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New Frontiers in Travel Motivation and Social Media: The Case of Longyearbyen, the High Arctic

Author

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  • Carolina Aldao

    (Faculty of Tourism, University of Girona, 17004 Girona, Spain)

  • Tanja A. Mihalic

    (Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia)

Abstract

Tourism explores new frontiers by traveling around unknown geographical and technological territories that bring new tourism opportunities and hazards to satisfy visitors’ needs and sustainability and responsibility in destinations. This study introduces a composite model for measuring travel motivation and the impact of social media on travel behavior and applies it to the town of Longyearbyen in the High Arctic. Both aspects were surveyed through qualitative semi-structured visitor interviews. While the motivation to visit Longyearbyen depended on travelers’ needs, their travel experiences, and push and pull motivational factors, respondents gave examples of how social media positively or negatively affected different elements of their motivation and visitation. The study indicates the opportunities and hazards analyzed from social media as well as future research directions needed in the pursuit of a more responsible tourism approach while exploring new technological and geographical frontiers.

Suggested Citation

  • Carolina Aldao & Tanja A. Mihalic, 2020. "New Frontiers in Travel Motivation and Social Media: The Case of Longyearbyen, the High Arctic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-18, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:15:p:5905-:d:388147
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Karol Król & Dariusz Zdonek, 2021. "Most Often Motivated by Social Media: The Who, the What, and the How Much—Experience from Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-20, October.
    2. Mohsin Javed & Zuzana Tučková & Abdul Bashiru Jibril, 2020. "The Role of Social Media on Tourists’ Behavior: An Empirical Analysis of Millennials from the Czech Republic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-19, September.
    3. Luciana Chavez & Carla Ruiz & Rafael Curras & Blanca Hernandez, 2020. "The Role of Travel Motivations and Social Media Use in Consumer Interactive Behaviour: A Uses and Gratifications Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-23, October.
    4. Chris Roberts & Joel Reynolds & Mary Jo Dolasinski, 2022. "Meta-Analysis of Tourism Sustainability Research: 2019–2021," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-18, March.

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