THE ROLE OF CENTRAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN DESTINATION PROMOTION: A REVIEW OF SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKS

It is obvious today that a new era of communication and interaction has been started through social media networks. For this reason, corporate social media networks and their contents are one of the correct and effective promotional tools that can be used in destination promotion. Based on this situation, the main purpose of the study is to examine the use of social media networks by central and local governments in Trabzon destination, specifically for destination promotion. Within the framework of this purpose, the corporate Facebook, Instagram and Twitter social media accounts of Trabzon destination center and local governments are analyzed with the quantitative content analysis method. As a result of the study, it is determined that Trabzon destination center and local governments do not use social media networks effectively for destination promotion. Additionally


INTRODUCTION
By means of the Internet, information technologies have become a part of every industry.Social media, one of the most powerful tools for networking over the Internet, is combined with social and economic aspects in the real world (Alghizzawi et al., 2018).Therefore, it is possible to say that social media, which is a powerful marketing tool with global reach, has emerged as a low-cost marketing tool in recent years (Uşaklı et al., 2017).In this context, with the transformative effect of the internet, there has been a significant increase in the number of individuals using the internet and social media networks (Güdü Demirbulat et al., 2014).According to the Digital Global Statshot Report, as of October 2021, there are 4.88 billion internet users among the world population reaching 7.89 billion.In other words, 62% of the world's population uses the internet.The report underlines that the number of global internet users has increased by more than 220 million (+4.8%) compared to the previous year.On the other hand, in the same report, when we look at social media user statistics, it is stated that more than 1 million new users join social media networks every day.As of October 2021, there are more than 4½ billion social media users worldwide, which is more than 400 million, an almost 10% year-over-year growth compared to the last year (Digital 2021October Global Statshot Report, 2021).According to the Digital 2021 Türkiye Report, as of January 2021, there are 65.80 million internet users in Türkiye.This figure shows that the number of internet users in Türkiye increased by 3.7 million (6%) between 2020 and 2021.Besides, as of January 2021, there are 60.00 million social media users in Türkiye.The number of social media users in Türkiye increased by 6 million (11%) between 2020 and 2021.In other words, it is possible to say that the number of social media users is equal to 70.8% of the total population.In other words, 7 out of 10 people in Türkiye use social media.The time spent on social media is stated as 2 hours 57 minutes.This statistic means that we spend about one day of our lives on social media each week (Digital 2021Türkiye, 2021).
Tourism is a communication event that includes activities for a social, psychological, cultural, and economic interest that facilitates the purchase of touristic goods and services, providing information, creating an image, in order to attract people's attention to the goods and services of a country, a region or a destination at home and abroad (Duğan & Aydın, 2018).In this regard, the tourism sector is one of the sectors that have first used internet technologies, and the flexibility and advantages of internet technologies and regulates itself accordingly (Atılgan & Karapınar, 2015).As a matter of fact, the increase in the use of the internet has brought with it many radical changes.At this point, tourists' sources of access to information have diversified, their travel planning styles have diversified, and even the way of making reservations and sharing their travel experiences with other people has been transformed (Luna-Nevarez & Hyman, 2012).On the other hand, developments in communication methods and techniques have become an important promotional element in the tourism sector as well as in all sectors.It is extremely important to use communication tools and methods in the promotion of a destination, and the success of promotional efforts depends on the correct selection and effective use of these tools.Since the touristic product has a composite product feature, it is necessary for the potential tourist to be easily informed about the historical, cultural and geographical structure of the destination, the businesses where s/he can stay, and the richness and attractiveness of the region (Horng & Tsai, 2010;Güllü, 2018, p. 39).
Destinations can communicate with not only potential tourists, but also travel agencies and tour operators or tourism businesses such as hotels and restaurants, with the same ease and speed, via the internet and social media networks (Atılgan & Karapınar, 2015).In this regard, Alghizzawi et al. (2018) emphasize the role of social media networks in promoting tourism activities.Destination is the central point around which everything revolves in tourism.In this context, social networks have a strong influence on tourists' destination choices and their final decisions.Being on a social network plays a critical role in attracting new tourists and retaining existing ones (Alghizzawi et al., 2018;Gedik, 2021).
Social media has an important role in the promotion of destinations.As a matter of fact, it functions as an important tool at the point of reaching the target audience (Fatanti & Suyadnya, 2015).It is because social media allows for a wide range of sharing, from measuring the reaction of the target audience to creating/providing the highest level of impact with the least cost, by enabling two-way communication (Duğan & Aydın, 2018;Kumlu et al., 2019;Syahputra et al., 2021, p. 289).It is inevitable for destinations that want to communicate with potential tourists to take their place on social media networks.It should be noted that every communication effort with the target audience starts with a message and ends with the transmission of the relevant message to the other party.Therefore, at the point of establishing a correct and effective communication network, it is important to position the relevant message on social media networks as well as to prepare the content of the message well (Buzlukçu, 2021).Tourism marketing and promotion activities in Türkiye are carried out by the central and local administrations to which the destinations are affiliated, especially by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Ertaş et al., 2020).From this point of view, in this study, in the promotion of Trabzon destination, an answer is sought to the question of whether Facebook, Instagram and Twitter social media networks are used as an effective tool from the perspective of central and local governments.
Providing any kind of income desired to be obtained from tourism in a country can be successful if the central government and local governments in that country adopt the policies and plans to be implemented.Therefore, central and local governments should support promotional and advertising activities in order to increase tourism activities, apart from classical infrastructure services and zoning planning services, among the main duties and responsibilities of the tourism sector (Güllü, 2018).Social media networks are a promotional channel by providing a wide range of information from the scope of services offered to tourists regarding a touristic destination to the attractions and basic features of the destination.In today's digital age, it is obvious that social media networks for destinations are an important database for the tourism industry.At this point, one of the main issues that should be emphasized is whether social media is used consciously or result-oriented in touristic promotional activities.Duran et al. (2022), it was aimed to reveal in what sense the promotional images of Türkiye and Greece destinations attract the attention of tourists as social media users.According to the results of the findings obtained from the research, it is interpreted that the promotions made through the visuals of the destinations through social media are effective on individuals.For this reason, the necessity of active use of social media networks arises in the promotion of destinations, especially in the promotion of the country, and the announcement of activities carried out on culture and tourism (Gülaslan, 2018).
It is possible to say that the use of social media by central and local governments in Türkiye remains at the level of promotion or information transfer, and that there is no standard practice regarding service provision (Gülaslan, 2018).As a matter of fact, in a study conducted by Cinnioğlu and Polat Dönmez (2016), the social media accounts of the culture and tourism directorates of 48 provinces affiliated to the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism were examined.As a result of the research, it has been revealed that these directorates do not use social media actively.Similarly, in a study conducted by Duğan & Aydın (2018), the usage levels of Facebook, Twitter and Youtube by the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism were examined.As a result of the research, it has been determined that social media is used as a one-way communication tool within the framework of informing the public, the routine activities of the ministry are shared on social media and the country's historical, cultural and touristic values are not used for promotion purposes.With this research, answers were sought to the following questions, which were formed in the light of the explanations in question and in line with the purpose of the research: • What kind of posts do Trabzon destination central and local governments share on their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts?
• Do Trabzon destination central and local governments have posts on their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts that contain basic information about Trabzon destination?
• Do Trabzon destination central and local governments have posts on their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts that contain information about the attraction elements of Trabzon destination?
• Do Trabzon destination central and local governments have posts on their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts that contain information about service providers in Trabzon destination?
• Do Trabzon destination central and local governments use their social media accounts specifically for the tourism sector and for destination promotion?
• Which items about Trabzon destination are highlighted in the social media accounts of Trabzon destination center and local governments?

