Uso de fotografias em mídias sociais como fator influenciador na intenção de escolha de destinos de viagem

Abstract

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) transforms society and markets, leading to new forms of behavior for both consumers and companies. The tourism industry is one of the most influenced ones due to the incorporation of technologies, mainly around the Internet, giving rise to new business models, reformulation in the structures of distribution channels, as well as changes in purchase and distribution processes. The expansion of the Internet has led to the dissemination of social media, which are mainly responsible for the diffusion of User-Generated Content (UGC). In turn, UGC has gained significant importance as more people are searching for and sharing comments, photos, and videos on different social media, thereby becoming a deciding factor when choosing travel destinations. The research model is based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) with four variables (attitude, subjective norms, perceived control, and behavioral intention), as well as two other constructs, affective and cognitive images. The goal is to analyze the use of photographs on social media as an influencing factor in the intention to choose travel destinations. The study was conducted under hypothetical-deductive logic, being classified as descriptive-exploratory with respect to its goals. The approach was quantitative using a survey with non-probabilistic sampling and 300 Brazilian respondents. The data collection instrument was composed of a structured questionnaire, which was applied online in February 2017. Data were analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using the SPSS software with the AMOS package, version 22.0. Among the main results based on the confirmed hypotheses, it is emphasized that the photographic image mediated by the traveler’s attitude in the intention to use photographs on social media has a positive influence on the choice of travel destinations for people planning trips. Therefore, it is evident that promoters should invest more in divulgating the touristic image of cities on social media and, consequently, help to strategically position travel destinations.