Competing tourist destinations and their positioning on the social medium Facebook: Ecuador, Colombia and Peru

Abstract

Today�s tourist industry is characterised by its increasingly profitable and competitive nature, forcing destinations to seek forms of differentiation in order to attract greater numbers of tourists. However, this is challenging task, and tourism promoters and managers are required to plan and design effective marketing strategies tailored to communicate and highlight the tourist attractions of their destinations. In this sense, adapting to the new scenario created by social media has revolutionized communication. Destinations are now required to make full use of the advantages these communication tools offer. The aim of this research is to analyse the tourist positioning of Ecuador, Colombia and Peru on the social medium Facebook. The conclusions indicate that the countries analysed should improve their optimisation strategies in order to take full advantage of the interactive potential Facebook offers, thereby optimising their future position as tourist destinations. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016.