Social Media Concept and Social Media Networks
The concept of social media has entered our lives with the use of web 2.0 technology, which can be developed by users on the Internet (Küçükaltan & Kılıçaslan, 2013;Heras-Pedrosa et al., 2020).Social media refers to a more information-sharing environment that allows users who live far away from each other to communicate and who Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Vizyoner Dergisi, Yıl: 2023, Cilt: 14, Sayı: 37, 96-122. ISSN: 1308-9552 Süleyman Demirel University Visionary Journal, Year: 2023, Volume: 14, No: 37, 96-122.may never even come face to face, because consumers are in more and more daily contact with other consumers than before (Çetinkaya et al., 2021).It is possible to define social media as online services that allow user-level content creation, social interaction, and open membership (Hays et al., 2013).Social media, which has many internet-based channels, can create a one-to-one communication environment with consumers through these channels/networks (Xiang & Gretzel, 2010).In this context, we can express social networks, which are among the social media networks, as platforms that allow individuals to create web pages and to communicate with others by sharing content through these pages.It is possible to evaluate sharing networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in this category (Zağralı Çakır, 2019).
While the social part of social media refers to sharing information and interacting with people, the media part is the use of a communication tool such as the internet (Taşkın et al., 2021).In this context, it is possible to see great effects such as raising awareness of current events and creating public opinion through social media networks, which perform important functions such as communicating, sharing, and following others (Xiang & Gretzel, 2010;Çetinkaya et al., 2021).According to the Digital 2021 Türkiye Report, the most used social media networks in Türkiye are Youtube with 94.5%, Instagram with 89.5%, Whatsapp with 87.5%, Facebook with 79% and Twitter with 72.5% (Digital 2021 Türkiye, 2021).Based on the relevant statistical data, the explanations regarding the social media networks Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, which are preferred as application areas in this study, are given below.

Facebook
Founded by Mark Zuckerberg who was a student at Harvard University in 2006 and previously designed for the use of Harvard students, Facebook is a social media sharing network that aims to enable people to communicate with their friends and share information, photos, videos etc. (Küçükaltan & Kılıçaslan, 2013).In the Facebook social network, it is possible for users to create a group about any event or topic they want, and to make new friends and customers.In addition, Facebook provides users with free advertising opportunities, can help them find sponsors and earn income with no charge (Akgöz et al., 2021, p. 45).Facebook users can share photos, videos, and links on their pages, as well as using only text.Users interact with the relevant page by liking, commenting, or sharing the content.For this reason, interaction rates for content shared with Facebook are usually based on measurements such as the number of likes, comments, shares, and how many people the content reaches (Bayram et al., 2016, p. 46).With 2 billion 291 million monthly active users as of October 2021, Facebook ranks first in the world's most active social media networks.These figures show that approximately 36.9% of all people in the world today use Facebook (Facebook Stats and Trends, 2021).

