Instagram and Tourism Promotion

Abstract

Instagram is a social media which one popular at last decade. Instagram on mobile phone display or on the computer version, presents the appearance of a photo or video (short duration) and concise information. With a concise presentation makes instagram to be more informative and simple at the same time favored users. This is the reason instagram be a promotion media for a particular company. It also includes the promotion of tourism. The purpose of this study is to identify user interests instagram to see travel accounts and the response to that account. Furthermore, the extent to which those accounts could encourage users to visit or travel to the destinations promoted. The object of this study are students, who have instagram account and have been used in at least the last six months. The tool used is a questionnaire distributed online by utilizing the google form. The results of this study are presented in the format of descriptive statistics and describe reasons the respondents. the results explain that the use of instagram accounts to be one of the right ways to promote tourist destinations. however, the content of the account needs serious attention. either in the form of destination photos, videos, content / stories or hashtags used.

Keywords: InstagramTourismPromotion

Introduction

Tourism is now one of the inevitable requirement. With the increasingly dynamic community activities would encourage to have a high mobility. The movement of people from one to another place to be faster, more often and more easily. This condition also causes the growing needs of the community, one needs for relaxation, rest and travel, or better known as travelled.

This encourages a certain region area providing new tourist destinations, enhance existing attractions or explore natural attractions are worth developing. When the tourism product has been served, and the next step is to introduce tourism products to the public. This is what is known as the promotion of tourism. Promotion is not only to deliver new destinations, but also continue to promote the old tourist destinations. Because recalled, gives information about it - nothing new to the old destination, is still needed to sustain these destinations.

In general, tourism promotion has two media, through conventional media and social media is faster, easier, as well as inexpensive. This media in a short time is able to convey a message to the remote place, a large number of message recipients and how relatively simple, the condition should be understood Information Technology. There are several social media now known as Facebook, Twitter, Path and Instagram.

In this study, researchers look at Instagram as a media used for tourism promotion. Research on social media is emerging (Brooks, 2015; Ngai et al., 2015; Yasir et al., 2016; Yates, and Paquette, 2011).

Instagram is a social media roomates popular at last one decade. Instagram on mobile phone display or on the computer version, presents the appearance of a photo or video (short duration) and the concise information. With a concise presentation makes instagram to be more informative and simple at the same time favored users. This is the reason instagram be a promotion for a particular media company. It also includes the promotion of tourism.

Problem Statement

While the statement of the underlying problems of this research is the existence of tourism destinations should be introduced to prospective tourists or need a branding of tourist destinations to better known tourists. Efforts and ways of optimizing the introduction need an efficient and appropriate way.

Research Questions

The formulation of this research question are: (1) How does the Instagram user interest look at the tour accounts and the responses to those accounts? And, (2) Whether the account can encourage users to visit or travel to a promoted destination?

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to identify user interests instagram to see travel accounts and the response to that account. Furthermore, the extent to which those accounts could encourage users to visit or travel to the destinations promoted.

Research Methods

The object of this study was student of the Accounting Department of State Polytechnic of Malang, who have instagram account and have used it at least six months. The number of respondents as 139 students. The tool used is a questionnaire distributed online by utilizing the google form. Questionnaires in an online format, distributed using wathsapp to students selected, then filled out online. This is a process of questionnaires during one week in March 2017.

Findings

About the respondents. The number of respondents in this study of 139 students, consisting of 51.4% were aged 21-24 years and the rest aged 17-20 years. By 59.6% claimed to have instagram account over two years, 29.4% of the duration of 12 years, and 7.4% the duration of 7-12 months. Thus, as the respondents have instagram accounts for more than two years. Interest in making instagram as told by friends / family as much as 49.3%, to obtain information from social media / website 38.2% and a fraction information from conventional media and from other sources.

Frequency of opening this instagram respondents stated: 66.2% read it every day and 24.1% read it 4-6 times a week, and 9.8% said open 1-3 times a week. When viewed from the daily frequency of 72.8% said opening more than 3 times a day and 14.7% do not necessarily once a day. 80.1% of respondents said a follower on instagram travel account, the rest does not become a follower on that account. Furthermore, 96.3% said that they had the experience was very interested in a particular tourist spot for display on instagram.

