Expo2020 Dubai and Tourism Marketing: An Online User-Generated Content Analysis

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 6 Sayı: 2, 130 - 148

Asier Baquero

https://doi.org/10.51525/johti.1528836

Öz

Dubai is currently one of the world’s leading cities in the tourism field. Expo2020 has placed it in a remarkable position in sustainable tourism development amongst other tourist destinations. Information communication technologies (ICTs) have become essential for connecting tourism destinations with their visitors and other market partners. X (Twitter) facilitates online communication; embracing it have proved to be critical for boosting the brand image and reputation of tourism spots and augmenting their competitive advantage in the market. User-generated content (UGC) and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) have become important key players in this field. The purpose of this research grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior and Social Media Engagement Theory, was to deepen the study of the Expo2020 event in relation to tourism within the framework of ICTs. To do so, 3811 tweets posted from April 2021 to March 2022 using the hashtags #expo2020 and #visitdubai were analyzed. Users generated more than 10 tweets daily on this topic. Dubai’s institutional accounts were highly involved in creating content, leading personal accounts to follow the eWOM and UGC. Destination marketing organization (DMO) related to the Indian segment account stood out as one of the main players in the analyzed sample.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Expo2020, Dubai, Tourism Marketing, ICTs, X (Twitter), UGC, eWOM, DMO

Destekleyen Kurum

International University of La Rioja

Proje Numarası

2

Expo2020 Dubai and Tourism Marketing: An Online User-Generated Content Analysis

Öz

Dubai is currently one of the world’s leading cities in the tourism field. Expo2020 has placed it in a remarkable position in sustainable tourism development amongst other tourist destinations. Information communication technologies (ICTs) have become essential for connecting tourism destinations with their visitors and other market partners. X (Twitter) facilitates online communication; embracing it have proved to be critical for boosting the brand image and reputation of tourism spots and augmenting their competitive advantage in the market. User-generated content (UGC) and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) have become important key players in this field. The purpose of this research was to deepen the study of the Expo2020 event in relation to tourism within the framework of ICTs. To do so, 3811 tweets posted from April 2021 to March 2022 using the hashtags #expo2020 and #visitdubai were analyzed. Users generated more than 10 tweets daily on this topic. Dubai’s institutional accounts were highly involved in creating content, leading personal accounts to follow the eWOM and UGC. Destination marketing organization (DMO) related to the Indian segment account stood out as one of the main players in the analyzed sample.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Expo2020, Dubai, Tourism Marketing, ICTs, X (Twitter), UGC, eWOM, DMOs

