Delineating the Impact of social media Networks on Travel Decision-Making Process: An Experience of University Undergraduates

Abstract

In Sri Lanka, the use of social media for the travel and tourism industry is in its growth stage. Businesses use social media to be discovered and become part of travelers’ engagement in decision-making. This study aims at identifying the impact of social media on the travel decision-making process of travelers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 hospitality and tourism undergraduates in Sri Lankan universities using cluster and purposive sampling techniques. The collected data were then analyzed by using content analysis to achieve the objectives of the study. The findings revealed a strong effect of social media on university undergraduates’ travel decision-making and their willingness to engage with social media as the mode of information source. Further, the most appropriate social media platforms to promote Sri Lankan tourism destinations were also identified through this study. It is recommended that travelers use diversified information sources active engagement, seek authenticity, and exercise caution when verifying information. Put succinctly, the support of the public and private sectors is verily needed for the stability and utilization of social media for promoting Sri Lankan tourism destinations.

Full text

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Delineating the Impact of social media Networks on Travel
Decision-Making Process: An Experience of University
Undergraduates
H.N. Jayawardena1, G.H.V. Harshani2, S.W.D.R. De Silva3,
W.G.S.R. Wijesundara4, M.M.P.K. Munasingha5, A.L.A.P. Umashani6
1Lecturer, Saegis Campus, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka hasini.n@saegis.ac.lk
2Temporary Lecturer, Department of Tourism Studies, Uva Wellassa University, Sri Lanka
vindyahewage23@gmail.com
3Undergraduates, Department of Tourism Studies, Uva Wellassa University, Sri Lanka
shamila@uwu.ac.lk
4 senior Lecturer, Department of Tourism Studies, Uva Wellassa University, Sri Lanka
dilakshanaravindu96@gmail.com
5Temporary Lecturer, Department of Tourism Studies, Uva Wellassa University, Sri Lanka
probodya555@gmail.com
6Lecturer, Saegis Campus, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka probodika.u@saegis.ac.lk
Abstract
In Sri Lanka, the use of social media for the travel and tourism industry is in its
growth stage. Businesses use social media to be discovered and become part of
travelers’ engagement in decision-making. This study aims at identifying the impact
of social media on the travel decision-making process of travelers. Semi-structured
interviews were conducted with 25 hospitality and tourism undergraduates in Sri
Lankan universities using cluster and purposive sampling techniques. The collected
data were then analyzed by using content analysis to achieve the objectives of the
study. The findings revealed a strong effect of social media on university
undergraduates’ travel decision-making and their willingness to engage with social
media as the mode of information source. Further, the most appropriate social media
platforms to promote Sri Lankan tourism destinations were also identified through
this study. It is recommended that travelers use diversified information sources active
engagement, seek authenticity, and exercise caution when verifying information. Put
succinctly, the support of the public and private sectors is verily needed for the
stability and utilization of social media for promoting Sri Lankan tourism
destinations.
Key Words: Social Media, Tourism Destination, Travel Decision, Making Process,
Undergraduates
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4038/tjata.v4i1.76

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Introduction
The tourism industry is one of the fastest-growing industries as well as one of
the largest economic sectors all around the world owning 10.4% of the world
GDP (Statista, 2020). According to Industry Research website IBIS World,
the tourism industry has become among the top 10 biggest industries in the
world. During this decade, tourism industry plays a major role in developing
and under developed countries economy including Sri Lanka. In its quest to
achieve sustainable economic development, Tourism has also been identified
as a focus sector by government in Sri Lanka. The nation has also selected
tourism as one of the key development strategies and has made various
attempts to boost the tourism sector (Gnanapala, 2017). There are lot of factors
affecting for that uncertainty in tourism.
Environment, economy, historical and cultural factors, religious concerns and
technology are few of among. Technology is the one of important factor effect
on tourism. Information technology is the major function in technology. In the
tourism, travel and hospitality sector, Information Communications
Technology (ICT) plays a major role. The incorporation of ICT into the
tourism industry is vital to the success of tourism companies (Bethapudi,
2013). Hence, along with the internet invention, social media marketing has
become one of the critical parts in business marketing. The reason may be the
associated advantages with social media marketing; easy to reach large
audience, direct connection with audience, free access, easy to access, easy
fragmentation, build brand, easily can evaluate performance etc.
As a component in the travel and tourism industry, travel decision making is
one of the most crucial aspects. According to Senanayake et al (2019), there
is a relationship between the travel decision-making process and the

