SOCIAL NETWORKS AND DESTINATIONS OF CULTURAL TOURISM IN SERBIA
Abstract
Travel and tourism are the most promising industries in the world, and information is critical to their success. Social networks represent a significant source of information that can strongly influence tourist plans and the choice of tourist destinations. The use of social networks in tourism is growing rapidly, becoming an important marketing tool for tourism entrepreneurs. Serbia has great potential in the form of cultural tourism destinations, but so far it has not been investigated how social networks can influence the process of selecting these destinations. Therefore, the goal of the research was to explore the habits of social network usage among tourists visiting cultural tourism destinations in Serbia, as well as to find out which destinations are the most visited. In order to achieve this, a survey was conducted among 400 respondents who live in Serbia and use social networks. The results showed that respondents most often visit cities and old city centers, use social networks several times a day and that photos have the most significant influence when choosing a cultural tourism destination.
References
1. Amaro, S. and Duarte, P. (2017) Social media use for travel purposes: a cross cultural comparison between Portugal and the UK. Information Technology & Tourism, 17, pp.161-181. DOI: 10.1007/s40558-017-0074-7
2. Ana, M.I. and Istudor, L.G. (2019) The role of Social Media and user-generated-content in Millennials travel behavior. Management dynamics in the knowledge economy, 7(1/23), pp.87-104. DOI:10.25019/MDKE/7.1.05
3. Aranburu, I., Plaza, B. and Esteban, M. (2016) Sustainable cultural tourism in urban destinations: Does space matter?. Sustainability, 8(8), p.699. DOI: 10.3390/su8080699
4. Bronner, F., and De Hoog, R. (2011) Vacationers and eWOM: who posts, and why, where, and what?. Journal of travel research, 50(1), pp.15-26.
5. Book, L.A., Tanford, S., Montgomery, R. and Love, C. (2018) Online traveler reviews as social influence: Price is no longer king. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 42(3), pp.445-475.
6. Bozdo, R. (2018) New trends in tourism: Heritage and social media. Journal of Economics and International Business Management, 6(3), pp.46-50. DOI:10.33495/jeibm_v6i3.18.113
7. Clement, J. (2020) Number of global social network users 2017–2025. Retrieved from the Statista website: https://www. statista. com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users. Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/
8. de Souza, S.C. and Machado, D.F.C. (2017) Uso e influência das mídias sociais no planejamento de viagens: Um estudo quantitativo. Revista Turismo em Análise, 28(2), pp.254-270.
9. Dolan, R., Seo, Y. and Kemper, J. (2019) Complaining practices on social media in tourism: A value co-creation and co-destruction perspective. Tourism Management, 73, pp.35-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.01.017
10. Egberts, L. and Bosma, K. (2014) Companion to European heritage revivals (p. 336). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07770-3
11. Fotis, J., Buhalis, D. and Rossides, N. (2011) Social media impact on holiday travel planning: The case of the Russian and the FSU markets. International Journal of Online Marketing (IJOM), 1(4), pp.1-19. DOI: 10.4018/ijom.2011100101
12. Gretzel, U. (2019) The role of social media in creating and addressing overtourism. Overtourism: Issues, realities and solutions, 1, pp.62-75.
13. Guerreiro, C., Viegas, M. and Guerreiro, M. (2019) Social networks and digital influencers: Their role in customer decision journey in tourism. Journal of Spatial and Organizational Dynamics, 7(3), pp.240-260.
