Using social media in tourism promotion.

The viral effect on social media has gradually turned Ong Huong Farm Stay ( Thanh Hoa City) into a popular meeting place for many young people.

Beyond its function of communication and community building, social media is also an effective tool for destinations and businesses in promoting tourism , supporting tourists, and receiving feedback conveniently and easily. Therefore, the number of visitors to Thanh Hoa province's attractions, especially independent travelers, who find information on social media, is increasing.

Ms. Le Thi Phuong Thao, a tourist from Hue City, shared: “Through our research, we learned that Thanh Hoa tourism has recently offered many new and attractive tourism products and experiences, which have been highly appreciated by tourists. Before starting our trip to Flamingo Ibiza Hai Tien, we researched information through Facebook fan pages such as: Thanh Hoa Tourism - Four Seasons of Beauty, Thanh Hoa Tourism - A Safe Destination, Thanh Hoa Travel Reviews... and the destination's fan page. Thanks to that, the trip was quite smooth and meaningful.”

Promoting tourism through social media platforms has been and continues to be one of the solutions contributing to bringing tourism closer to a wider audience, especially for newly developed products and destinations. For example, Ông Hướng Farm Stay (Thanh Hóa City), which opened in 2022, has seen its videos on Facebook and TikTok go viral, attracting millions of views, particularly among young people. Nguyen Ha Dong, manager of Ong Huong Farm Stay, shared: "Since opening, we have mainly focused on promoting the destination and services on social media platforms. We haven't just stopped at information and images introducing the destination; we've concentrated on creating digital content, producing short videos revolving around the story of 'Ong Huong Farm,' the daily lives of people in rural areas... Thanks to this, our TikTok channel and Facebook fanpage 'Ong Huong Farm' have become increasingly well-known to tourists, with 15,000 likes and 19,000 followers. To date, up to 90% of tourists learn about us through social media, the rest through referrals from friends and other tourists."

Along with businesses, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Provincial Tourism Association, and several localities with tourist areas and attractions have also intensified promotional efforts on social media platforms. Currently, the official Facebook fanpage of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, "Thanh Hoa Tourism - The Beauty of Four Seasons," has 151,000 likes and 152,000 followers. The page regularly updates and introduces tourist destinations to visitors from all over. Similarly, the Facebook fanpage of Sam Son City, "Sam Son City Cultural Information, Sports and Tourism Center," has over 12,000 followers. In addition to promoting political tasks, the fanpage regularly publishes high-quality news and articles promoting the city's tourism. Through these platforms, the local government and relevant authorities can quickly and effectively manage, receive, and respond to feedback from the public and tourists.

Using social media in tourism promotion.

Tourists can learn about tourism in Thanh Hoa on the Facebook page "Thanh Hoa Tourism - The Beauty of Four Seasons".

According to Duong Duc Hung, Director of the Sam Son City Center for Culture, Information, Sports and Tourism: “If social media platforms are exploited and used scientifically and rationally, they will bring positive results in both management and tourism promotion. To date, the Facebook fanpage “Sam Son City Center for Culture, Information, Sports and Tourism” is loved and highly appreciated by many people and tourists for its quick and accurate news updates. This is also one of the important information channels for tourism businesses in Sam Son City to continue to improve and enhance the quality of their services.”

It is evident that the application of social media in tourism promotion has yielded many positive results, contributing to the diversification of tourism communication methods. With its advantages of rapid dissemination, high interaction capabilities, and reasonable costs, social media is increasingly being seen by many tourism businesses as a bridge to customers. However, to maximize the positive aspects of social media platforms, state management agencies, local authorities, and businesses need to focus on investing in high-quality, creative content and developing appropriate communication strategies to affirm their reputation and attractiveness to tourists.

Comment (0)