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functionalities of social media. It is important to study the contribution of
social media in the travel decision-making process. Because consumers are
engaged with social networking sites to research trips, find destinations,
explore new activities, find new information, compare budget details make
decisions about their travels, and share their personal experiences of a
particular hotel, restaurant, or airline with the community.
Research Problem
Social media analysis also existed in the early infancy of tourism. While case
studies based on qualitative discussion of the effect of social media on tourism
are required, it is important to promote a detailed analysis of the effects and
impact of social media on every part of the tourism industry (Zeng, 2013).
Worldwide, researchers have moved into identifying the impact of social
media on the tourism industry. However, as a developing country still, Sri
Lanka is new to using social media effectively. There are few studies relevant
to social media and its usage. Further, there have been a limited number of
studies focused on the travel decision-making process of travelers which is an
important concept in the tourism industry. Accordingly, the following research
questions are formulated and explored in the study.
1. What is the importance of social media in the pre-trip stage, during the
trip and post-trip stage?
2. What are the influential factors that make tend on social media in
travelers' decision-making process?
3. What are the most effective social media platforms that can be used to
promote travel destinations in Sri Lanka? (from a Travelers perspective)

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Literature Review
Rise of Social Media
In recent decades, evolution of computing and networking has changed way
people lives and business operation (Shaqiri, 2015). The world of business has
transformed from industrial economy to knowledge economy with the
invention of technological solutions and internet usage. After first super
computers were created in the 1940s, the revolution was started in the last half
of 20th century.
One of the serious steps in IT was the invention of internet. Initially, scientists
and engineers began to develop networks between computers, and later it has
led to the birth of the Internet. As a result of this, World Wide Web (WWW)
was invented by Tim Berners in 1990 (Evan Andrews, 2019) with the
invention of internet, the world can be seen through our fingertips. And, 90s
and 2000s decades are the most critical periods in the growth of internet.
Social media refers to internet-based applications with functions of sharing,
relationship, group, conversation and profile (Kietzmann, Jan Hermkens,
Kristopher Mccarthy, Ian P Silvestre, Bruno S, 2011). The advent of social
media has revolutionized the individual’s decision making and purchasing
behavior. Social media become the key marketing tool for businesses to
expand the market base and ease the transmission of information about
product or service (Gretzel, 2009). According to research by Global Web
Index, it shows Facebook as the most engaging social media platform. Nearly
60% of world population use social media which is nearly 4.80 billion people
around the world. Therefore, it clearly demonstrates that social media plays a
big role in current world of work and living.

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Figure 2: Social media Usage & World’s Most Used Social Media Platforms
Source: Digital Global Overview Report, 2022
Social media Influence on the Revolution of the Tourism Industry
Tourism industry operations have witnessed the impact generated by social
media implementation. Similarly, individuals’ travel decision-making has
revolutionized due to platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and
YouTube have transformed the way people gather information, plan, and share
their travel experiences (Shyle & Hysi,2015).
“Social networking” has a high effect on shift travel patterns and experiences,
as well as promoting tourism companies/destinations and their
implementation strategies and tactics” (Leung, Daniel Law, Rob van Hoof,
Hubert Buhalis, Dimitrios, 2013). In terms of how travelers view and use
information has enormously changed and effect on purchasing behavior of
consumers and the brand image of DMC (Destination Management
Companies) and tourism service providers (Narangajavana, Yeamduan
Callarisa Fiol, Luis Moliner, Miguel Rodríguez-Artola, Rosa Sánchez-García,
& Javier, 2017). Moreover, social media is more productive in equipping
travelers with detailed knowledge about tourist destinations and alternative
information through platforms like TripAdvisor, Airbnb, Booking.com,

