Social media in the function of communication tools on the example of the tourist board of the island of Solta

Društvene mreže postale su svakodnevnica, koriste ih pripadnici svih generacija. Od samih početaka komercijalizacije interneta pa do danas njegova se upotreba proširila u sve sfere ljudskog života. Turističke zajednice kao i popularni brendovi imaju priliku iskoristiti društvene mreže u svoju korist. Iako imaju i negativne strane, društvene mreže jednoj maloj turističkoj zajednici može donijeti puno više pozitivnih promjena u vidu povećanja zainteresiranosti za određenu turističku destinaciju. U moru turističkih ponuda jako se teško istaknuti kao turistička destinacija, a društvene mreže pružaju priliku da upravo tamo stvorite zajednicu ljudi i istaknete se kao destinacija koja pruža upravo ono što vaši pratitelji traže. Osim toga društvene su mreže mjesto za stvaranje suradnji s većim kompanijama, stranim i domaćim pa se takav potencijal treba iskoristiti. Društvene mreže su potpuno besplatne i za vođenje istih potrebno je tek osnovno znanje, a i danas su dostupne na mobilnim uređajima i njihova je upotreba pojednostavljena i spremna za upotrebu “na licu mjesta”. Vremena su se promijenila i moderni turisti pri odabiru svoje turističke destinacije istu istražuju na društvenim mrežama jer se upravo tamo nalaze informacije i iskustva drugih turista. Trendove postavljaju poznate osobe ali ne samo glumci, pjevači i sportaši već i influenceri čiji je posao iznošenje privatnog života na društvene mreže. Svaka turistička zajednica, manja ili veća, društvene mreže može i mora iskoristiti u svoju korist, jer iste su postale dio ljudi i njihovih života, u suprotnom ostaju neopažene i to je vidljivo u broju turista ostvarenih posjeta i noćenja.Social networks have become part of everyday life, they are used by members of all generations. From the very beginnings of the commercialization of the Internet until today, its use has spread to all spheres of human life. Tourist boards as well as popular brands have the opportunity to use social networks to their advantage. Although they also have negative sides, social networks can bring a lot more positive changes to a small tourist community in the form of increasing interest in a particular tourist destination. In the sea of tourist offers, it is very difficult to stand out as a tourist destination, and social networks provide an opportunity to create a community of people right there and stand out as a destination that provides exactly what your followers are looking for. In addition, social networks are a place to create cooperation with larger companies, foreign and domestic, so such potential should be used. Social networks are completely free and only basic knowledge is required to run them, and even today they are available on mobile devices and their use is simplified and ready for use "on the spot". Times have changed and modern tourists, when choosing their tourist destination, explore it on social networks because that is where the information and experiences of other tourists can be found. Trends are set by celebrities not only actors, singers and athletes but also influencers whose job is to bring their private lives to social media. Every tourist community, small or large, can and must use social networks to their advantage, because they have become a part of people and their lives, otherwise they go unnoticed and this is evident in the number of realized visits and overnight stays