Destination talk in social media: a content analysis for innovation

Abstract

Knowledge is crucial for innovation, productivity and competitiveness. Collecting and using user generated content (UGC) as a source of knowledge about a tourism destination or tourism company can help identify areas for improvement. A content analysis based on multiple UGC sources is conducted for a leading Swedish tourism destination, Are. Categories of content type are developed and a quality of information framework is used through coding in the Nvivo software. Results show that UGC is mostly about activities and facilities. Also, the overall quality of UGC is almost equally trivial versus relevant. It is also specific, substantive as well as laden with a positive sentiment.