The 32nd Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality

Beskrivning

Elusive dog-friendly tourist information: the strategic communication role of DMO websites

There is an increase in people traveling with their dogs, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. These tourists are willing to pay more to travel with their dogs, but they face constraints, such as others not liking dogs, and most important, a lack of reliable information on dog-friendly accommodation, restaurants, public transport, and activities.
The websites of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) are usually the first source of information for people intending to visit a specific destination. DMO websites introduce tourists to the area and assist them in their decision-making and planning processes. This implies that DMOs should know tourists’ needs to communicate appropriate information on their websites. One would assume that DMOs would be eager to tap into the growing commercial value of the dog-friendly travel market, specifically by addressing people traveling with dogs’ information needs on their websites.
If DMOs’ websites fail to provide information to people travelling with their dogs they turn to other sources, such as blogs, influencers, and social media group sites about dog travel. Bloggers and influencers usually write and make recommendations from personal experience, while followers of social media groups comment, review and/or make recommendations themselves. Despite these advantages, research shows that tourists do not always view this information to be credible.
In this ongoing qualitative study, communication about dog-friendly travel options on 10 Swedish and European DMO websites are thematically analysed and compared to communication on 10 blogs, influencer sites, and social media groups. The study is founded in strategic communication theory, as well as the user and gratification theory that asserts that people actively use media to gratify specific wants and needs.
Preliminary findings indicate that DMOs in most cases fail to address the communication needs of people traveling with dogs, while the communication on blogs, influencer sites, and social media groups provide purposeful, but unverified information.

Period	2024 sep. 18 → 2024 sep. 20
Typ av evenemang	Konferens
Konferensnummer	32
Plats	Stavanger, NorgeVisa på karta
Omfattning	Internationell