Social Network Sites and Tourism : A millennial perspective

Social Network Sites have rapidly become intertwined with people’s core habits of daily life, and are often subliminal inputs during decision making processes when it comes to the area of Tourism. With this rapid shift in consumer opportunities, both in availability and exposure to information, people are faced with the challenge of accurately assessing current trends in order to best predict future outcomes for businesses and consumers alike. Although there is existing literature examining current tendencies for Social Network Sites and Tourism, the extrapolation of this data in a feasible way for the emerging Millennial generation is lacking. This is integral to forming a proper understanding of the future trends of global tourist communication as dictated by the usage of Social Network Sites. Through the use of interview discussions centered on two focus groups of an all Millennial composition, the semi-structured interview approach was used. This to sought at a fundamental level to provide a better understanding of how Social Network Sites are used by tourists. Of particular focus within the research process was the specifics of tourist utilization of Social Network Sites. Further addressed, is the concept of the usage of electronic Word of Mouth and how this has allowed for a modification to the experience of tourism. The spoken word has been updated to an electronic Word of Mouth, and with it the Millennial generation has been raised into a world of information opportunity like none ever before. Understanding these trends allows for continued progression for both the consumer and business alike within the tourist business