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A. I. Correia et al.
followers, since many of their dreams involve replicating their lifestyles, habits and
tastes, which includes, for example, choosing their touristic destinations (Tham et al.
2019).
Although we might realize that e-Tourism helps develop the sector, it is also
important to think about some of its negative impacts. Since the traditional travel
agencies selling in stores are being replaced with the autonomous and personal
booking via the internet (Mamaghani 2009; Bogdanovych et al. 2006), or the access
to a narrow market of airline tickets is changing to a generalised dissemination of
low cost flight operators, there are several differences that we might consider not
so positive: increased levels of pollution due to the increasing number of flights
(Pezzullo 2007), reports of internet hacking or fraud are becoming common (Clough
2015), lack of protection of personal data related to platforms and search engines
misapplication (Bergström 2015), and the substitution of employees for machines
and technology, causing unemployment (Ivanov and Webster 2017).
Currently, SM are being applied to a panoply of tourism areas: helping to increase
destination quality and strategies (Smith and Rupp 2004; Tham et al. 2019), or
simply improving destination branding (Miguéns et al. 2008); identifying the most
visited destinations, or helping to solve destination overcrowding issues (Sharpley
and Pearce 2007; Pezzulo 2007); promoting cultural transmission and enriching local
traditions (McKercher 2002); adding value to urban intelligent ecosystems (Boes
et al. 2016), along with many other possible uses.
Issues on sustainability were addressed by the Bruntland Commission Report
(UN 1987), and is explicit in considering that all actions regarding the present use
of resources should assure a similar use by future generations. But, as Manetti
and Belluci (2016, p. 1004) stated, SM were ‘one of the main channels through
which organisations promote their activities and communicate with customers, users,
communities, and other primary stakeholders’. Unfortunately, ‘only a small number
of organisations use social media to engage stakeholders as a means of defining the
contents of sustainability reports’ (Manetti and Belluci 2016, p. 1004).
Research approaches have already been focusing on the role of SM in order
to measure the level of visits to nature-based attractions. But being sustainable
has everything to do with physical, social, cultural, and economical environments
(Middleton and Hawkins 1998). Some examples have proven how the use of SM data
can improve sustainable campaigns. By going to Flickr, for example, and identifying
the attraction visited according to the published photos, it is now possible to filter
the origins of visitors by their profile (Wood et al. 2013). In this sense, overcrowded
areas or overloaded attractions are being mapped, leading to considerations about
balanced uses to protect these threatened touristic spots. So, since touristic activities
can cause pressure on many places and/or resources, including nature-based attractions, there have been some studies that focus on how proactive marketing campaigns
can encourage better sustainable practices (Sharpley and Pearce 2007).
Pomering et al. (2011) cleverly refer that some variables related to sustainability
are difficult to measure, like socio and cultural impacts, contrary to economical or
environmental scanning. So, ‘opportunity exists (…) for marketing to guide indicator
choice around key organisational market-related decision areas and the reporting of
A. I. Correia et al.
followers, since many of their dreams involve replicating their lifestyles, habits and
tastes, which includes, for example, choosing their touristic destinations (Tham et al.
2019).
Although we might realize that e-Tourism helps develop the sector, it is also
important to think about some of its negative impacts. Since the traditional travel
agencies selling in stores are being replaced with the autonomous and personal
booking via the internet (Mamaghani 2009; Bogdanovych et al. 2006), or the access
to a narrow market of airline tickets is changing to a generalised dissemination of
low cost flight operators, there are several differences that we might consider not
so positive: increased levels of pollution due to the increasing number of flights
(Pezzullo 2007), reports of internet hacking or fraud are becoming common (Clough
2015), lack of protection of personal data related to platforms and search engines
misapplication (Bergström 2015), and the substitution of employees for machines
and technology, causing unemployment (Ivanov and Webster 2017).
Currently, SM are being applied to a panoply of tourism areas: helping to increase
destination quality and strategies (Smith and Rupp 2004; Tham et al. 2019), or
simply improving destination branding (Miguéns et al. 2008); identifying the most
visited destinations, or helping to solve destination overcrowding issues (Sharpley
and Pearce 2007; Pezzulo 2007); promoting cultural transmission and enriching local
traditions (McKercher 2002); adding value to urban intelligent ecosystems (Boes
et al. 2016), along with many other possible uses.
Issues on sustainability were addressed by the Bruntland Commission Report
(UN 1987), and is explicit in considering that all actions regarding the present use
of resources should assure a similar use by future generations. But, as Manetti
and Belluci (2016, p. 1004) stated, SM were ‘one of the main channels through
which organisations promote their activities and communicate with customers, users,
communities, and other primary stakeholders’. Unfortunately, ‘only a small number
of organisations use social media to engage stakeholders as a means of defining the
contents of sustainability reports’ (Manetti and Belluci 2016, p. 1004).
Research approaches have already been focusing on the role of SM in order
to measure the level of visits to nature-based attractions. But being sustainable
has everything to do with physical, social, cultural, and economical environments
(Middleton and Hawkins 1998). Some examples have proven how the use of SM data
can improve sustainable campaigns. By going to Flickr, for example, and identifying
the attraction visited according to the published photos, it is now possible to filter
the origins of visitors by their profile (Wood et al. 2013). In this sense, overcrowded
areas or overloaded attractions are being mapped, leading to considerations about
balanced uses to protect these threatened touristic spots. So, since touristic activities
can cause pressure on many places and/or resources, including nature-based attractions, there have been some studies that focus on how proactive marketing campaigns
can encourage better sustainable practices (Sharpley and Pearce 2007).
Pomering et al. (2011) cleverly refer that some variables related to sustainability
are difficult to measure, like socio and cultural impacts, contrary to economical or
environmental scanning. So, ‘opportunity exists (…) for marketing to guide indicator
choice around key organisational market-related decision areas and the reporting of