The increase of online diaries, or blogs, has not only affected communication channels, but also the way tourism destinations are being promoted and consumed. To date, few studies have focused on the content of travel blogs as a rich source of destination marketing information. A review of the current research on travel blogs revealed that the two most popular research methods used to analyze the content of online diaries are content analysis and narrative analysis. This paper provides a discussion of the strengths, weaknesses and implications of using content analysis and narrative analysis on travel blogs. After a presentation of alternative research methods on travel blogs, the authors present industry and methodological implications related to the nature of online diaries.
AkehurstG. (2009). “User Generated Content: The Use of Blogs for Tourism Organizations and Tourism Consumers.” Service Business, 3: 51-61.
3.
BabbieEarlBenaquistoLucia. (2002). Fundamentals of Social Research. Scarborough, Ontario, Canada: Nelson.
4.
BanyaiMaria. (2010). “Dracula’s Image in Tourism: Western Bloggers versus Tour Guides.” European Journal of Tourism Research, 3 (1): 5-22.
5.
BergerIdaGreenspanItay (2008). “High (on) Technology: Producing Tourist Identities through Technologized Adventure”. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 13(2): 89-114.
6.
BosangitCarmelaMcCabeScottHibbertSally. (2009). “What Is Told in Travel Blogs? Exploring Travel Blogs for Consumer Narrative Analysis.” In Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2009: Proceedings of the International Conference in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2009, edited by HopkenW.GretzelU.LawR.New York: Springer, pp. 61-71.
7.
CarsonDean. (2008). “The ‘Blogoshpere’ as a Market Research Tool for Tourism Destinations: A Case Study of Australia’s Northern Territory.” Journal of Vacation Marketing, 14: 111-19.
8.
CarùAntonellaCovaBernard. (2006). “How to Facilitate Immersion in a Consumption Experience: Appropriation Operations and Service Elements.” Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 5 (1): 4-14.
9.
ChoiSoojinLehtoXinran Y.MorrisonAlastair M. (2007). “Destination Image Representation on the Web: Content Analysis of Macau Travel Related Websites.” Tourism Management, 28: 118-29.
10.
ClandininJean D.ConnellyMichael F. (2000). Narrative Inquiry: Experience and Story in Qualitative Research. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
11.
CooperChris. (2005). Tourism: Principles and Practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
12.
CrottsJohn C.MasonPeyton R.DavisBoyd. (2009). “Measuring Guest Satisfaction and Competitive Position in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry.” Journal of Travel Research, 48 (2): 139-51.
13.
DwivediMridulaShibuT. P.VenkateshUmashankar. (2007). “Social Software Practices on the Internet. Implications for the Hotel Industry.” International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 19 (5): 415-25.
14.
EnochYaelGrossmanRonit. (2010). “Blogs of Israeli and Danish Backpackers to India.” Annals of Tourism Research, 37 (2): 520-36.
15.
EscalasJennifer E. (2004a). “Imagine Yourself in the Product: Mental Simulation, Narrative Transportation, and Persuasion.” Journal of Advertising, 33 (2): 37-48.
16.
GloverTroy D. (2003). “Taking the Narrative Turn: The Value of Stories in Leisure Research.” Society and Leisure, 26 (1): 145-67.
17.
GreeneJennifer C.CaracelliValerie J. (2003). “Making Paradigmatic Sense of Mixed Methods Practice.” In Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social and Behavioral Research, edited by TashakkoriAbbasTeddlieCharles. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, pp. 91-110.
18.
GretzelUlrikeFesenmaierDaniel R.FormicaSandroO’LearyJoseph T. (2006). “Searching for the Future: Challenges Faced by Destination Marketing Organizations.” Journal of Travel Research, 45: 116-26.
19.
HookwayNicholas. (2008). “Entering the Blogosphere: Some Strategies for Using Blogs in Social Research.” Qualitative Research, 8 (1): 91-113.
20.
HsuShih-YunDehuangNingWoodsideArch G. (2009). “Storytelling Research on Consumers’ Self-Reports of Urban Tourism Experiences in China.” Journal of Business Research, 62: 1223-54.
21.
KarlssonLena. (2006). “The Diary Weblog and the Travelling Tales of Diasporic Tourists.” Journal of Intercultural Studies, 27 (3): 299-312.
