The communication of the large international urban destinations in Twitter

Main Article Content

Francisco Manuel Pastor-Marín
María Ángeles Cabrera González
Francisco Javier Paniagua-Rojano

Abstract

The study object of this work is to analyze the communication strategy applied by large urban tourist destinations through Twitter, considered one of the main microblogging tools in the world. For this, the activity, the most used topics, the formats, and the ability to generate interaction with users and potential visitors are examined. As a methodological technique, the content analysis of the official accounts of the destinations included in the study 'City Tourism Performance Research' is proposed, which includes success stories in urban tourism, to which is added Malaga, for having been chosen by the European Commission as the Capital of Intelligent Tourism. In total, 669 tweets published between the months of September and October 2019 in the official Twitter profiles of the following cities are analyzed: Berlin, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Cape Town, Hangzhou, Linz, Málaga, Marrakech, Beijing, Tianjin, Tokyo, and Turin. It is observed that the destinations studied interact little with their followers, and hardly generate conversation. Twitter continues to be used more as an information panel than as a channel for interaction with tourists. It is concluded that this network is in decline as a means of communication for tourist destinations since the territories maintain a more intuitive than strategic presence in this social network despite the possibilities that the network offers in active listening and for planning.

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How to Cite
Pastor-Marín, Francisco Manuel, María Ángeles Cabrera González, and Francisco Javier Paniagua-Rojano. 2021. “The communication of the large international urban destinations in Twitter”. Vivat Academia. Journal of Communication 154 (May):13-36. https://doi.org/10.15178/va.2021.154.e1262.
Section
Monograph 1
Author Biographies

Francisco Manuel Pastor-Marín, University of Malaga

Professor at the International University of La Rioja. Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Malaga. Master’s Degree in Political Communication from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Postgraduate in Marketing and Communication of Tourist Destinations from the Open University of Catalonia. Facilitator of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Trainer of the International Center for the Training of Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL by its acronym in Spanish). He has been responsible for Communication in the Tourism Area and director of Information and Digital Participation at the Malaga City Council, as well as a section chief at La Opinión de Málaga.

María Ángeles Cabrera González, University of Malaga

Associate Professor of Journalism at the University of Malaga. Director of the Strategic Chair of Interactivity and Experiences Design at the Digital Content Pole of Malaga. She is a representative of the Board of the PDI of the University of Malaga and a member of the board of directors of the Spanish Society of Journalism. She has been Vice Dean of Research and Innovation at the Faculty of Communication Sciences at the University of Malaga. She has participated as the Main Researcher of 4 coordinated R+D+i projects on Internet Journalism, Cybermedia, Digital Convergence, and Journalistic Innovation. She has carried out long research stays on the study of Cybermedia, the Internet, and Social Networks at Universities in Brazil and Israel and has directed seven doctoral theses.

Francisco Javier Paniagua-Rojano, University of Malaga

Associate Professor of Journalism at the University of Malaga. He has taught more than 3,000 hours of teaching between undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, and to date, he has directed nine doctoral theses. He has been the academic secretary of the Department of Journalism at the University of Malaga; and secretary of section 7 (Strategic and organizational communication) of the Spanish Association for Communication Research (AEIC by its acronym in Spanish). He was Director of the Communication Secretariat at the International University of Andalusia. He is currently the coordinator of the Master’s Degree in Research in Media, Audiences, and Professional Practice in Europe. He was Director of Communication for the Andalusian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces.

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