Co-creation of Destination Image in Bali: Insights from Social Media Narratives

Penulis

  • Mikhael Credo Samuel Mangolo Politeknik Negeri Manado, Indonesia
  • Kertajadi Universitas Mataram, Indonesia
  • Irma Kharisma Hatibie Universitas Muhammadiyah Gorontalo, Indonesia
  • Fanny Maharani Suarka Universitas Udayana, Indonesia
  • Putu Ratih Pertiwi Universitas Udayana, Indonesia
  • Agung Sri Sulistyawati Universitas Udayana, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29303/intour.v5i1.3037

Kata Kunci:

destination image co-creation; social media; user-generated content; netnography; Bali tourism; digital tourism

Abstrak

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.

Referensi

Antonios, G. (2020). Destination branding and co-creation: Towards a conceptual framework. Canterbury Christ Church University.

Gössling, S., Scott, D., & Hall, C. M. (2018). Global trends in length of stay: Implications for destination management and climate change. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26(12), 2087–2101. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2018.1529771

Gretzel, U., Sigala, M., Xiang, Z., & Koo, C. (2015). Smart tourism: Foundations and developments. Electronic Markets, 25(3), 179–188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-015-0196-8

Guerreiro, M., Rita, P., & Teixeira, A. A. C. (2024). The online destination image as portrayed by user-generated content on social media and its impact on tourists’ engagement. European Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation, 14(1), 1–18.

Költringer, C., & Dickinger, A. (2015). Analysing destination branding and image from online sources: A web content mining approach. Journal of Business Research, 68(9), 1836–1843. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.01.011

Kozinets, R. V. (2020). Netnography: The essential guide to qualitative social media research (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Li, J., Xu, L., Tang, L., Wang, S., & Li, L. (2018). Big data in tourism research: A literature review. Tourism Management, 68, 301–323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.03.009

Mahadewi, N. M. E. (2019). Rural tourism development through tourist village destination in Badung Regency, Bali. Journal of Advanced Research in Dynamical and Control Systems, 11(11), 368–375.

Mandagi, D. W., et al. (2024). A systematic review of social media's role in destination branding. Journal of Enterprise and Development, 6(2), 286–305.

Marine-Roig, E. (2019). Destination image analytics through traveller-generated content. Sustainability, 11(12), 3392. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11123392

Marine-Roig, E., & Anton Clavé, S. (2016). A detailed method for destination image analysis using user-generated content. Information Technology & Tourism, 15(4), 341–364. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-015-0040-1

Mkono, M., & Markwell, K. (2014). The application of netnography in tourism studies. Annals of Tourism Research, 48, 289–291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2014.07.005

Patera, K., Ronda, M., & Dua, M. (2023). Ethnographic Communications of the Ngaben Ritual of Bali Hindus in Jakarta. International Journal of Environmental, Sustainability, and Social Science, 4(2), 607–619. https://doi.org/10.38142/ijesss.v4i2.471

Saura, J. R., Palos-Sánchez, P., & Velicia-Martín, F. (2021). What drives volunteers to accept a digital platform that supports NGO projects? Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 4292. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00429

Seraphin, H., Sheeran, P., & Pilato, M. (2018). Over-tourism and the fall of Venice as a destination. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 9, 374–376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2018.01.011

Stopp, V. S. G., & Kraus, S. (2021). Destination image online analyzed through user-generated content: A systematic review. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 21(4), 1–18.

Stylidis, D., Shani, A., & Belhassen, Y. (2020). Testing an integrated destination image model across residents and tourists. Tourism Management, 79, 104120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2016.10.014

Sutawa, G. K. (2019). Issues on Bali tourism development and community empowerment. Journal of Business on Hospitality and Tourism, 5(1), 1–12.

Xiang, Z., Du, Q., Ma, Y., & Fan, W. (2017). A comparative analysis of major online review platforms: Implications for social media analytics in tourism. Tourism Management, 58, 51–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2016.10.001

Xu, H., Pratt, S., Wang, Y., & Fong, L. H. N. (2022). Understanding destination value co-creation on social media: A consumer socialization perspective. Tourism and Hospitality, 3(1), 35–52. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp3010003

Zeng, B., & Gerritsen, R. (2014). What do we know about social media in tourism? A review. Tourism Management Perspectives, 10, 27–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2014.01.001

Diterbitkan

2026-06-17

Cara Mengutip

Mikhael Credo Samuel Mangolo, Kertajadi, Irma Kharisma Hatibie, Fanny Maharani Suarka, Putu Ratih Pertiwi, & Agung Sri Sulistyawati. (2026). Co-creation of Destination Image in Bali: Insights from Social Media Narratives. Jurnal Internasional Riset Bisnis Pariwisata, 5(1), 194–205. https://doi.org/10.29303/intour.v5i1.3037