14. Hjalager, A.M. (2010) A review of innovation research in tourism. Tourism management, 31(1), pp.1-12.
15. Huang, A., Gallegos, L. and Lerman, K. (2017) Travel analytics: Understanding how destination choice and business clusters are connected based on social media data. Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 77, pp.245-256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trc.2016.12.019
16. Icoz, O., Kutuk, A. and Icoz, O. (2018) Social media and consumer buying decisions in tourism: The case of Turkey. DOI: 10.25145/j.pasos.2018.16.073
17. Jacobsen, J.K.S. and Munar, A.M. (2012) Tourist information search and destination choice in a digital age. Tourism management perspectives, 1, pp.39-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2011.12.005
18. Jin, S. (2023) Unleashing the Potential of Social Media: Enhancing Intercultural Communication Skills in the Hospitality and Tourism Context. Sustainability, 15(14), p.10840. DOI: 10.3390/su151410840
19. Kalinić, Č. and Vujičić, M. (2019) A subnational assessment of hotel social media metrics-The case of Serbia. Geographica Pannonica, 23(2).
20. Kakirala, A.K. and Singh, D.P. (2020) The mediating role of social media in tourism: An eWOM approach. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business (JAFEB), 7(11), pp.381-391.
21. Kaplan, A.M. and Haenlein, M. (2010) Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business horizons, 53(1), pp.59-68.
22. Kavoura, A. and Stavrianeas, A. (2015) The importance of social media on holiday visitors’ choices–the case of Athens, Greece. EuroMed Journal of Business, 10(3), pp.360-374. https://doi.org/10.1108/EMJB-03-2015-0016
23. Kilipiri, E., Papaioannou, E. and Kotzaivazoglou, I. (2023) Social Media and Influencer Marketing for Promoting Sustainable Tourism Destinations: The Instagram Case. Sustainability, 15(8), p.6374. DOI: 10.3390/su15086374
24. Lee, E. (2013) Impacts of social media on consumer behavior: decision making process.
25. Liu, B., Moyle, B. and Kralj, A. (2022) When and how sharing tourism experiences on social media backfires: TMSP model of sharing driven outcomes. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 53, pp.155-159. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhtm.2022
26. Liu, X., Mehraliyev, F., Liu, C. and Schuckert, M. (2020) The roles of social media in tourists’ choices of travel components. Tourist studies, 20(1), pp.27-48. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468797619873107
27. Ly, B. (2020) Effect of social media in tourism (case in Cambodia). J Tourism Hospit, 9(1).
28. Månsson, M. (2011) Mediatized tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 38(4), pp.1634-1652.
29. Mašić, S. and Kosar, N. (2016) June. Hotels and social media–case study of Serbia. In Tourism International Scientific Conference Vrnjačka Banja-TISC (Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 277-295).
30. Mele, E., Kerkhof, P. and Cantoni, L. (2021) Analyzing cultural tourism promotion on Instagram: a cross-cultural perspective. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 38(3), pp.326-340.
31. Neuts, B., Romão, J., Nijkamp, P. and van Leeuwen, E. (2013) Digital destinations in the tourist sector: a path model for the impact of e-services on tourist expenditures in Amsterdam. Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, 6, pp.71-80.
32. Nuraeni, S., Arru, A.P. and Novani, S. (2015) Understanding consumer decision-making in tourism sector: conjoint analysis. Procedia-Social and behavioral sciences, 169, pp.312-317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.315
33. Oliveira, T., Araujo, B. and Tam, C. (2020) Why do people share their travel experiences on social media?. Tourism Management, 78, p.104041. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.104041
34. Osei, B.A., Mensah, I. and Amenumey, E.K. (2018) Utilisation of social media by international tourists to Ghana. Anatolia, 29(3), pp.411-421. https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2018.1430044
35. Paul, H.S., Roy, D. and Mia, R. (2019) Influence of Social Media on Tourists' Destination Selection Decision. Sch. Bull, 5(11), pp.658-664. DOI:10.36348/SB.2019.v05i11.009
36. Popesku, J. (2014) Social media as a tool of destination marketing organisations. Sinteza 2014-Impact of the Internet on Business Activities in Serbia and Worldwide, pp.715-721.
37. Republički zavod za zaštitu spomenika kulture, 2023 (Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, 2023). Retrieved from.: https://www.heritage.gov.rs/latinica/nepokretna_kulturna_dobra.php (21.08.2023)
38. Richards, G.W. (2011) Cultural tourism trends in Europe: a context for the development of Cultural Routes. In Impact of European Cultural Routes on SMEs’ innovation and competitiveness (pp. 21-39). Council of Europe Publishing.