Instagram
Instagram is a mobile social network that was founded in 2010 and acquired by Facebook in 2012.Instagram, which can be accessed by both mobile communication tools and computers, only allowed photo sharing in the years it was founded.Over time, it started to offer expanding services such as creating stories, tagging people in stories, making live broadcasts, recording live broadcasts, sharing multiple videos and photos, and archiving posts (Akyurt Kurnaz & Ön Esen, 2019, p. 498;Çetinkaya, 2020;Kim et al., 2021).According to the global advertising audience reach figures, as of October 2021, Instagram has at least 1 billion 393 million users worldwide.This figure shows that 22.7% of all people aged 13 and over worldwide use Instagram today (Instagram Stats and Trends, 2021).There are at least 49 million active Instagram users in Türkiye (Instagram Stats and Trends, 2021).It is possible for touristic consumers to embody tourism destinations through Instagram, a photo and video-based platform.In this context, it is possible for touristic destinations to give brief information about the relevant destination to consumers with the "biography field" in their Instagram profiles.With the "location tag" feature, touristic consumers can access photos and videos shared at the destinations they want to go before their travels.With the location tag search, users can reach the posts shared about the destinations they have searched in order from the most liked to the least liked.In addition, thanks to the "hashtag (#)" feature, users who search for destinations can easily access photos and videos that people or destination accounts have shared before.Therefore, all these features enable touristic consumers and touristic destinations to communicate with each other (Gürkan, 2021, p. 62-63).

Twitter
Twitter is a free social media-sharing network that allows its users to read and reply to updates known as "tweets" (Küçükaltan & Kılıçaslan, 2013).If users decide that the "tweet" is very interesting and valuable for sharing, a "retweet" can be made (Kaygısız & Bulgan, 2016).Twitter is a communication tool that requires less effort than other social media networks and maintains a balance between being professional and personal (Akgöz et al., 2021, Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Vizyoner Dergisi, Yıl: 2023, Cilt: 14, Sayı: 37, 96-122. ISSN: 1308-9552 Süleyman Demirel University Visionary Journal, Year: 2023, Volume: 14, No: 37, 96-122.p. 46).According to Twitter Statistics and Trends Report; as of October 2021, 436.4 million users can be reached on Twitter.In other words, approximately 5.5% of all people in the world today use Twitter.There are approximately 16.3 million active Twitter users in Türkiye (Twitter Stats and Trends, 2021).

The Role of Social Media Networks in Destination Promotion
Promotion in tourism consists of the process of conveying commercially meaningful messages about a good, service, business, organization, region, country or nation to the target audiences or the public via mass media (Sarı & Özüpek, 2011, p. 34).The most important issue regarding the promotion of a destination is to determine how the touristic items of the destination are perceived by the target audience, as well as the existing tourist products of the destination.At this point, of course, it is necessary to underline the "communication" element.The importance of communication environments created on the internet in order to draw attention to the cultural, historical and touristic attractions of a destination, to introduce the local activities of the destination, to provide information on transportation, accommodation, food, beverage etc, entertainment related to the destination is undeniable (Atılgan & Karapınar, 2015).Today, the tourism sector is faced with a consumer profile that uses communication tools effectively, spends a long time on social networks, communicates with other consumers through social media, and shares their purchasing experiences on social networks.Therefore, social media has become an important marketing tool both for the sector and for destinations (Fatanti & Suyadnya, 2015;Kılıçarslan & Albayrak, 2022;Akgöz et al., 2021, p. 48).
The internet, which allows consumers to access information in a shorter time and make comparisons, easily passes to the purchasing stage; it is a huge network that today's consumers use when making travel plans (Hays et al., 2013).The internet, which has been used effectively in the tourism sector since the 1990s, offers a significant variety in terms of usage today and is used in an expanding framework in various activities such as promotion, sales, and distribution (Zağralı Çakır, 2019).In this context, social media basically diversifies the way of producing information in cooperation with tourism suppliers and destinations, as well as the search, finding, reading and trust habits of tourists (Özkul & Demirer, 2013;Fatanti & Suyadnya, 2015).Touristic consumers need to have information about the activities, historical-natural-cultural values and how to reach these values in a destination they visit.Thanks to today's advanced communication technologies, it becomes possible for tourists to have comprehensive information about the destination they will travel to (Cox et al., 2009;Zağralı Çakır, 2019).
Destinations are important attraction centers as well as being geographical areas that attract potential visitors with their very different characteristics (Heras-Pedrosa et al., 2020).In terms of destinations, it is one of the most important issues to determine why tourists prefer a destination, and to determine the factors that make a destination different from others in terms of tourists (Ünal, 2020, p. 2).It is possible to create a destination image through the promotion of a destination and to attract new tourists to the destination, that is, to realize the tourism demand, thanks to the image to be created.In this context, social media networks offer tourists a lot of information on destination image, idea presentation, and perception (Ünal & Çelen, 2020;Palazzo et al., 2021).Consumers have the power to influence other social media users within the framework of their shares using social media.Likewise, it is possible for these consumers to be affected by the shares of other social media users.In this case, consumers sometimes have information about a product or a service.In some cases, they can make their purchasing decisions and destination choices within the framework of the relevant shares (Hua et al., 2017;Başarangil, 2019;Tham et al., 2020).It is possible for touristic consumers to significantly influence people they know or do not know with their shares on social media networks.This is sometimes the case with a post on Facebook, and sometimes with a comment on Twitter.Similarly, preferences of individuals can be affected without being aware of it, through a photo shared on Instagram (Eryılmaz & Şengül, 2016, p. 33).
It is possible for destinations to use social media networks as a guide in order to show their difference from other destinations, and to realize their own deficiencies and improve them in a good way (Akdeniz & Kömürcü, 2021).It is possible for touristic consumers to have an idea about the destination thanks to the photo or video shared about a destination on video and photo sharing sites such as Youtube or Instagram.Likewise, being a follower of a destination on Twitter and having the opportunity to communicate simultaneously with the developments about the destination can prove that the destination choices of tourists who use social media networks in the tourism sector are shaped according to their social media shares (Eryılmaz & Zengin, 2014).In addition, it is possible for destinations to easily perform communication activities such as interacting with the target audience, receiving instant feedback, exchanging views, and sharing visual and written items related to the destination by using social media networks (Çilesiz & Arıkan, 2020).