Instagram Display. The owner instagram account as much as 96.3% stated that it had an interesting experience on a specific account views serving about travel destinations, while the remaining states have never gained such experience. The factor that makes it interesting is: first , a photos or video of her very attractive (38.5%); secondly , the information is very attractive (13.8%), third , 2.3% of respondents are interested because the message is persuasive, Fourth, the majority of respondents (43.8%) stated that the photo / video interesting, interesting information and persuasive information (a combination of statements).

Interest Photos for respondent, if the following criteria:1) a natural landscape, 2) good lighting; 3) displays the mountains and coast; 4) unique with specific characteristics; 5) clear photo / no blur 6) high resolution with the right angel; 7) others assert it without editing; 8) photo new destinations.

Videos like, because: 1) to show details of sites; 2) more attractive than photos; 3) presents a new destination; 4) giving effect to the music; 5) educating and informative; 6) 6) video obtained a much ' like '; 7) a good resolution; 8) a good visualization; 9) Great editing techniques;

The extent to encourage account. The results show that as many as 42% of respondents decided and have visited the destinations, drawn from the look on instagram; 48.5% said, it was in the planning. In other words, there is 90.5% of respondents are compelled to travel to certain destinations due viewed these destinations from instagram account. An interesting finding is that there are 59.5% who experience these conditions (because of interest in view instagram) and even there are 32.8% of respondents are often interested because the view instagram destinations.

Response to account. suggestions of respondents to account account serving tourist destinations are: 1) an interesting caption and the right photo; 2) detailed information; 3) served with creative; 4) educate; 5) presents a new place; 6) quality photos; 7) detailed information including the route; 8) photos and videos to be honest; 9) transport information and costs;

Then, respondents stated that in the process of looking for a tourist destination through the use hashtag (#) as much as 50.8% and 40.8% of the respondents do not always use a hashtag (#); just as much as 8.5% who did not use the hashtag. With these findings, exactly needs to be a concern for travel account managers is the need to use hashtag on every photo / video is uploaded, because it has the opportunity makes it easier to be found by the account owner Instagram. Some instagram account frequented are: 1) explorePoor; 2) amazing unfortunate; 3) lingkarmalang; 4) ikimalang; 5) explorejogja; 6) the charm of Indonesia; 7) explore Indonesia; 8) mytripmyadventure; while the use of hashtags (#), are: 1) #exploreyogyakarta 2) #ayodolen.

The results showed that Instagram has the ability to promote tourist destinations, thus encouraging the reader / Instagram account holder to travel to tourist destinations displayed on Instagram. Fascination information on Instagram, for photo / video is interesting, content / article that is informative and persuasive and the many who gave 'like' photos. This is in line with research conducted by Megasari & Suyadnya (2015) which states that Instagram is able to promote the tourist destinations as well to brands through photo content. Megasari call it as a method of PEI or Photography Elicitation Interview, the visualization of the image in the form of photographs, videos, paintings, cartoons, gravity and ads to get a comment.

According to respondent’s photo attractive because: (1) the quality of the photos (the lighting is right, clear, not blur / sharp, precise resolution); (2) Content Photos (landscape naturally, the right perspective, choosing the best view), (3) the unique and novelty; (4) the editing proper and reasonable. While the response to the videos that are interesting when: (1) Present the story to destinations as details, educative and informative (2) video more attractive than photos; (3) the provision of appropriate effects, including the effects of music, a good resolution, a technique edit nice, and visualization good; (4) new destinations; (5) the amount of 'like' a lot.

Besides the challenge of uploading the photo / video destination, it should be followed by upload information in the form of interesting writing even persuasive. Some things that should be of concern is the detailed information about the location, how to achieve it, fees, admission, the interesting thing on the destination. Efforts like a big gain is also a challenge, so the upload is becoming increasingly popular and increasingly seen by many people. Including the provision hashtag became one surefire way, in order to photograph / video seen by many people.

Conclusion

Instagram utilization for the promotion of tourist destinations to be one interesting alternative to be developed, so that the perpetrators of the tourism sector and the government can encourage managers to synergize with Instagram, to promote shared on social media Instagram. Although it does leave other promotional methods.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to State Polytechnic of Malang who has supported up to various research activities until it can be published this article.

References

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