Social media communication of the spa industry during the four waves of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Tourism and the spa industry have been heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The social media strategies of top spa destinations were studied during the period from March 1, 2020, through February 28, 2022. Together There are 2,539 posts of selected spas (from Iceland, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary). Based on former research, four major themes emerged: (i) Facebook versus Instagram communication during the two years of the pandemic; (ii) Live Vividness of the social media communication; (iii) Activity of the followers; (iv) Use of hashtags. Findings show that social media plays a significant role in fighting against the negative impacts of a crisis. Communication on social media is especially effective when emotional, affective images and positive emotions are presented to the target customers. Our findings extend not only crisis management theory, but also provide valuable insights into tourists’ psychometrics, which is essential for tourism destinations in developing their communication strategies.