Thesis (MSc) - Cyprus International University. Institute of Graduate Studies and Research Tourism and Hotel Management Department

Includes bibliography (sheets 45-49)

ABSTRACT
When it comes to choosing a vacation destination, information evaluation has
become an essential part of the decision-making process. Social media's recent
emergence has prompted us to examine and comprehend its role in destination
selection. When analyzing the Tourism industry as a whole, for promotional
activities, sales, and creating management connections with customers, the tourist
system depends on information and communication technology. When a traveler
makes his or her ultimate destination selection, the most influential information
comes from online interpersonal influence. Tourism market segmentation authors are
aware of the rising number of visitors who utilize current digital media. Additionally,
many travelers have been increasingly involved in travel destination research ever
since the usage of social networking sites and the internet. Numerous Surveys and
polls show that about 50% of consumers are likely to download travel apps when
doing location research prior to departing for vacation. The study was conducted to
examine the important role of social media on to tourists in the selection of travel
destination using survey method to collect the data for this thesis. As per the findings
of the study, it was discovered that a significant amount of people believed, generally
that social media played a role in destination choices. The extent of this influence
was most visible in the studies concerning the perception rating. This was within the
structure of a Likert scale. This corresponds with the hypothesis that in fact, there is
significant relationship between the use of SM and travel bookings to sites/pages
and/or accounts visited.
Keywords: Social Media, Travelling, Technology, Tourism