The Role of Central and Local Governments in Destination Promotion
Tourism destinations are defined by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) as a physical place where a tourist stays for at least one night and contains many touristic products (support services, touristic resources, etc.) (Bardakoğlu, 2011, p. 28).In this context, a tourism destination is expected to be a geographical area with defined borders, to be chosen and visited by tourist, to have different types of tourism products, and to include many stakeholders with different interests and needs (Kadi et al., 2015).Attitudes of consumers in tourism destination promotion and marketing are shaped by intense information.The shortest way to reach information in today's information society is the internet.Through the Internet, institutions and/or organizations have new promotion and marketing opportunities (Xiang & Gretzel, 2010).Therefore, social media networks, which we can consider as a communication tool and distribution channel, help tourists easily have information about destination services, make choices, and plan their travels in line with their wishes and budgets by bringing together the destination services themselves (Hays et al., 2013;Alyakut, 2020Alyakut, , p. 1873;;Palazzo et al., 2021).
The fact that touristic goods and services cannot be tried before and thus production and consumption are simultaneous has necessitated the promotion of destinations in the most effective way.Therefore, it is important to include destinations in social media networks and to convey the desired message to the right people at the right time, in line with the dimension of social media networks being preferred by the touristic consumer (Harman & Eyyüpoğlu, 2020).In addition, in order to realize a successful management process in terms of destination promotion, all stakeholders involved in tourism should take an active role in the process.
The competitor of any tourism destination is any other tourism destination in another part of the world/country (Karakuş, 2017, p. 20).Therefore, it is possible to say that not the destinations, but the stakeholders dealing with the tourism business within the destination are in competition with each other or with the stakeholders operating in other destinations (Bayraktaroğlu, 2019, p. 209).Actors are involved in the promotion and promotion activities of destinations, culture and tourism directorates, municipalities, and tourism enterprises.Unlike traditional media, social media networks bring together the public-private partnership of these institutions and citizens, making the branding and promotion process more participatory and interactive.The fact that there are many categories of information that users can access in social media networks significantly increases the awareness of a destination in terms of consumers without time and place limitations (Tosyalı & Öksüz, 2020(Tosyalı & Öksüz, , p. 1489)).
There is a two-way interaction between tourism and both central and local governments.Whilst the plans, policies and services implemented by central and local governments affect tourism, tourism activities also contribute to the management by providing economic and social benefits to the region (Büyükkuru, 2020, p. 376).Central or provincial governments consist of units such as governorships and district governorships, while local governments consist of municipalities, mukhtars and special provincial administrations.While it is important for the effectiveness of destination management in which central and local governments take an active role especially in terms of destination promotion, the cooperation of these two stakeholders will multiply the effect (Akkuş & Akkuş, 2019).Local governments are an actor in tourism activities within the framework of the authorities and duties they receive from the central government and play an important role in regional tourism (Alyakut, 2020(Alyakut, , p. 1870)).While local governments mostly undertake responsibilities such as infrastructure and supervision, the central administration is responsible for the regulation of laws.
As the most important local government unit in a destination that is especially important in terms of tourism, the municipalities' activities have become very important.Among the main works of municipalities are services related to development, water, sewerage, transportation, urban infrastructure, and environment.In addition to these services, there are also duties such as culture and arts, tourism, promotion, cleaning, police, fire, emergency aid, rescue, and provision of urban traffic order.The services of the municipalities, which are directly responsible for all these services, naturally also benefit the tourists who come to the destination.Therefore, it also brings up the issue of municipalities, which have important duties and responsibilities within the scope of promoting a destination, to benefit from the developing technology and, in parallel, to use the internet and social media networks for the purpose of promoting the destination (Güçer et al., 2013, p. 50-51;Bayoğlu & Acar Şentürk, 2021, p. 39).