KolbeRichard H.BurnettMelissa S. (1991). “Content-Analysis Research: An Examination of Applications with Directives for Improving Research Reliability and Objectivity.” Journal of Consumer Research, 18: 243-50.
24.
KozinetsRobert V. (2006) “Netnography 2.0.” In Handbook of Qualitative Methods in Marketing, edited by BelkRussell W.Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, pp. 129-43.
25.
KrippendorffKlaus. (2004). Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
26.
LabovWilliamWaletzkyJoshua. (1967). “Narrative Analysis: Oral Versions of Personal Experience.” In Essays on the Verbal and Visual Arts, edited by HelmJ.Seattle: University of Washington Press, pp. 12-44.
27.
LawRobCheungShannon. (2010). “The Perceived Destination Image of Hong Kong as Revealed in the Travel Blogs of Mainland Chinese Tourists”. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, 11 (4): 303-27.
28.
LitvinStephen W.GoldsmithRonald E.PanBing. (2008). “Electronic Word-of-Mouth in Hospitality and Tourism Management.” Tourism Management, 29: 458-68.
29.
McCabeScottFosterClare. (2006). “The Role and Function of Narrative in Tourist Interaction.” Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, 4 (3): 194-215.
30.
MishlerElliot G. (1995). “Models of Narrative Analysis: A Typology”. Journal of Narrative and Life History, 5 (2): 87-123.
31.
MurtyDhiraj. (2008). “Digital Ethnography: An Examination of the Use of New Technologies for Social Research.” Sociology, 42 (5): 837-55.
32.
NeuendorfKimberly A. (2002). The Content Analysis Guidebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
33.
O’ConnerPeter. (2008). “User-Generated Content and Travel: A Case Study of Tripadvisor.com” In Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2008: Proceedings of the International Conference in Innsbruck, Austria, 2008, edited by O’ConnorPeterHöpkenWolframGretzelUlrike. Vienna, Austria: Springer, pp. 47-58.
34.
PaceStefano. (2008). “YouTube: An Opportunity for Consumer Narrative Analysis?”Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 11 (2): 213-26.
35.
PanBingMacLaurinTanyaCrottsJohn C. (2007). “Travel Blogs and the Implications for Destination Marketing.” Journal of Travel Research, 46 (1): 35-45.
36.
PinnegarStefineeDaynesGary J. (2007). “Locating Narrative Inquiry Historically: Thematics in the Turn to Narrative”. In Handbook of Narrative Inquiry: Mapping a Methodology, edited by ClandininJean D.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, pp. 3-34.
37.
PudlingerBetsy A. (2007). “Alternative Literature and Tourist Experiences: Travel and Tourist Weblogs.” Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, 5 (1): 46-59.
38.
PuhringerStefanTaylorAndrew. (2008). “A Practitioner’s Report on Blogs as Potential Sources for Destination Marketing Intelligence.” Journal of Vacation Marketing, 14 (2):177-87.
39.
RheingoldHoward. (1993). The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
40.
RiessmanCatherine K. (2008). Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
41.
SchembriSharonMerrileesBillKristiansenStine. (2010). “Brand Consumption and Narrative of Self.” Psychology & Marketing, 27 (6): 623-38.
42.
SmithBrettWeedMike. (2007). “The Potential of Narrative Research in Sports Tourism.” Journal of Sport & Tourism, 12 (3): 249-69.
43.
SmithStephen L. J. (2010). Practical Tourism Research. Oxfordshire, UK: CABI.
TussyadiahI. P.FesenmaierDaniel R. (2008). “Marketing Place Through First-Person Stories—An Analysis of Pennsylvania Roadtripper Blog.” Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 25 (3): 299-311.
47.
WebsterLeonardMertovaPartricie. (2007). Using Narrative Inquiry as a Research Method: An Introduction to Using Critical Event Narrative Analysis in Research on Learning and Teaching. New York: Routledge.
48.
WengerAnita. (2008). “Analysis of Travel Bloggers’ Characteristics and Their Communication about Austria as a Tourism Destination.” Journal of Vacation Marketing, 14: 169-76.
49.
WoodsideArch G.CruickshankBlair F.DehuangNing. (2007). “Stories Visitors Tell about Italian Cities as Destination Icons.” Tourism Management, 28:162-74.
50.
XiangZengGretzelUlrike. (2010). “Role of Social Media in Online Travel Information Search.” Tourism Management, 31: 179-88.