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Expedia, etc. (Gretzel, 2009). The modern way of discovering, learning,
building trust, and generating knowledge about tourism suppliers and
destinations is ultimately transformed by social media into cost-effective and
efficient for both travelers and local suppliers (Sigala, 2012). In contrast,
social networking helps to generate E- word of mouth or called E- feedback
after experiencing the destination which helps potential customers to plan
vacation based on reviews of previous visitors (Tafveez, 2017). However,
social media & Sri Lanka tourism-related research are rarely discussed.
Social Media Influence on Travel Decision Making
Decision making process is crucial for travel industry professionals and
researchers to understand and enhance the travel experience by catering to
needs and preference of travelers.
According to Briandana & Dwityas, (2017) Pre-Trip Stage consists of desire
or motivation to travel and gathering information and evaluation based on
aspect of their travel intentions and finally make choices regarding travel plan.
During Trip stage occurs while travelers are at chosen location and making
decisions actions through searching information to fulfill travel desires. Post-
Trip stage occurs after travelers have completed their travel experience and
return to home country. This may include uploading post and posting reviews
and expose memories with friend and relatives. Finally, travelers preserve
future travel plans based on level of satisfactory they experienced. In all
phases, social media serves the tourism industry by being the key source of
generating information and currently, the travelers are part of the process by
creating User Generating Content (UGC) in social media platforms in more
attractive way to influence potential travelers (Narangajavana et al., 2017).
Since there are few studies undertaken in Sri Lankan context with reference to
social media usage and tourism, this study investigates the delineate the impact

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of SM networks on the travel decision-making process in perfective of the
experience of university undergraduates who belong to Generation Z.
Methodology
This study depends on respondent’s behaviors, knowledge, and responses on
social media and travel decision-making. Hence, considering the objectives of
this study, the researcher adopted a qualitative research approach. The
population of this study consists of people who use at least one social media
platform and the sample of this study consists of 25 undergraduates who are
following hospitality and tourism degree programs in five different
universities in Sri Lanka.
In this study researcher employed two sampling techniques to select the
sample. In the first stage Cluster sampling technique was adopted to select 05
universities from different state and private universities that offer tourism
degrees in Sri Lanka. Thereafter, the researcher chose individual respondents
from the selected universities via a purposive sampling technique. In-depth
interviews were conducted to gather primary data using a structured interview
guideline and interviews were audio recorded after obtaining the prior
approval from the respondents. Under phenomenological research design,
content analysis was used to analyze data to achieve the objective of this
research. Accordingly, interviews were transcribed and significant codes and
categories were identified.
SN
Code
Age
Gender
Home Town
University
01
SUSL 01
25
F
Anuradhapura
Sabaragamuwa
University of Sri Lanka
02
SUSL 02
24
F
Bandarawela
Sabaragamuwa
University of Sri Lanka
03
SUSL 03
26
M
Gampaha
Sabaragamuwa
University of Sri Lanka