Proje Numarası

2

Kaynakça

• Ahlam Al Shamsi [@AhlamAlShamsi]. [X profile]. X. Retrieved 01.08.2024, from https://x.com/AhlamAlShamsi
• Aizaki, H., Nakatani, T., & Sato, K. (2014). Stated Preference Methods Using R. CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group: Boca Raton, FL, USA.
• Al-Dabbagh, R. (2022). Dubai, the sustainable, smart city. Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability, 7(3), 1–12.
• Alkhammash, E., Jussila, J., Lytras, M., & Visvizi, A. (2019). Annotation of smart cities twitter micro-contents for enhanced citizen’s engagement. IEEE Access, 7, 116267–116276.
• Aprilia, F., & Kusumawati, A. (2021). Influence of electronic word of mouth on visitor’s interest to tourism destinations. Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 8(2), 993–1003.
• Alrawabdeh, W. (2022). Seasonal balancing of revenue and demand in hotel industry: The case of Dubai city. Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, 21(1), 36–49.
• Alshamlan, M., Fernandez, V., & Fernandez, M. (2021). Foreign direct investment in the United Arab Emirates: A study on the main contributors. European Journal of Business and Management Research, 6(1), 97–101.
• Al Serkal, A. E. [@borneast55]. (23.02.2019). #Dubai_Intelligence Every Emirati is proud of his country, tolerant, humble and co-operative with guests. Residents and tourists of the UAE, may God protect our creative leaders. X. https://x.com/borneast55.
• Baquero, A. (2021). Enfoque en el cliente como modelo de gestión. Uno Editorial: Albacete/Spain.
• Baquero, A. (2022). Customer and Employee Satisfaction in Hotels. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Issues, 4(2), 69–83.
• Baquero, A. (2024). Optimizing green knowledge acquisition through entrepreneurial orientation and resource orchestration for sustainable business performance. Marketing Intelligence & Planning. Vol. and No. ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-07-2023-0330
• Bigné, E., Oltra, E., & Andreu, L. (2019). Harnessing stakeholder input on Twitter: A case study of short breaks in Spanish tourist cities. Tourism Management, 71(6), 490–503.
• Darmon, D., Omodei, E. & Garland, J. (2015). Followers are not enough: A multifaceted approach to community detection in online social networks. PLoS ONE, 10(8), 1-20.
• Demirbaş, Ş., & Bayram, M. (2022). Destinasyon yönetimi ve pazarlaması araştırmaları üzerine sistematik literatür incelemesi. GSI Journals Serie A: Advancements in Tourism Recreation and Sports Sciences, 5(2), 223-241.
• Developer X, API Academic Research. Available online: https://developer.x.com/en/products/twitter-api/academic-research (accessed on 1 August 2024).
• Dubai Camel Racing Club [@DubaiCRC]. [X profile]. X. Retrieved 01.08.2024, from https://x.com/DubaiCRC
• Expo 2022 Dubai. Available online: https://www.expo2020dubai.com/ (accessed on 1 August 2024).
• Faghih, N., Dastourian, B., Sajadi, S., Henten, A., & Foroudi, P. (2018). A framework for business model with strategic innovation in ICT firms: The importance of information. The Bottom Line, 31(7), 16–41.
• Garrod, B., & Nicholls, S. (2022). British tourists’ adjustment to cultural expectations in Muslim-majority countries. Tourism Management, 91(4), 104500.
• Goggin, G. (2012). The iPhone and communication. In Studying Mobile Media: Cultural Technologies, Mobile Communication, and the iPhone (pp. 11–27), Routledge: New York, NY, USA.
• Goritz, A., Kolleck, N., & Jörgens, H. (2019). Education for sustainable development and climate change education: The potential of social network analysis based on Twitter data. Sustainability, 11(19), 5499.
• Gössling, S. (2021). Tourism, technology, and ICT: A critical review of affordances and concessions. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(5), 733–750.
• Gössling, S. (2020). Technology, ICT and tourism: From big data to the big picture. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(5), 849–858.
• Gurung, D., & Goswami, C. (2017). Role of user generated content in destination image formation. International Journal of Tourism and Travel, 10(1), 1–16.
• Haneef, S., Ansari, Z., & Bhavani, G. (2019). Attractions of Dubai and Expo 2020: An exploratory study. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 11(3), 266–278.
• Harahap, M., & Dwita, V. (2020). Effect of e-WOM on revisit intention: Attitude and destination image as mediation variables (study in Pasaman regency tourism destinations). Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research, 152, 599–609.