Trabzon Destination
The city of Trabzon, which Evliya Çelebi described as "appropriate to be called small Istanbul" and "a city decorated like İrem's vineyards", is located between the southern shores of the Eastern Black Sea region and the Soğanlı Mountains.The city, which was founded by the Turkish tribes who came to the Black Sea region through the Caucasus, is located on the historical Silk Road and has been one of the important economic and strategic centers of not only Anatolia but also the world throughout history (Köse, 2011).The city, which has a history of four thousand years, lived through the Persian (Iranians), Roman, Pontus Kingdom, Byzantine and Ottoman periods and was conquered by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1461.Trabzon, the city where Yavuz Sultan Selim was the governor during his princedom (1487), where Suleiman the Magnificent was born (1495) and the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of Republic of Türkiye, visited three times (1924,1930,1937), is an important power and attraction center today as it was in the past, with its historical artifacts representing a wide period up to the 16th century and its increasing tourism potential (Trabzon Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, 2022).
The population of Trabzon destination is 816,684 according to February 2022 data (Turkish Statistical Institute, 2022).Trabzon has eighteen districts (Akçaabat, Araklı, Arsin, Beşikdüzü, Çarşıbaşı, Çaykara, Dernekpazarı, Düzköy, Hayrat, Köprübaşı, Maçka, Of, Sürmene, Şalpazarı, Tonya, Vakfıkebir and Yomra), one of which is the central district (Ortahisar).Trabzon is an important historical city and contains many cultural assets.There are a total of 25 protected areas, including urban, natural and archaeological sites, and a total of 983 registered immovable cultural assets in the city.Therefore, thanks to cultural tourism, which constitutes an important pillar of tourism, a prominent tourist input is provided to the city (Trabzon Provincial Plan, 2015).According to 2019 data, the destination's number of domestic tourists was 1 million 53 thousand, tourism income was 363 million dollars, and the number of foreign tourists was 606 thousand.In addition, tourism investment incentives in the destination were determined as 516 million TL between 2010 and 2019.Trabzon destination, which has direct international flights from twelve countries and thirty-three points, has many historical, cultural and natural touristic values (DOKA, 2022).

