Engagement Analysis on Instagram: Contributions to the Co-Creation of Tourism Experiences

Abstract

[EN] This paper analyses the content of accommodation´ profiles on the social network Instagram, by applying an engagement analysis, to deepen in the scientific knowledge of the Instagram's role in the tourism industry. In this context, the authors aim to examine how the co-creation of experiences between accommodation providers and tourists influences the engagement of the latter associated with destinations. This study has significant managerial implications as it looks at how tourist companies can use social media to promote memorable tourist experiences that influence satisfaction and loyalty towards a destination. The innovation of this research is based on the methodology applied and data obtained in the tourism sector. An OSINT technique is applied to perform web scraping on Instagram capable of obtaining all the posts (n=10,017) of the profiles with their associated metadata. By analyzing their content and engagement, accommodation providers can develop more effective strategies to improve their brands. The article discusses how tourists use social media to express their perceptions towards tourist service brands or destinations. Finally, the study highlights the relationships between the engagement of tourists towards a destination with the content category and the media type on Instagram as they are crucial in shaping future tourists' perceptions.