Yung-Chih HSU, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
The tourismscape is the representation of the geographical image captured by the tourists. The circle of representation has sped up after the internet upload photos to everyone could enjoy the performance on social media, indirectly affecting the process of shaping the tourismscape. Qinbi village is interestingly advertised as a geographical imagination as “Taiwanese Greece” by the local tourism bureau although it is located in Subtropical Asia.
This research aims to explore why the “Taiwanese Greece” slogan is formed? How does the slogan influence tourist’s imaginary of Qinbi village through the circle of representation on social media? How does the interaction among social media influencer, government, tourism operators, and residents? And how should we reflect on this phenomenon? It applies empirical analysis from secondary data on online tourism advertisements for Qinbi village and in-depth interviews, demonstrating how social media influencer empowered the process of shaping the tourismscape. This research analyzes tourism information on the internet, including Vlogs, blogs, social media posts, and hashtags. We use content analysis to find out the tourism slogan which is represented most frequently online within five years. Then, we interview Taiwanese tourists who have visited Qinbi village, and the government officers, tourism operators, and the host residents. We will analyze the elements linked to Greece, and reflect on how the tourism sector can strengthen the authenticity characteristics of Qinbi Village in island tourism.
The research results will contribute to understand the process of constructing tourismscape through the geographical imaginary on social media. The suggestions and follow-up research are proposed on the island identity and the marketing strategy of how to build a brand with island characteristics.
Mots clés : Tourists’ Gaze|Circle of Representation|Social Media|Authenticity
A104428SL