RELATED STUDIES
Networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Blog were examined in a study conducted by Akgöz et al. (2021) to determine the importance of social media use in destination promotion.As a result of this study carried out for the Kyrgyzstan destination, it was determined that social media networks did not have an official and organized use in Kyrgyzstan.It was also determined that the posts on the promotion of destinations in the relevant networks were made individually and remain far from professionalism.
In his study to determine the effect of Instagram, one of the social media networks, on tourists' preference for Türkiye during their travels, Gürkan (2021) concluded that Instagram was an effective factor in destination selection and holiday processes for Türkiye.In addition, it was emphasized that thanks to Instagram, both the travel experiences of the touristic consumer and their thoughts about the touristic destination could be reached in a short time as visual comments.
A study by Alam & Amin (2020) examined the role of social media in destination promotion in Bulukumba (South Sulawesi/Indonesia).In the study carried out on the official social media accounts of Bulukumba Tourism Office, it was concluded that social media had an important role in promoting tourism in Bulukumba.On the other hand, it was determined that the official social media accounts of the Tourism Office had no role in the promotion of tourism.
In a study conducted by Harman & Eyyüpoğlu (2020), the effect of the photos shared about Mardin on social media on touristic marketing and the pages sharing about Mardin on social media networks were examined.As a result of the study, when the number of followers, shares and likes were examined, it was determined that the most shares about Mardin on social media networks were made on Instagram and Instagram was used more actively than other social media networks.
In a study conducted by Ünal (2020), it was aimed to determine the level of instant exposure of tourists to the Instagram content they see or watch in the destination decision-making process.In this context, by showing the Russian tourists, who had never visited Türkiye before, 28 photos shared in the #goturkey topic about Türkiye, their perceptions before seeing the photos about the relevant destination and their instant evaluations after seeing the photos were tried to be determined.As a result of the study, it was determined that while tourists' perceptions of the destination were low before they saw the destination-related Instagram content, the evaluations of the destination were highly and positively affected after seeing the Instagram content.
In a study conducted by Başarangil (2019), it was examined whether social media had an effect on consumers' holiday decisions.As a result of the study, it was revealed that social media users were influenced by the photos/videos of the holiday destinations, they shared their post-holiday experiences with either photos or videos, and were influenced by the experiences of other vacationers.
In another study, Doğan et al. (2018) aimed to examine the extent to which tourists used social media in their decision-making processes and how they were affected by social media.In the study conducted on the tourists visiting Kars by using the Eastern Express Train operating between Ankara and Kars, it was concluded that social media had an impact on travel preferences and decisions in the context of the Kars Eastern Express case study.
In a study conducted by Kılıçarslan & Albayrak (2020) to reveal the relationship between the social media performance of destination marketing organizations and the number of visitors to destinations, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and Twitter performances of destination marketing organizations belonging to the cities that are in the top ten in Europe in terms of visitor numbers were compared.As a result of the study, among the ten most visited destinations in Europe, London was found to be more active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram compared to other destinations.Istanbul and Antalya, which are the destinations that attract the most tourists in Türkiye, were found at the bottom of these three platforms.Compared to other platforms, it was determined that Youtube was not used much by destination marketing organizations.In addition, in the study, a significant relationship was found between the performance of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and the number of visitors to the destinations.
Kılıçarslan & Albayrak (2022) conducted a study to compare the social media performances of five-star hotels in Europe's five destinations attracting the most foreign visitors (London, Paris, Istanbul, Antalya and Rome) as of 2018.Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, which have the highest monthly user numbers, were chosen as social media networks.Study findings reveal that hotels should first increase the number of followers and develop social media strategies that can appeal to different customer groups, as they also shape other social media indicators.
In a study conducted by Taşdemir et al. (2022) to examine the brand communication activities of the Eastern Black Sea cities, it was aimed to measure the attitudes of the city residents towards the communication activities of their own cities.When the study findings in the city of Trabzon were considered, it was concluded that the messages given during the advertising and promotion activities related to the destination reflected the real identity of the city and that the messages given were original.On the other hand, it was determined that the web pages for the Trabzon destination were not professionally prepared and the social media pages were not professionally managed.According to the participants of the aforementioned research, not only the web pages did not contribute to the promotion, but also the content of the social media shares was insufficient, and the people did not even feel the need to share the relevant content on their own pages.
In another study, Uşaklı et al. (2017) investigated how and at what level European destination marketing organizations used social media to promote and market their destinations.The findings show that European destination marketing organizations use social media as a traditional marketing tool to reduce potential customer problems rather than as a customer service tool.
In a study conducted by Eşitti & Işık (2015), it was tried to determine to what extent foreign tourists who chose Türkiye as a holiday destination used social media in their decision-making processes and how they were affected by the information, they obtained from social media.The study was carried out with 390 foreign tourists visiting the provinces of Izmir and Istanbul.According to the data obtained, social media users used social media before deciding on holiday destinations and collected information about the places they planned to go before choosing the holiday destination and accommodation business through this communication channel.In addition, it was found that foreign tourists used social media effectively and changed their holiday destinations or the businesses they planned to stay in according to the information they obtained from social media.
In their study done to investigate how Instagram has become a popular channel for the promotion of Bali and Malang, one of the most well-known destinations in Indonesia, Fatanti & Suyadnya (2015) underlined that Instagram allowed touristic consumers to easily obtain information about touristic destinations thanks to its location tagging feature.As a result of the study in question, it was concluded that Instagram could be used as a promotion and marketing channel thanks to the tagging feature available in the application.
As seen in related studies, destinations use social media networks effectively in their promotional efforts.As stated before, the fact that tourism marketing and promotion activities in Türkiye are carried out by the central and local governments to which the destinations are affiliated, reveals the necessity of approaching the issue from the point of view of central and local governments.For this reason, it is aimed to fill the gap in the literature regarding this

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The main purpose of this study is to examine the use of social media networks by central and local governments in Trabzon destination, specifically for destination promotion.This study has a descriptive feature due to its purpose.For this reason, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter social media accounts of Trabzon destination center and local governments were analyzed by quantitative content analysis method.Quantitative content analysis is a statistical research method used to obtain descriptive data about content-related variables based on the clear and distinct meanings of the indicators in the content of messages (Taylan, 2011).The results obtained in the quantitative content analysis are described in terms of numbers and percentages.In other words, basic elements are classified and quantitative elements are used in the interpretation of the content.Based on the data obtained in this context, it becomes possible to present ideas about the quality of the findings in question (Sallan Gül & Kahya Nizam, 2020).From this point of view, the shares made by Trabzon destination center and local governments on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter social media accounts were examined and the shares were subjected to quantitative content analysis within the framework of the evaluation criteria created.
The main reason why Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are preferred as application areas among social media networks in this study is that Trabzon destination center and local governments are more active in these accounts among various social media networks.In addition, when the social media networks of Trabzon destination center and local governments are examined, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are in the first place.In other words, it has been determined that the vast majority of Trabzon destination central and local governments do not have accounts on platforms such as Youtube and TikTok, which are among the most used social media networks in Türkiye, as stated in the Digital 2021 Türkiye Report.Arsin Municipality, Beşikdüzü Municipality, Çarşıbaşı Municipality, Çaykara Municipality, Dernekpazarı Municipality, Düzköy Municipality, Hayrat Municipality, Köprübaşı Municipality, Maçka Municipality, Of Municipality, Sürmene Municipality, Şalpazarı Municipality, Tonya Municipality, Vakfıkebir Municipality, Yomra Municipality.The study is limited to the posts made on social media accounts until 25.02.2022.After this date, changes, innovations, additions, etc. made in social media accounts were excluded from the scope of the research.
In the study, evaluation criteria (basic information about the destination-6 criteria; information about destination attraction items-11 criteria; information about service providers in the destination-5 criteria; information about connections related to the destination-3 criteria) were created, and an evaluation form was used by making use of the researches in the related literature (Horng & Tsai, 2010;Luna-Nevarez & Hyman 2012;Hays et al., 2013;Uşaklı et al., 2017;Güllü, 2018;Ćurlin et al., 2019;Heras-Pedrosa et al., 2020;Kılıçarslan & Albayrak, 2020;Ünal & Çelen, 2020;Tugores-Ques & Bonilla-Quijada, 2022) in order to determine the criteria to be used to evaluate the Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts of Trabzon destination center and local governments.The elements in this form were determined as "yes" and "no" in the Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts examined.In the analysis of the research data, percentage and frequency analyses, which are considered as descriptive statistics, were carried out.

