Aim and Objectives
The proposed project is devoted to social media as one of the most potent modern tools that can be used in various spheres to popularise a particular object, attract attention to a process, or discuss some issues. The pivotal aim of the research is the in-depth investigation of the impact social media has on the promotion of the tourism industry, using China as the background for the analysis. Considering the growing importance of various social platforms, it is critical to determine their role in the popularisation of certain directions and conclude about the existence of any correlations or dependencies.
The introduction of the given aim also presupposes the formulation of the following objectives:
- To evaluate social media, its power, and its impact on people’s decision making
- To analyze the modern tourism industry with its peculiarities and trends
- To investigate the correlation between social media and the tourism sector in China and outline positive effects
- To conclude about the impact of social media on the tourism industry
- To offer a forecast resting on the current situation about the further development of two spheres
The creation of these goals is preconditioned by several factors. First of all, they create a certain scheme of the study that will guide the research and help to collect appropriate information. Second, adherence to these points will guarantee that the aim will be fulfilled and the most significant areas will be covered. Finally, the given goals will contribute to the in-depth and comprehensive analysis of social media and tourism, which is critically important for the project.
The choice of the topic of the investigation can be justified by several factors. The main rationale for the given study is the dominance of social media in the contemporary world. Today, these platforms offer people multiple options for interaction and communication, which becomes a critical factor shaping relations within communities (Rainie & Wellman 2012). Users acquire an opportunity to make choices resting on the information provided by their friends or members of a particular group (Liu, Wu & Li 2019). This tendency introduces critical changes in customers’ decision-making and buying behavior (Zhou, Zhang & Zimmerman 2013). At the same time, the tourism sector remains critically dependent on clients’ preferences and attitudes. For this reason, social media becomes a potent tool that can be used to popularise particular directions and attract new individuals.
The choice of China as the region for the investigation can be explained by the fact that the level of people’s attention to the given country grows every year. The government focuses its efforts on the creation of a positive image and attraction of tourists to generate additional income (Fei 2016). Moreover, social media are used as a powerful platform to popularise directions that might be interesting for users. The combination of unique nature, with ancient culture, unusual traditions, and governmental support, creates an environment beneficial for the development of the sector. For this reason, the impact of social media is analyzed using China as the background for the research.
Background
The high speed of the development of technologies preconditioned the appearance of multiple changes in all spheres of human activity. The use of devices in various sectors becomes one of the basic characteristics of the modern world. Moreover, the rise of the Internet triggered by the given process promoted significant shifts in perspectives on traditional issues. Today, an online presence is one of the fundamental factors of success as broad populations are active Internet users. For instance, in China, there are about 649 million people who have access to the web and contribute to its further spread and empowerment (McCarthy 2018). In other words, there is a positive environment for the introduction of Internet-oriented methods of communication and collaboration.
As for social media, it can also be taken as a growing power that influences various spheres of business. The continually increasing number of users, along with the tendency towards the facilitation of many forms of social commerce, stipulates the appearance of new trends that should be considered (Rowley & Keegan 2019). A high number of tourists, especially representatives of the young generation, start to use social media for their travel decision-making. There are several ways in how these platforms can be employed. First, individuals look for the most popular tours and other users’ comments about them (Aleti, Ilicic & Harrigan 2018). Second, they share both positive and negative experiences about a particular journey and conclude about advantages and disadvantages (Fei 2016). Finally, people might directly communicate with managers to find the best available options. In such a way, social media becomes a potent tool that shapes the work of the sector.
At the same time, companies also recognize the power of these platforms and their high marketing capacity. It means that there are multiple attempts and campaigns aimed at the popularisation of various directions or trips with the help of group discussions in social media (Shi 2015). It is used as an interactive platform to connect administrators with users and engage them in debates and collaboration to ensure a high level of interest in offered services and create a competitive advantage (Rowley & Keegan 2019). The development of various media strategies is given significant attention as it might guarantee the increase in income and broadening of the target audience.
Finally, in China, the strong governmental monitoring of social media and the existence of few foreign actors in the market preconditions its own peculiarities of the given sphere (TECH 2017). However, regardless of these barriers, recent studies show that platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, or WeChat contribute to the growing popularity of the tourism sector and attract new individuals from various regions of the world. For this reason, it becomes critical to understand the existence of the correlation between two of these aspects.
