Tourism destinations in the digital and social media age Research Proposal

Tourism destinations in the digital and social media age - Research Proposal Example The growth of technologies and social networking has resulted in increasing importance of social media in tourism activities impacting destinations and businesses (Buhalis and Law, 2008). Easy access to internet and social media has changed the way information related to travel and leisure is shared. Social media provides a platform to tourists and travellers to share their travel experiences and emotions far more conveniently than that in the past (Jacobsen and Munar, 2012). The objective of this research is to evaluate impact of social and digital media on tourism destinations and role of information in improving the experience of consumer. Further, the study concentrates on role of tourism operators in educating consumers about destination engagement. According to various researchers, effect of social media is vital on the tourism industry as the web-based platform provides for real-time sharing of travel experiences, in addition to information available in guidebooks, news media and travel coordinators (Williams, Stewart and Larsen, 2011). Although a number of studies have been conducted to understand destination choice of tourists based on online information, there are still certain deficiencies related to impact of social media on travellers. So, the research objective is to establish significance of social media, especially social networks and blogs, in engaging consumers to tourist destinations ( Jennings, 2001). Advancement in technologies and increase in usage of internet has resulted in consideration of information search as a well-established segment of research. Moreover, various consumer and marketing studies reflect preference of individuals towards information search prior to any consumption decision (Gursoy and McCleary, 2004). Information related to a tourist destination emerges not only from experienced visitors, but