DESIGNING DESTINATIONS, COMMUNICATING EXPERIENCES: THE CASE OF PORTUGUESE REGIONAL TOURISM ORGANISATIONS ON INSTAGRAM

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Cristina Estevão
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2991-9139
Diogo Salvado
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7311-3879
Helena Alves
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5192-2310
Ana Campón-Cerro
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7694-6087

Resumen

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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Estevão, C., Salvado, D., Alves, H., & Campón-Cerro, A. . (2026). DESIGNING DESTINATIONS, COMMUNICATING EXPERIENCES: THE CASE OF PORTUGUESE REGIONAL TOURISM ORGANISATIONS ON INSTAGRAM. E3 — Revista De Economia, Empresas E Empreendedores Na CPLP, 12(5), 291–306. https://doi.org/10.29073/e3.v12i5.1303
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Biografía del autor/a

Cristina Estevão, University of Beira Interior, Portugal; Research Centre for Business Sciences (NECE), Portugal

Cristina Estevão holds a PhD in Management and a postdoctoral qualification in Tourism; she is an Associate Professor with Habilitation at the University of Beira Interior - Department of Management and Economics and a researcher at NECE - Research Centre of Management and Economics.

Diogo Salvado, University of Beira Interior, Portugal; Research Centre for Business Sciences (NECE), Portugal

Diogo Salvado holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Communication: Public Relations and a Master’s degree in University of Beira Interior - Portugal.

Helena Alves, University of Beira Interior, Portugal; Research Centre for Business Sciences (NECE), Portugal

Helena Alves holds a PhD in Management and is an Full Professor with Habilitation at the University of Beira Interior - Department of Management and Economics and a researcher at NECE - Research Centre of Management and Economics.

Ana Campón-Cerro, University of Extremadura, Spain; University of Beira Interior, Portugal; Research Centre for Business Sciences (NECE), Portugal

Ana María Campón Cerro holds a PhD in Business Management and Sociology and is a Full Professor at the University of Extremadura in the Department of Business Management and Sociology, as well as a researcher at NECE – Research Centre for Business Sciences.

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