DESIGNING DESTINATIONS, COMMUNICATING EXPERIENCES: THE CASE OF PORTUGUESE REGIONAL TOURISM ORGANISATIONS ON INSTAGRAM
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Abstract
The image of a tourist destination is one of the central elements of contemporary tourism communication and promotion. In this context, Instagram has established itself as a strategic tool for tourism promotion and for building the image of destinations. The aim of this study is to analyse the image projected by the Regional Tourism Organisations (RTO) of Mainland Portugal through the communication of tourist experiences on Instagram. To this end, a qualitative methodology was adopted, based on content analysis of the textual descriptions of 1,018 posts published between May and December 2023 on the official profiles of the five RTO. The results reveal a predominance of experiences of an aesthetic nature, followed by those centred on entertainment and escapism, whilst educational experiences feature to a lesser extent. It is concluded that the RTOs’ communication on Instagram projects a tourism image based on beauty, authenticity, wellbeing and leisure, highlighting the role of social media in shaping the image of tourist destinations.
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