• Hereźniak, M., & Florek, M. (2018). Citizen involvement, place branding and mega events: Insights from expo host cities. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 14, 89–100.
• Hou, Q., Han, M., Qu, F., & He, J. (2021). Understanding social media beyond text: A reliable practice on Twitter. Computational Social Networks, 8(4), 1–20.
• Huete-Alcocer, N. (2017). A Literature review of word of mouth and electronic word of mouth: Implications for consumer behavior. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1–4.
• IISD Hub (2021). Event: World Expo 2020. SDG Knowledge Hub. Available online: https://sdg.iisd.org/events/expo-2020/ (accessed on 1 August 2024).
• Jameel, A., Abdul-Karem, M., & Mahmood, N. (2017). A review of the impact of ICT on business firms. International Journal of Latest Engineering and Management Research, 2(1), 15–19.
• Janjua, Z., Krishnapillai, G., & Rehman, M. (2021). Information and communication technology (ICT) competency and sustainable tourism marketing. Journal of Marketing and Information Systems, 4(1), 20–32.
• Kaosiri, Y., Callarisa Fiol, L., Moliner Tena, M., Rodríguez Artola, R., & Sánchez García, J. (2017). User-generated content sources in social media: A new approach to explore tourist satisfaction. Journal of Travel Research, 58(2), 1–13.
• Khan, A., Senin, A., Zulfiqar, U., & Ashfaq, J. (2022). Influence of user generated content (UGC) on tourist satisfaction in pre-purchase period of tourism in Pakistan. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(1), 2512–2522.
• Khudhair, H., & Mardani, A. (2021). The positive role of the tourism industry for Dubai city in the United Arab Emirates. International Journal of Economics and Management Systems, 6, 185–199.
• Kim, M., & Lee, M. (2017). Brand-related user-generated content on social media: The roles of source and sponsorship. Internet Research, 27(2), 1085–1103.
• Kiran, P., & Vasantha, S. (2016). Analysing the role of user generated content on consumer purchase intention in the new era of social media and big data. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 9(43), 1–7.
• Labanauskaitė, D., Fiore, M., & Stašys, R. (2020). Use of e-marketing tools as communication management in the tourism industry. Tourism Management Perspectives, 34(2), 100652.
• Law, R., Leung, D., & Chan, I. (2019). Progression and development of information and communication technology research in hospitality and tourism. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(2), 511–534.
• Le-Hoang, P. (2020). The effects of electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) on the adoption of consumer e-WOM information. Independent Journal of Management & Production, 11(6), 1749–1766.
• Linnes, C., Agrusa, J., Ronzoni, G., & Lema, J. (2022). What tourist want, a sustainable paradise. Tourism and Hospitality, 3(1), 164–183. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp3010013
• Marine-Roig, E. (2022). Content Analysis of Online Travel Reviews. In: Xiang, Z., Fuchs, M., Gretzel, U., Höpken, W. (eds) Handbook of e-Tourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48652-5_31
• Maps Maponyane [@MapsMaponyane]. [X profile]. X. Retrieved 01.08.2024, from https://x.com/MapsMaponyane
• Marzouki, S. (2019). The role of special events in branding Egypt as a tourist destination: A case study of EXPO 2020 Dubai. International Academic Journal Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management, 5(1), 223–242.
• Mayrhofer, M., Matthes, J., Einwiller, S., & Naderer, B. (2020). User-generated content presenting brands on social media increases young adults’ purchase intention. International Journal of Advertising, 39(1), 166–186.
• Menashy, F., & Verger, A. (2019). Network analysis, education policy, and international development: An introduction. International Journal of Educational Development, 64, 58–61.
• Mehra, P. (2023). Unexpected surprise: Emotion analysis and aspect based sentiment analysis (ABSA) of user generated comments to study behavioral intentions of tourists. Tourism Management Perspectives, 45, 101063. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2022.101063
• Mulyana, A., Briandana, R., & Rekarti, E. (2020). ICT and social media as a marketing communication platform in facilitating social engagement in the digital era. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 13(5), 1–16.
