Co-creation of Destination Image in Bali: Insights from Social Media Narratives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29303/intour.v5i1.3037Keywords:
destination image co-creation; social media; user-generated content; netnography; Bali tourism; digital tourismAbstract
The rapid growth of social media has transformed destination image formation from a marketing-driven process into a dynamic and participatory phenomenon shaped by user-generated content (UGC). This study examines how Bali's destination image is co-created through digital interactions across social media platforms. Adopting a qualitative-dominant mixed-methods design, the research integrates social media content analysis and netnography to explore the narratives, meanings, and representations associated with Bali as a tourism destination. Data were collected from publicly available content on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter (X), focusing on tourism-related posts, captions, comments, and hashtags. The analysis employed inductive thematic coding to identify recurring themes, followed by netnographic interpretation to uncover the socio-cultural meanings embedded in online interactions. The findings reveal that Bali's destination image is predominantly constructed through four interconnected themes: natural beauty, cultural authenticity, wellness and lifestyle experiences, and emotional engagement. These themes are continuously reinforced through tourists' storytelling practices, social interactions, and participatory digital engagement. The study demonstrates that destination image is not merely communicated by destination marketing organizations but is actively negotiated and co-created by tourists and online communities. Theoretically, the study extends destination image literature by conceptualizing destination image as a socially negotiated and platform-mediated construct, while also highlighting the dynamic interaction among cognitive, affective, and conative dimensions within digital tourism environments. Practically, the findings suggest that destination management organizations should engage tourists as active co-creators of destination image and support authentic digital storytelling strategies to strengthen destination competitiveness in increasingly networked tourism ecosystems.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mikhael Credo Samuel Mangolo, Kertajadi , Irma Kharisma Hatibie, Fanny Maharani Suarka, Putu Ratih Pertiwi, Agung Sri Sulistyawati
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