Skiing during the pandemic with masks and tests: How Austrian ski resorts cope with the COVID-19 crisis on Instagram

Fecker Denise (), Bosio Birgit (), Nadegger Monica () and Haselwanter Stefanie ()
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Fecker Denise: Management Center Innsbruck Department for Tourism & Leisure Business Tel: +43 512 2070-3343, Fax: -3399 Innsbruck Austria
Bosio Birgit: Management Center Innsbruck Department for Tourism & Leisure Business Tel: +43 512 2070-3327, Fax: -3399 Innsbruck Austria
Nadegger Monica: University of Innsbruck Department of Organization & Learning Tel: +43 512 507-71473 Innsbruck Austria
Haselwanter Stefanie: Management Center Innsbruck Department for Tourism & Leisure Business Tel: +43 512 2070-3342, Fax: -3399 Innsbruck Austria

Zeitschrift für Tourismuswissenschaft, 2021, vol. 13, issue 3, 423-443

Abstract: Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Austrian ski resorts needed to create an emotional attachment to absent tourists and provide attractive offers for local guests at the same time. This study aims to reveal how they have used Instagram to connect with their heterogeneous audiences. To do so, the authors combined a quantitative hashtag analysis and qualitative content analysis of 16 Instagram accounts. Findings indicate a tendency of the ski resorts to communicate positively connotated winter holiday content and present themselves as attractive skiing areas. Here, the topics of the winter landscape, weather, infrastructure, and holiday activities represent dominant themes whereas COVID-19 was covered rarely. In comparison to the previous winter season, only slight differences were identified. This study provides new findings to the rare amount of research on crisis management in ski resorts and contributes further insights into COVID-19 research in tourism. The implications will help ski resorts to prepare for communication in upcoming seasons and future crisis management.

Keywords: winter sports resort; ski resort; COVID-19; crisis communication; social media; Instagram (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bpj:touwis:v:13:y:2021:i:3:p:423-443:n:12

DOI: 10.1515/tw-2021-0022

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