging, can provide a deeper understanding of the postconsumption behavior of tourists. Recent tourist experience models have emphasized that the postconsumption stage of a travel experience extends beyond the evaluation of the experience by the tourist. In this study, the discourse analysis of travel blogs by 19 British long-haul and multiple-destination travelers reveals three common actions behind travel blogging: representing places, acts of self-presentation, identity construction, and “othering.” The analysis shows bloggers employing linguistic techniques and self-presentation strategies in their travel narratives. Implications of the key findings for marketing strategies and destination image are discussed.