Barcelona, España
El avance de las tecnologías ha supuesto una revolución en el mundo de la comunicación que ha dado lugar al surgimiento del influencer. En los últimos años, cada vez más personas optan por viajar más y más, y les gusta compartir sus viajes a través de las redes sociales. Tanto es así, que se les conoce como influencers de viajes. Instagram se ha convertido en una herramienta de comunicación clave para los influencers de viajes. En esta red social los influencers de viaje difunden contenidos con el objetivo de influir en las decisiones turísticas de los usuarios de Instagram. Así, el objetivo de la investigación es determinar los motivos por los que los usuarios españoles y franceses de Instagram siguen a influencers de viaje en esta plataforma. El estudio tiene un enfoque cuali-cuantitativo. En primer lugar, se realizaron entrevistas en profundidad con personas que siguen a influencers de viaje. Para analizar los resultados de las entrevistas en profundidad, se utilizó la técnica del análisis temático, con el objetivo de enfatizar la dimensión que trata de lo que se dice en los datos obtenidos. A continuación, se aplicó un cuestionario a 120 españoles y 75 franceses. Para el análisis de los cuestionarios se utilizaron procedimientos estadísticos descriptivos básicos. Se ha comprobado que los influencers de viajes presumen de una gran credibilidad, pues sus públicos confían en sus consejos. Los resultados indican que los usuarios valoran más la calidad del contenido compartido, el estilo de vida y personalidad de los influencers. En definitiva, los influencers de viajes son una fuente de inspiración y motivación para sus seguidores en decisiones de viajes para destinos turísticos.
Social networks have become a fundamental public relations tool. It is in this context that the figure of the influencer appears. In recent years, more and more people are choosing to travel more and more, and they like to share their trips through social media. So much so that they are known as travel influencers. Instagram plays a fundamental role in promoting the travel and tourism industry, standing out as an essential tool in public relations for travel influencers. The relationships that travel influencers establish with their audiences, in the digital environment, reinforce the feeling of recognition and trust, and can influence the image and social reputation of a brand and the attitude of undertaking a trip to the advertised destination. Therefore, in a competitive environment such as the tourism sector, it is important to determine the reasons that lead these audiences to follow travel influencers. In view of this, the objective of this work is to determine the reasons why Spanish and French Instagram users follow travel influencers on this platform. It was considered relevant to investigate this subject in view of the evolution of social media and the influence generated by travel influencers on the tourism decisions of Instagram users. The study has a quali-quantitative approach. First, in-depth interviews were conducted with people who follow travel influencers. To analyse the results of the in-depth interviews, we used the technique of thematic analysis, as we wanted to emphasize the dimension that deals with what is being said in the data obtained. Subsequently, a questionnaire was applied to 120 Spanish and 75 French respondents. Basic descriptive statistics were used to analyse the results of the questionnaires. It was found that travel influencers boast high credibility, as their audiences trust their advice. The results showed that users value the quality of the content shared and the lifestyle and personality of the influencers. Travel influencers were found to be a source of inspiration and motivation for their followers, who want to go to the same place as them. As for the influence that travel influencers generate in their community, it is worth noting that, in reference to Spanish users, the recommendations of travel influencers have influenced their decisions, as 96% of the sample has wanted to travel somewhere because they have seen it in the content of an influencer. In contrast, French users have not been influenced by travel influencers, although they have been inspired by them. Therefore, French travel influencers are not a source of inspiration because most of their followers have not taken the plunge to visit a place that was recommended by the influencer. With this research we have been able to confirm that the influence of social media, specifically Instagram, has had a great impact on the tourist decisions of users to visit new tourist sites. This platform is based on photography and that is why it has a great impact on tourism, since using images, many experiences and sensations can be transmitted. The content published by travel influencers provokes curiosity in their followers and the desire to go to that same place, so we can conclude that Instagram is a tool that encourages other people to visit that place. For future research, it is recommended to analyse other types of sectors in which influencers also play a very important role, among which the beauty, make-up and/or decoration sectors are gaining importance.