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Table 1: Profile of the Respondents Source: Survey Data, 2022
04
SUSL 04
23
M
Jaffna
Sabaragamuwa
University of Sri Lanka
05
SUSL 05
24
F
Trincomalee
Sabaragamuwa
University of Sri Lanka
06
CINEC 01
22
F
Mathara
CINEC Campus
07
CINEC 02
24
F
Puththalam
CINEC Campus
08
CINEC 03
25
M
Ehaliyagoda
CINEC Campus
09
CINEC 04
23
M
Gampaha
CINEC Campus
10
CINCE 05
25
M
Awissawella
CINEC Campus
11
NSBM 01
25
M
Kirindiwela
University of Plymouth
12
NSBM 02
23
M
Nuwara Eliya
University of Plymouth
13
NSBM 03
23
F
Colombo
University of Plymouth
14
NSBM 04
22
M
Chilaw
University of Plymouth
15
NSBM 06
24
F
Negambo
University of Plymouth
16
RUSL 01
25
M
Eppawala
Rajarata University of
Sri Lanka
17
RUSL 02
21
M
Rathnapura
Rajarata University of
Sri Lanka
18
RUSL 03
25
F
Jaffna
Rajarata University of
Sri Lanka
19
RUSL 04
24
M
Trincomalee
Rajarata University of
Sri Lanka
20
RUSL 05
22
F
Batticaloa
Rajarata University of
Sri Lanka
21
UWU 01
23
F
Kandy
Uva Wellassa
University of Sri Lanka
22
UWU 02
27
F
Balangoda
Uva Wellassa
University of Sri Lanka
23
UWU 03
24
M
Piliyandala
Uva Wellassa
University of Sri Lanka
24
UWU 04
25
M
Badulla
Uva Wellassa
University of Sri Lanka
25
UWU 05
24
F
Kurunegala
Uva Wellassa
University of Sri Lanka

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Results and Discussion
To achieve the objective one of the study, it was necessary to analyze pre,
during and post stages in travel decision making separately to gain a successful
outcome.
At first, in the pre-trip stage, it was identified that social media unintentionally
acted as a motivational factor in travelers’ mindsets. According to the
respondents’ experiences, this motivational factor was inclusive of social
networks and media-sharing networks. Networks such as Facebook and
Twitter belonged to social networks while Instagram and YouTube belonged
to media sharing networks. Further, social media to be an information source
was also analyzed by the responses given by the participants.
“When I plan to visit somewhere I haven’t visited yet, usually I intend to
search it on social media. Most of the time I use Facebook & Instagram to
gain additional information and to browse photos”.
(NSBM 02, Personal Communication, 2022)
As the most prominent method of searching for information, it was identified
that respondents engage with Facebook because they believe it to be a platform
that offers real-time experiences of the users with regard to their travel.
Facebook pages of hospitality enterprises have created trustworthiness for the
respondents in making their travel decisions as they showcase the precise
details of the location on the page itself. Moreover, during this pre-trip stage,
it was widely explored that social media is a capable platform for
communication purposes as well. The nature of this respondent category as
per Dimitriou & AbouElgheit (2019) was more likely to travel with friends or
with groups. According to the collected data, 58% of respondents were in
favor of traveling with friends.

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“Usually I have not traveled alone. Every time I travel, I do it with my friends
or family or relatives. But mostly, we go on trips by creating a WhatsApp
group earlier to discuss what needs to be done on the trip, etc.”.
(SUSL 02, Personal Communication, 2022)
Most commonly, it was identified that the respondents were contemplated to
share photos of the destination, accommodation sector, meal plan, routes and
maps, and etc via most used social media platforms like WhatsApp,
Messenger, Viber, Telegram, Skype, Imo, etc.
As per the findings, it was revealed that social media played a prominent role
in the decision-making process of a traveler as a motivational factor,
information source and communication method. Moreover, it can also be
analyzed under a broader stage of planning; processing, decision making,
copying, and anticipation.
Figure 2: Importance of social media in Pre-Trip Stage
Source: Survey Data, 2023
Next, during the trip stage, most of the respondents mentioned that the use of
social media was for the internet facility where they sought internet facilities
to communicate the locations or destinations with their friends or family. It
Pre- Trip
Stage
As Motivational
Factor
As an Information
Source
As a
Communication
Method
Social
Media