RESULTS
In this study, the status of being a member of social media networks of a total of 21 institutions including Trabzon Governorate and Trabzon Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, which are the central administrations of Trabzon destination, and Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality, Trabzon Ortahisar Municipality, Akçaabat Municipality, Araklı Municipality, Arsin Municipality, Beşikdüzü Municipality, Çarşıbaşı Municipality, Çaykara Municipality, Dernekpazarı Municipality, Düzköy Municipality, Hayrat Municipality, Köprübaşı Municipality, Maçka Municipality, Of Municipality, Sürmene Municipality, Şalpazarı Municipality, Tonya Municipality, Vakfıkebir Municipality, Yomra Municipality, which are the local administrations of Trabzon destination, was examined and given in Table 2.As seen in Table 2, all institutions within the central and local governments of Trabzon destination, except Hayrat and Tonya Municipality, are members of the Facebook social media network.When the institutions that are members of the Instagram social media network are examined, it is seen that all institutions except Trabzon Ortahisar Municipality, Düzköy Municipality, Hayrat Municipality, Köprübaşı Municipality and Tonya Municipality are members.In addition, it has been determined that institutions other than Trabzon Ortahisar Municipality, Dernekpazarı Municipality, Düzköy Municipality and Köprübaşı Municipality are members of the Twitter social media network.
In this study, Facebook usage performances of Trabzon destination center and local governments were created using the data obtained within the scope of "number of likes", "number of followers", "total number of posts/shares" and "number of posts/shares for the promotion of the destination".These findings are listed in Table 3.According to the Table 3, the total number of posts/shares made by 19 central and local governments whose Facebook accounts were examined within the scope of the research was determined to be 77.922.The number of posts/shares made for the promotion of the destination was determined to be 8.626.In this case, the rate of posts specifically for destination promotion among the posts made by Trabzon destination center and local governments on Facebook social media network is 11.1%.In addition, it was determined that 87.2% of the posts made by the Trabzon Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism are for the promotion of the destination.
In this study, Instagram usage performances of Trabzon destination center and local governments were created using the data obtained within the scope of "number of followers", "total number of posts/shares" and "number of posts/shares for the promotion of the destination".These findings are listed in Table 4.According to Table 4, within the scope of the research, the total number of posts/shares by 16 central and local governments, whose Instagram accounts were examined, was determined as 14.980.The number of posts/shares for the promotion of the destination was determined to be 2.005.In this case, the rate of posts specifically for destination promotion among the posts by Trabzon destination center and local governments on the Instagram social media network is 13.4 %.In addition, it was determined that 64.9% of the posts made by the Trabzon Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism are for the promotion of the destination.
In this study, Twitter usage performances of Trabzon destination center and local governments were created using the data obtained within the scope of "number of followers", "number of followings", "total number of tweets" and "number of tweets for the promotion of the destination".These findings are listed in Table 5.
Information/ photo/video about the plateaus in the destination Information/ photo/video about lakes and caves in the destination Information/ photo/video on the intangible cultural heritage of the destination Information on alternative tourism activities in the destination Information/ photo/video about the gastronomic elements of the destination

Information about Connections Related to the Destination
Links to other social networks with detailed information about the destination News and announcements about the destination It is possible to summarize the results in Table 6 as follows.
• When Twitter posts are evaluated, it is concluded that the highest number of shares is in the category of "information/photo/video on the intangible cultural heritage of the destination" (11 posts).In this criterion, the institution that has shared the most has been determined to be Trabzon Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate.
• In terms of information about service providers in the destination, it is concluded that there are no posts on Twitter accounts.
• When Twitter accounts are examined, it has been determined that they are in the category of "news and announcements about the destination" (10 posts).In terms of information on the connections related to the destination, the institution that has shared the most posts in both Instagram and Twitter accounts is Trabzon Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism.