• Myers, S.A., Sharma, A., Gupta, P., & Lin, J. (2014). Information network or social network? The structure of the twitter follow graph. In Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on World Wide Web (pp. 493–498), 7–11 April, Seoul, Korea.
• Nadkarni, S. (2019). Conclusions: Expo 2020 and its impact on Dubai. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 11(3), 341–345.
• Netlytic: Software for Automated Text and Social Network Analysis. Available online: https://netlytic.org/ (accessed on 1 August 2024).
• Nuseir, M. (2019). The impact of electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) on the online purchase intention of consumers in the Islamic countries—A case of (UAE). Journal of Islamic Marketing, 10(3), 759–767.
• Pencarelli, T. (2019). The digital revolution in the travel and tourism industry. Information Technology & Tourism, 22, 455–476.
• Perelygina, M., Kucukusta, D., & Law, R. (2022). Digital business model configurations in the travel industry. Tourism Management, 88, 104408.
• Pfalz, L. (2021). How The Expo 2020 Dubai is Making Accessibility a Priority. Travel Pulse. Available online: https://www.travelpulse.com/news/features/how-the-expo-2020-dubai-is-making-accessibility-a-priority.html (accessed on 1 August 2024).
• Phillips, M., & Lu, J. (2018). A quick look at NVivo. Journal of Electronics Resources Librarianship, 30(2), 104–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/1941126X.2018.1465535.
• Pike, S., Pontes, N., and Kotsi, F. (2021). Stopover destination attractiveness: A quasi-experimental approach. Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, 19(4), 100514.
• Pour, R., Darani, H., & Rahnama, A. (2020). Electronic word of mouth as a motivation tool in searching, using information and travel decision: An empirical study in Shiraz. International Journal of Tourism & Hospitality in Asia Pacific, 3(2), 1–12.
• Roztocki, N., Soja, P., & Weistroffer, H. (2019). The role of information and communication technologies in socioeconomic development: Towards a multi-dimensional framework. Information Technology for Development, 25(2), 171–183.
• Seitzhanova, A. (2018). The impact of Astana Expo2017 on tourist destinations. Athens Journal of Tourism, 5(4), 305–316.
• Sharma, S., Stranjančević, A., & Kleber, D. (2019). The effects of hosting events on destination branding: Dubai Expo 2020. KINERJA, 23(2), 91–102.
• Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding. Available online: https://www.cultures.ae/ (accessed on 1 August 2024).
• Silaa, V., Masui, F., & Ptaszynski, M. (2022). A method of supplementing reviews to less-known tourist spots using geotagged tweets. Applied Sciences, 12(5), 2321.
• Taryadi, A., & Miftahuddin, M. (2021). The role of mediation electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) in relationship quality of services and tourism products against visiting decisions. Journal of Economics Research and Social Sciences, 5(1), 64–76.
• Tbinder. Available online: https://www.tweetbinder.com/ (accessed on 1 August 2024).
• Vij, M., Upadhya, A., Vij, A., & Kumar, M. (2019). Exploring residents’ perceptions of mega event-Dubai Expo 2020: A pre-event perspective. Sustainability, 11(5), 1322.
• Visit Dubai. Available online: https://www.visitdubai.com/ (accessed on 1 August 2024).
• Visit Dubai INN [@VisitDubai_IN]. (03.03.2022). Indian Actor & Film Producer @beingsalmankhan visited the India Pavilion at @expo2020dubai It’s NOW OR NEVER! Only Until 31 March 2022. X. https://x.com/VisitDubai_IN.
• Xu, H., Cheung, L., Lovett, J., Duan, X., Pei, Q., & Liang, D. (2021). Understanding the influence of user-generated content on tourist loyalty behavior in a cultural world heritage site. Tourism Recreation Research, 48(2), 173–187. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2021.1913022
• Visit Dubai [@visitdubai]. [X profile]. X: Retrieved 01.08.2024, from https://x.com/visitdubai
• Zengin, B. & Şeyhanlıoğlu, H. Ö. (2019). Destinasyon Pazarlamasının Yerel Kalkınmaya Etkileri: Şanlıurfa Örneği. Journal of Tourism and Gastronomy Studies, 7(4), 2977-2992.
• Zhang, Y., Gao, J., Cole, S., & Ricci, P. (2020). How the spread of user-generated contents (UGC) shapes international tourism distribution: Using agent-based modeling to inform strategic UGC marketing. Journal of Travel Research, 60(7), 1469–1491.