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was true that even in the pre-trip stage the respondents used social media for
communication. But, during the trip stage the use of social media for
communication was more likely to keep in touch with the family or friends to
avoid getting lost and acknowledging the travel destinations.
During the analyzing of data, it was precise that the respondents used
WhatsApp mostly, which was known to be the commonly used media platform
to get connected with loved ones (Patmanthara & Febiharsa, 2019). Moreover,
they tend to share their travel stories mostly in WhatsApp and Instagram to
make their closest circle aware of their travel status.
“I usually share my experiences, by making reels, sharing stories, and making
collages and uploading them to WhatsApp and Instagram”.
(CINEC 03, Personal Communication, 2022)
Addition to that, respondents intended to engage in unplanned trips during
their journey which they believed it as a source of discovering hidden
destinations. Further, the major decisions like accommodation decisions, meal
decisions, and the destination decision were taken during the trip stage.
In a nutshell, the importance of social media during the trip can be categorized
as Connectivity, Navigation, Short-Term Decision-Making, and On-Site
Transactions.
And finally, referring to the last phase of the travel which was the post-trip
stage can be simply defined as the stage that heading back home and reflecting
on the vacation. It was explored that everyone had a habit of uploading at least
one capture from the travel on social media.
“I do upload photos and stories in Facebook and Instagram just like others
after a trip. It looks like a diary so that I can see them in the future as a
collection of my memories”.
(SUSL 03, Personal Communication, 2022)

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It was precise in data that the behavior of the respondents in the virtual
environment was based saving the memories of the trip and influencing on
other individuals’ travel intentions.
“Normally after the trip I share the photos with each other and upload them
in my personal accounts. Sometimes it has helped people who are willing to
go on my visited destinations to gather information in the comments section
and inbox”.
(NSBM 01, Personal Communication, 2022)
It also appeared from respondents that they were performing evaluation after
every trip. Some were doing content writing, video creation, reels, etc. The
respondents who engaged with content creation in social media after the trip
were identified as the ones who were enthusiastic with their travel. Further to
that, social media was further used for the purpose of Sharing Documentation,
External Memory, Re-experiencing, Reconstruction, and Attachment by the
respondents in post trip stage.
As per the study of Matikiti-Manyevere and Kruger (2019), social media sites
and trip planning could be impacted from information search through social
media which was continuingly play a key role in decision making. The
literature review showed that the information search stage (pre-trip stage) and
experience sharing stage (after trip stage) were the most pre-dominant stages
in which travelers use social media platforms. Platforms such as Facebook,
YouTube, and Instagram were the most used platforms by the travelers during
trip planning and Instagram was emerging out of them (Matikiti-Manyevere
and Kruger, 2019). However, these three stages of travel decision making
process were interviewed and analyzed separately in this study by the
researcher to gain a successful outcome.

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Findings of the second objective of the study which was to explore the
influential factors that make tend on social media in travelers’ decision-
making process was analyzed under three categories which were benefits,
uniqueness and, negative and positive factors of social media.
According to the figure 03 it showcased Facebook as the most popular social
media platform that was utilized by the respondents in their decision making.
Findings of Mariani, Styven, and Julian (2019) too proved it in their study the
popularity of Facebook among travelers.
Figure 3: Social media Usage of Respondents in Decision Making
Source: Survey Data, 2023
Moreover, in 2018 the Pew Research Center survey of nearly 750 15- to 19-
year-olds found that 45% are engaging online almost constantly and 97% of
the sample uses a social media platform, such as YouTube, Facebook, and
Instagram in their daily chores. Leading the fact, the study too provided some
influential factors caused within the respondents to explore the benefits of
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Facebook YouTube Instagram Whatsapp
Most used Social Media Platform in Decision
Making

