Towards viral systems thinking: a cross-cultural study of sustainable tourism ads

Abstract

Purpose – In the postmodern consumer society, factors such as sustainability, responsible behaviour and digital environment have direct consequences on rethinking sustainable tourism promotion through 2.0 communication policy embedded within a specific cultural context. The aim of this research is to analyse and discuss the application of 2.0 systems thinking (ST) in three countries (France, UK and Serbia) to promote sustainable tourism thinking. Design/methodology/approach – Online tourism ads available on YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion, related to the cultural contexts of the UK, France and Serbia, have been analysed through a qualitative approach based on the use of visual methods. Furthermore, sustainable tourism dimensions and discourses have been identified in each context by applying intra- and intertextual analysis. Findings – The results show that the use of 2.0 ST to promote sustainable tourism should take into account environmental and socio-cultural issues in each cultural context. These findings show that both the UK and France promote sustainable tourism logic through applying a 2.0 ST. This is not the case with Serbia where online sustainable tourism videos are underrepresented and the online content is different from the one in the UK and France. Research limitations/implications – This research might help tourism researchers and professionals to understand cultural differences when promoting sustainable tourism through a 2.0 communication and online videos. The results show that tourism system has to be considered as a complex and a dynamic framework where intense interlinking of social media with political, cultural, promotional, and organizational aspects of tourism systems in different countries is present. Practical implications – The proposed framework in this study represents a tool that will enable tourism professionals to improve their sustainable tourism communication, especially the environmental and socio-cultural dimensions when considering a 2.0 communication approach. Originality/value – The original aspect of this research is related to the analysis of interactive videos in tourism studies and to the introduction of a new framework based on 2.0 ST, used to promote sustainable tourism in a cross-cultural context.