39. Saleh, A. and Bista, K. (2017) Examining factors impacting online survey response rates in educational research: Perceptions of graduate students. Online Submission, 13(2), pp.63-74. DOI: 10.56645/jmde
40. Sigala, M. (2007) WEB 2.0 in the tourism industry: A new tourism generation and new e-business models.
41. Shu, M. and Scott, N. (2014) Influence of social media on Chinese students’ choice of an overseas study destination: An information adoption model perspective. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 31(2), pp.286-302. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2014.873318
42. Stankov, U., Lazic, L. and Dragicevic, V. (2010) The extent of use of basic Facebook user-generated content by the national tourism organizations in Europe. European Journal of Tourism Research, 3(2), pp.105-113.
43. Süli, D. and Martyin-Csamangó, Z. (2020) The impact of social media in travel decision-making process among the Y and Z generations of music festivals in Vojvodina and Hungary. Turizam, 24(2).
44. Surugiu, M.R. and Surugiu, C. (2015) Heritage tourism entrepreneurship and social media: opportunities and challenges. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 188, pp.74-81.
45. Tanković, A.Č., Bilić, I. and Sohor, A. (2022) Social networks influence in choosing a tourist destination. J. Content Community Commun, 15, pp.2-14. DOI:10.31620/JCCC.06.22/02
46. Tešin, A., Pivac, T., Besermenji, S. and Obradović, S. (2022) Exploring the influence of Instagram on travel destination choice. The European Journal of Applied Economics, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.5937/ejae19-33584
47. Timothy, D.J. (2011) Cultural heritage and tourism: An introduction (Vol. 4). Channel View Publications.
48. Tham, A., Croy, G. and Mair, J. (2013) Social media in destination choice: Distinctive electronic word-of-mouth dimensions. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 30(1-2), pp.144-155. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2013.751272
49. Tham, A., Mair, J. and Croy, G. (2020) Social media influence on tourists’ destination choice: Importance of context. Tourism Recreation Research, 45(2), pp.161-175. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2019.1700655
50. Tran, N.L. and Rudolf, W. (2022) Social Media and Destination Branding in Tourism: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Sustainability, 14(20), p.13528. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013528
51. UNWTO. (2018). Tourism and cultural synergies. Retrieved August 9, 2023, from https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284418978
52. Vukolić, D., Gajić, T. and Penic, M. (2022) The effect of social networks on the development of gastronomy–the way forward to the development of gastronomy tourism in Serbia. Journal of Tourism Futures.
53. Wu, L., Zhang, J. and Fujiwara, A. (2011) Representing tourists’ heterogeneous choices of destination and travel party with an integrated latent class and nested logit model. Tourism Management, 32(6), pp.1407-1413.
54. Xiang, Z., Wang, D., O’Leary, J.T. and Fesenmaier, D.R. (2015) Adapting to the internet: trends in travelers’ use of the web for trip planning. Journal of travel research, 54(4), pp.511-527.
55. Yuan, Y., Chan, C.S., Eichelberger, S., Ma, H. and Pikkemaat, B. (2022) The effect of social media on travel planning process by Chinese tourists: The way forward to tourism futures. Journal of Tourism Futures.
56. Zlatanov, S., Pavlović, D. and Popesku, J. (2021) FACEBOOK ACTIVITIES OF NATIONAL TOURISM ORGANIZATIONS: SERBIA AND THE DEFINED COMPETITIVE SET. TEME, pp.919-936.
57. Zlatanov, S. and Popesku, J. (2019) Use of social networks by destination marketing organizations. Marketing, 50(3), pp.195-206.
58. Živković, R., Gajić, J. and Brdar, I. (2014) The impact of social media on tourism. Singidunum Journal of Applied Sciences, pp.758-761.