Using travel blogs to explore the image of Romania as an emerging tourism destination

• Published in: European Journal of Tourism Research Vol. 34; pp. 3406 - 21
• Main Authors: Lupu, Cristina, Rodrigues, Ana-Isabel, Gallarza, Martina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dobrich Varna University of Management 01.01.2023
• Subjects: Blogs; Content analysis; Emotions; Keywords; Literature reviews; Perceptions; Search engines; Social networks; Tourism; User generated content; Romania
• DOI: 10.54055/ejtr.v34i.2566
• ISSN: 1994-7658

The general objective of this study is to explore and identify the perception about Romania as a tourist destination based on travellers’ blogs; we therefore aim to explore and identify the main elements of the image of Romania as a tourist destination based on these blogs. Data were collected manually during May 2021 using the search keywords “travel blogs” and “Romania” on the Google search engine (201 entries). Further, both a word frequency analysis (quantitative), and a content analysis (qualitative) were conducted to ascertain which places are most frequently mentioned in tourists’ travel posts, and the words most often used to describe their experience. The results shown that both destination-specific and primary image attributes are essential to understand visitors’ perceptions through travel blogs. Managerial and practical implications also emerge for tourism managers to improve the destination image of Romania.