Methodology
The offered aim of the research and goals precondition the use of particular methods that will help to collect data and conclude about the impact of social media on individuals who look for various tours. The use of quantitative data can be considered an appropriate model for the given project. The determination of the impact of multiple platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, or Weibo demands the collection of numerical data of people whose decision-making was affected by social media. For this reason, quantitative pieces of evidence will be used to prove the existence of a positive correlation between the selected industry and the rise of social media.
A survey can be taken as the primary data collection tool needed to support the basic assumptions with credible information. The choice of the given method is stipulated by the fact that blanks can be easily distributed among the target population via the Internet as they already use it and have accounts in social networks. Moreover, the survey is a flexible and adaptable approach that can be altered in the course of the research to remain effective and understandable for participants. It can also be sent to individuals via social networks, which means that there are multiple advantages associated with the use of this very paradigm.
All respondents should be asked questions about the impact social media has on their decision-making and desire to visit China. Specifically, participants should provide information about factors that impacted their solution to select the discussed state for their tour and whether social media was one of the forces that altered their attitude to various proposals available at the market. Moreover, they should answer if they admit the positive impact of social media on the promotion of the tourism industry in China. The formulation of these very points is impacted by the background discussed in the previous sector, as many visitors to the state admit that social media significantly affected their final decision to come to China.
Because of the need to determine the effectiveness of various online platforms and their contribution to the promotion of the tourist industry in China, people who have traveled to the state or who have the desire to visit it should be involved in the research, additionally, they should be active internet users and have accounts on social media to guarantee that the collected data can be used regarding the main aim of the research and its goals. In general, the desired sample size is about 50-100 individuals. Their answers will help to reveal existing tendencies and the effects these platforms have on individuals.
To choose the desired sample, a specific sampling technique should be used. As far as all participants should possess a particular quality (have a certain experience), a non-probability, purposive sampling should be chosen. It will guarantee that the provided information will be credible enough to be used in the research and prove some assumptions related to the sphere and demonstrate a character and sort of relations between the growth of social media and popularisation of the tourism industry in China. At the same time, this sampling strategy meets the requirements of the project and contributes to its increased relevance.
As for access to the sample, there are several ways in which it can be achieved. First, surveys can be placed on special websites for all people with the demanded quality to complete it. Additionally, using specific groups on Facebook, Twitter, or Weibo, individuals with required features can be found. If the access to the sample is complicated, or there are some other factors that limit the research, the existing reports about the number of people who used social media to look for the appropriate tour and investigate China can be used.
Finally, the collected data can be visualized with the help of diagrams and charts to achieve a better understanding. The creation of tables with the most popular reasons for the selection of China and the number of respondents who used social media can help to conclude about the correlation between the growth of these platforms and the tourism sector in the state. Additionally, the information can be discussed to find new tendencies in the sphere and how they should be considered by agencies to achieve success and continue their evolution.
Reference List
Aleti, T, Ilicic, J & Harrigan, P 2018, ‘Consumer socialization agency in tourism decisions’, Journal of Vacation Marketing, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 234–246, Web.
Fei, X 2016, Social media in Chinese tourism industry, Web.
Liu, H, Wu, L & Li, X 2019, ‘Social media envy: how experience sharing on social networking sites drives millennials’ aspirational tourism consumption’, Journal of Travel Research, vol. 58, no. 3, pp. 355–369, Web.
McCarthy, N 2018, China now boasts more than 800 million internet users and 98% of them are mobile, Web.
Rainie, L & Wellman, B 2012, Networked: the new social operating system. MIT Press: Cambridge, MA.
Rowley, J & Keegan, B 2019, ‘An overview of systematic literature reviews in social media marketing’, Journal of Information Science, pp. 1-14. Web.
SCMP Editorial 2019, ‘Tourism is changing in the age of social media’, South China Morning Post, Web.
Shi, T 2015, The patterns of using social media by the ‘new’ Chinese tourists, Web.
TECH 2017, Social media and censorship in China: how is it different to the West?Web.
Zhou, L, Zhang, P, & Zimmerman, H 2013, ‘Social commerce research: an integrated view’, Electronic Commerce Research and Application, vol. 12, pp. 61-69.