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social media which made them tend to use social media for their travel
decision making. Those benefits were explored under three sub categories
which were ease of connectivity, building relationships and self-learning.
Under ease of connectivity, it was identified that respondents tend to build
trust on social media accessibility to information when they were far away
from their home environment. In deciding a novel destination to visit, they
tend to accept the results given by social media users at that very moment just
because of ease of connectivity.
“As an Information source I usually use Facebook out of other social media
platforms as it is readily accessible to gain information from relevant
Facebook pages though I don’t know the crowd personally”.
(SUSL 03, Personal Communication, 2022)
Moreover, it was explored that building relationships in social media led to
share the exact experience of a location or an activity with all pros and cons.
Similarly, by gaining information from social media, it also played the role of
a relationship builder among people with simple set of ideas and thoughts.
Social media could be a platform beyond connectivity which vividly allowed
respondents to seek for the people with same mindset which deliberately let
them to gain accurate destination decisions in making memories (Matikiti-
Manyevere & Kruger, 2019). As per the findings of the study, it also revealed
that nowadays people take the risk of getting connected to strangers yet social
media was believed to be a platform that allowed the respondents to spot the
ideal set of people when making their travel decisions.
Technology, education, literature, art, and tourism can now be explored within
fingertips with a smart phone in one’s hand. Majority of respondents
confirmed that the knowledge gained for several years through social media

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by themselves activated a strong desire to choose social media for their
decision making. As per the findings, it was clear cut that social media has a
tendency for people to rely on information after a browse by their own rather
than depending on phone calls and reviews in websites. As stated by (Huang,
Hong and Burtch (2017), use of social media allows a user to find information
readily as each platform states argumentative results shared by other users.
Diversified experiences and thoughts shared by rest of the social media users
allowed the respondents to make decisions through gather variety of ideas.
Therefore, explicitly this study’s findings too revealed the tendency of the
respondents to make their own decisions through self-learning which has led
them to intentionally engage with social media in gaining information.
Moreover, the uniqueness of social media was analyzed by three sub
categories; audience level, direction connection and variety of platforms. The
findings of the study stated that to learn different cultures and religions social
media played a main role. Even though the travelling couldn’t be performed,
the respondents stated that the experience could be gained virtually. Referring
to the direct connection, it was explored that the use of comment sections,
inboxes of vloggers and reviews on pages allowed the respondents to build a
discussion with social media users in each platform to make their travel
decision. This characteristic of social media has influenced travellers in
making decisions prior to the visit (Tham, Mair, and Croy, 2020). Proving the
fact, this study revealed that the respondents also engaged in those sections of
social media to enhance their engagement in gaining an accurate detail about
a destination or an activity. Further to that, through variety of platforms, it
showcased the purpose of the respondents in travelling to a destination could
be varied.

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“When I search for user experiences in Instragram sometimes I don’t get the
real experience I wish to gain. But, Youtube vlogs are my favorite where I
gain the real time information of a location I wish to go”.
(RUSL 03, Personal Communication, 2022)
Likewise, it can be stated that each and every platform operates in a different
manner which would influence the user differently. A growing use of social
media was seen growing during the analysis of data of the study. The findings
revealed both positive and negative facts which directly influenced the
respondents’ travel decision making.
“Sometimes the location’s beauty in social media is exaggerated”.
(NSBM 02, Personal Communication, 2022)
Respondents’ experiences disclosed that the nature of the destination is over
rated in social media. Sometimes, the real time experiences of travelers were
not shared as it was, according to the respondents.
“But I choose travel vlogs of travel with wife and solo traveler all the time
because they give real time experience”.
(NSBM 02, Personal Communication, 2022)
As per the respondent, it was clear thought there are negative impacts of social
media, the usage of social media in travel decisions were always admired. At
last, according to the findings of the study, it can be stated that the user content
of social media positively influenced the respondents to use social media
platforms for their travel decisions though the negative impacts exist. It turned
out that, negative impacts of social media were not much cared or taken into
account by the travelers when making the decision as vlogs and blogs in

