How Do International Social Media Users Perceive Chinese Cities? The Case Study of Suzhou, China’s Heritage City Destination

Description

Social media exerts a profound influence on shaping the destination image of tourist attractions. China has developed an independent social media landscape, which has led to a noticeable void in understanding the experience of international visitors when they travel to China. Unlike prominent destinations like Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi’an, lesser-known cities face limited exposure beyond China's great firewall, hindering global access to information about these hidden gems. This research aims to unveil how international visitors and social media users perceive Chinese historic cities and explores the potential of international social media to promote the inbound tourism of less popular Chinese cities. Specifically, the study delves into user comments on YouTube videos about Suzhou Historic City in Jiangsu Province, renowned as the "Venice of the East" for its historic waterways, cultural heritage, and meticulous preservation efforts. The city is arguably one of China’s most highly esteemed heritage destinations drawing a significant annual influx of domestic tourists. Despite this, concerted efforts to raise its international profile and boost inbound tourism revenue have proven relatively futile.
The research taps into the city's sizable expatriate population and looks at the marketing efforts of local Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) on YouTube. Employing a mixed-methodology approach, specifically text mining analysis and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), the research assesses the relationship between the destination image crafted by local DMOs, visitor experiences and behaviours, and social media users’ cognitive constructs of the city. Additionally, the study examines how visitors’ feelings about Suzhou (affective responses) mediate positively or negatively in the three above-mentioned components. The findings of this research yield insights into the destination image of Suzhou as perceived by international visitors and social media, thereby providing a foundation for less popular Chinese cities to strategically leverage international social media platforms in promoting inbound tourism and enhancing the overall understanding of destination image dynamics.

Period	27 Jun 2024
Event title	Changing Cities: Spatial, Design, Landscape, Heritage and Socio-Economic dimensions
Event type	Conference
Conference number	VI
Location	Rhodes Island, GreeceShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International