Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Samira Doostar Manesh ¹
• Mahmoud Hassan Pour ²
• Mohammad Hasan Zaal ³

¹ University of Mazandaran, Tourism Department

² Tourism Dept. University of Mazandaran

³ Associate Professor, of Tourism Management, Department at University of Mazandaran

Abstract

The primary aim of this study is to assess the influence of social networks, specifically Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TripAdvisor, on tourists' purchasing behavior through the lens of the AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) as an applied descriptive survey, the research targeted European tourists and utilized an online snowball sampling method to collect data via 204 questionnaires. The results indicate that Instagram emerges as the most impactful social network influencing tourists' purchasing decisions, with an average rating of 503.91. In contrast, YouTube's impact is comparatively lower, with an average rating of 271.51. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that the effectiveness of social networks varies among individuals, with women particularly benefiting from the functionalities offered by these platforms, especially Instagram. This research provides valuable insights for tourism businesses to understand user behavior patterns on social networks and refine their marketing strategies to enhance tourists' purchasing experiences.

Keywords

• social media
• tourist behavior
• AIDA model
• tourism marketing

Main Subjects

• Product advertising and marketing