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Facebook and YouTube influenced respondents to make the move in decision
making.
Despite the unique characteristics of social media, the respondents clearly
mentioned only three main points which cannot be taken or presented in
traditional media. Thus, those characteristics mentioned can be illustrated as
follows that tend them their use of social media in their travel decisions.
Figure 4: Influential factors of social media that tend travelers for their travel
decisions Source: Survey Data, 2023
It was significant the attentiveness of the respondents of the study in
promoting travel destinations they visited for awareness purposes of other
existing travelers in social media to gather information. Hence, objective three
of the study which was to identify the most effective social media platform
Influential factors that
make tend on social media
in travelers’ decision-
making process
Benefits of Social
media
Ease of
connectivit
y
Build
Relationship Self
Learning
Unique
characteristi
cs of social
media
Large
audience Direct
connection
Variety of
the
platforms
Pros and
Cons of
social
media

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which can be used to promote travel destinations in Sri Lanka from tourist
perspective revealed the following results.
Figure 3: Top three platforms used for destination promotion
Source: Survey Data, 2023
Facebook was explored to be the most popular type of social media platform
the respondents tend to use in promoting Sri Lankan destinations for user
visibility. Further, the respondents asserted these three platforms to be the big
three in social media when it comes for the tourism industry. A study,
“Tourism destination marketing using Facebook as a promotional tool”
conducted by Shahnoor Rahaman stated, “Among the varied social media
platforms, Facebook deserves a special mention with regard to promotion of a
tourism destination. Facebook offers travel brands the ability to identify
prospective travellers, communicate directly with users, engage with
advocates and create branded experiences through advertisements and custom-
developed Facebook applications” (Rahman & College, 2017). Proving the
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Facebook YouTube Instagram
The Most utilized Social Media Platform for
Tourism Destination Promotion
Platforms

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fact, the study’s findings too showcased the tendency of the respondents to
engage with Facebook specifically to gain information as well to promote
novel destinations for other travelers for awareness alongside with increased
visibility.
As per the findings of the study, the content of social media delivered the
importance under three main stages of travel decision making process and the
factors why people tend to use social media in their travel decisions.
Succinctly, it can be concluded social media as the most effective source
utilized by Sri Lankan young travelers for destination promotion.
Conclusions & Recommendations
In today's digital age, the influence of social media transcends boundaries and
impacts various industries across the globe. It has become an integral part of
marketing and communication strategies for industries as diverse as
automotive, politics, entertainment, tourism, and hospitality. One sector that
has felt the profound impact of social media is the travel and tourism industry.
The travel decision-making process is a pivotal aspect of this industry, as it
determines where people choose to visit and how they plan their trips. This
study sought to delve into the effects of social media on this decision-making
process.
The research uncovered three distinct stages of the travel decision-making
process: the pre-trip stage, during the trip, and the post-trip stage. Each of these
stages was significantly influenced by social media, and several factors
emerged as influential in guiding individuals to use social media for their
travel decisions. The three primary categories of factors are benefits, unique
characteristics, and the pros and cons of social media. The benefits of social
media were highlighted by respondents, who stressed the ease of accessibility

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to travel-related information through platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube. Travelers appreciated the flexibility and real-time updates that
social media provided, allowing them to make well-informed decisions.
For both travelers and the travel industry, there are several recommendations
to maximize the benefits of social media. Travelers should diversify their
sources, actively engage with others, prioritize authenticity, and exercise
caution when verifying information. The travel industry, in turn, should
diversify platforms, invest in visual storytelling, leverage user-generated
content, embrace interactivity, make data-driven decisions, and collaborate
with influencers. By understanding the influential factors and adopting these
recommendations, both travelers and the travel industry can make more
informed choices and effectively promote destinations,
Generally, social media plays an indispensable role in influencing travel
decisions. It serves as a dynamic platform for information sharing, inspiration,
and peer recommendations. Travelers and the travel industry, by
understanding these influential factors and selecting the right social media
channels and strategies, can make more informed choices and effectively
promote destinations. The impact of social media on the travel industry will
continue to evolve, making it imperative for all stakeholders to adapt and
harness its potential for mutual benefit.

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