Sustainable Tourism Empowered by Social Network Analysis to Gain a Competitive Edge at a Historic Site

Cathrine Linnes, Holly Itoga, Jerome Agrusa and Joseph Lema
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Cathrine Linnes: Faculty of Computer Science, Engineering & Economics, Østfold University College, BRA Veien 4, 1757 Halden, Norway
Holly Itoga: Hospitality and Tourism, Business Administration, University of Hawaii-West Oahu, 91-1001 Farrington Highway, Kapolei, HI 96707, USA
Jerome Agrusa: School of Travel Industry Management, Shidler College of Business, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2560 Campus Rd., George Hall 346, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Joseph Lema: Harrah College of Hospitality, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA

Tourism and Hospitality, 2021, vol. 2, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: Social media has had a strong presence in many people’s lives over the last decade. In addition, social media platforms have allowed people to share opinions, provide advice on numerous factors, including where to visit, as well as to stay connected and maintain friendships. The hospitality and tourism industry, however, can make effective use of these powerful tools for marketing purposes, collaboration and information sharing, and service offerings. Reviewing social media followers’ behaviors and interests offers a wealth of information and valuable data for a variety of tourism organizations. This case study focuses on an analysis of the social networks applied to the fortified town of Fredrikstad in Norway. The data used in this research study were collected from the Facebook site of the tourist authority. The results of this research project demonstrate the strengths of applying a social network analysis to a dataset, which can aid in the strategic direction of a tourism destination. The conversations of the greatest interest can successfully be identified as well as the growth of the online network. This paper adds knowledge to the literature through the application of a social network analysis regarding the success of a tourism destination and its future potential.

Keywords: social network analysis; historic site; competitiveness; tourism economics; graph theory; sustainable tourism; case study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Z3 Z30 Z31 Z32 Z33 Z38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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