Bibliographic details and abstracts are available to all. Downloads of full-text dissertations are restricted to University of Portsmouth members who must login. MPhils may be accessed by all.

Abstract

This dissertation investigates whether social media, in particular Instagram and Tripadvisor, has a significant effect on one’s travel choices, therefore encouraging overtourism. The researcher has discussed Social Medias role in tourism, Tourists decision making and Overtourism in a literature review, which was based around the research question. The qualitative method of a Netnography was chosen to allow the author to gain a deeper understanding into how social media affects travel choices and adds to Overtourism. Due to the vast size of the topic at hand, the investigator focussed the research on the city of Barcelona in Spain. Finding’s from the research indicate that social media plays an important role in modern day travel research due to the large amount of information available. Photography and use of language are key in persuading potential tourists to visit. However, User Generated Content can either influence tourists positively or negatively as some reviews/posts can put prospective tourists off. Finding’s also indicate that social media contributes to the problem of Overtourism greatly.
This study concludes that social media influences potential travellers’ choices notably, whether that be positively or negatively. Tripadvisor and Instagram play an important role in this, however Tripadvisor can be argued to give a more honest picture of a location whereas Instagram tends to show a more fabricated version. Both platforms and social media as a whole supplement the ongoing issue of Overtourism.

Course: Media and Digital Practice - BA - C2733S

Date Deposited: 2022-08-08

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis13973.html