What do we know about social media in tourism? A review

Abstract

The growing role of social media in tourism has been increasingly an emerging research topic. Social media plays a significant role in many aspects of tourism, especially in information search and decision-making behaviours, tourism promotion and in focusing on best practices for interacting with consumers. Leveraging off social media to market tourism products has proven to be an excellent strategy. This study reviews and analyses the research publications focusing on social media in tourism. Through a comprehensive literature review, this paper identifies what we know about social media in tourism, and recommends a future research agenda on the phenomenon. The paper suggests that research on social media in tourism is still in its infancy. It is critical to encourage comprehensive investigation into the influence and impact of social media (as part of tourism management/marketing strategy) on all aspects of the tourism industry including local communities, and to demonstrate the economic contribution of social media to the industry. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.