OpenUCT :: Browsing by Author "Leugering, Marvin"

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Importance of social media in the information sourcing phase during the decision-making process of the South African traveller
(2014) Leugering, Marvin; George, Richard
The Internet and the emergence of social media have a significant effect on the tourism industry world-wide. Tourists can search for advice online from strangers and friends who have visited the destination in the past. Research indicates that this information source is perceived as more credible than traditional marketing material such as Web sites, brochures or other forms of advertisements. More specifically, information sources on social media assist the tourist in evaluating alternatives in order to make an informed purchasing- decision. Destination marketing organisations and tourism enterprises need to understand the role that social media plays in the decision-making process in order to create effective marketing strategies online. This research paper places the focus on the South African traveller and which online sources s/he uses to search for travel information before going on holiday. Social media sources in particularly will be under investigation. There has been a dearth of research conducted in this area on emerging markets such as South Africa and this paper will fill an important gap in the academic literature. The database for this research was acquired from Travelstart; a leading digital travel agency in South Africa.