CONCLUSION
In this study, which was carried out by examining the Facebook, Instagram and Twitter social media accounts of Trabzon destination center and local governments, it was tried to determine whether the central and local governments use their social media accounts specifically for the tourism sector and for the purpose of promoting the destination.In this context, firstly, the membership status of 21 central and local governments included in the study to the relevant networks was evaluated.The ratio of posts made specifically for destination promotion among the posts made by 19 central and local governments, whose Facebook accounts were examined, is 11.1%.The ratio of posts made specifically for destination promotion among the posts made by 16 central and local governments, whose Instagram accounts were examined, is 13.4%.In addition, the rate of posts made specifically for destination promotion among the posts made by 17 central and local governments whose Twitter accounts were examined is 4.4%.As a result of the findings, it is possible to say that Trabzon destination center and local governments do not use social media networks effectively for destination promotion.On the other hand, it has been determined that the majority of the posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts are made by the Trabzon Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism.
In this study, the content performances of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter posts of Trabzon destination center and local governments were also evaluated.According to the research findings, it was determined that the posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts regarding the basic information about the Trabzon destination mainly have the contents of "information/photo about the towns and villages in the destination" and "economic, cultural and art information about the destination".Regarding information about destination attraction items, the posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts are predominantly "information/photo/video on the intangible cultural heritage of the destination", "information about festivals, fairs, etc. organized in the destination", "information/photo/video about the plateaus in the destination" and "information/photo/video about places to visit in the destination".In addition, with regard to information about service providers in the destination, it is concluded that there are no posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.Regarding the information about the connections related to the destination, it has been determined that the posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts mainly have the content of "news and announcements about the destination".It is possible to say that the majority of the aforementioned posts are made by the Trabzon Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism.
As a result of this study, it is possible to say that the posts of Trabzon destination center and local governments on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts, which includs basic information about Trabzon destination, information about destination attraction items and information about service providers in the destination, are not sufficient.
The sharing of tourism destinations through social media networks is of vital importance.Especially as a result of the right methods to be applied, it is possible for the marketing and promotion activities towards the target consumer to be realized/successful in a shorter time.In this context, the issue of controlling the posts made specifically for tourism stakeholders by authorized units in order to promote destinations accurately and effectively comes to the fore.It is because there is a need for a control mechanism against the situations where the shares do not reflect the truth or are expressed with false statements.For this reason, attention should be paid to the fact that the information flow about the destination is up-to-date.In this context, the control element should gain importance in the sharing of promotional and marketing activities.In particular, businesses or tourism stakeholders in the destination need to take place in social media networks with a corporate identity.In addition, up-to-date and accurate information on the relevant social media networks is one of the most important issues to be considered (İmre, 2020, p. 1667).In addition, although social media channels are important in terms of increasing communication and accessibility, it should not be forgotten that if they were not used effectively, they would not provide the expected benefit (Türker & Özaltın Türker, 2017).
As a result of this study, it is stated that Trabzon destination central and local governments should have a destination-oriented approach in order to make their social media accounts more interactive in terms of destination promotion.In addition, accommodation businesses, food businesses, etc. are service providers in the destination in the relevant accounts.They need to focus on information sharing.In this context, before deciding on a trip and choosing a destination, the importance of the information obtained by tourists from social media networks should also be considered.
Within the coordination of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's General Directorate of Promotion and the related institution of the Ministry, the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), important studies have been initiated in order to ensure a more effective promotion of the province and sub-destinations in the national and international arena.In this context, by developing a sustainable cooperation model with the participation of all stakeholders working on destination promotion (public and private sector institutions and organizations, universities, tourism sector organizations, non-governmental organizations, etc.), by putting forward effective and result-oriented promotional activities, and by creating an identity different from competing Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Vizyoner Dergisi, Yıl: 2023, Cilt: 14, Sayı: 37, 96-122. ISSN: 1308-9552 Süleyman Demirel University Visionary Journal, Year: 2023, Volume: 14, No: 37, 96-122.destinations, pilot provinces were determined in line with objectives such as strengthening branding and communication processes and making the destination visible in the digital world, and the "Provincial Promotion and Development Program" was implemented.The Program focuses on the studies on social media accounts that will add value to the destination by creating the long-term digital assets of destinations.In this context; social media accounts, primarily covering the pilot provinces, were put into operation, targeting the domestic (@gezsen) and international (@go) target audiences.Written notifications were made to all stakeholders regarding the issues of ensuring that the corporate social media accounts would follow and sharing necessary to increase the number of followers.The results of this study reveal the necessity of implementing the said Program specifically for Trabzon destination.
The results of this study are important in terms of revealing the extent to which Trabzon destination center and local governments use social media networks for touristic promotional activities.The results obtained with the study are valid within the scope of the study.Therefore, it is possible to customize future studies.In this context, future studies can focus on the extent to which central and local governments use websites or, if any, different social media networks for touristic promotion.Based on the questions of what should be done and what steps should be taken in order for central and local governments to use the social media networks they use more effectively, applied study can be conducted by conducting interviews with the followers of the relevant accounts in order to measure the effectiveness.In addition, considering the main implications of the study, it is recommended to analyze the social media accounts of the central and local governments of different provinces in different time periods and/or for future studies.

Table 4 .
Instagram Usage Performance of Trabzon Destination Center and Local Governments

Table 5 .
Twitter Usage Performance of Trabzon Destination Center and Local Governments