The Role of Social Media Marketing in Shaping Domestic Tourism Behaviour: A Conceptual study of Pokhara, Nepal
Shrestha, Prashamsa (2025)
2025
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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025112429300
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025112429300
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This paper examines the influence of social media marketing on domestic travel behaviour in a case of Mountaineering Tourism Destination (Pokhara/Nepal). One among various sources of economic prosperity in Nepal is its enormous potential for tourism, and the growth social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube has differentially transformed both perceptions of tourist destinations as well the modes through which people promote and consume them. Under the influence of UGC, influencer marketing, and social media advertising visitors perception, motives and decision-making behaviors towards domestic tourism have significantly changed. Methodology A quantitative approach was employed which relied on secondary sources (Sample size, n = 104) from relevant literature as well as primary data collected through online survey.
Really, the results of the study suggest that social media has probably the biggest influence on the travel behaviour of Nepali tourists, especially when targeting the young and tech-savvy lot. Good old-fashioned word-of-mouth recommendations and engaging content will always stay ahead of adverts in terms of influence. For example, Instagram and TikTok, with their visual modes of storytelling, now have huge potential to promote lesser-known tourism sites and influence people's desire to visit. While the study points to awareness-building through social marketing campaigns, it finds that actual engagement is more in-depth with credible experience-based content from real travellers or influencers.
Thus, it emerges from the study that social media marketing is, at this point in time, a potential tool for Nepali domestic tourism. By engaging travellers with local discovery, it also fosters sustainable tourism through locality that encourages themselves to learn about and value their own culture. These findings-would be of high significance to the Government of Nepal, tourism stakeholders, and marketers who will be engaging social media practitioners within the tourism development framework in Nepal.
Really, the results of the study suggest that social media has probably the biggest influence on the travel behaviour of Nepali tourists, especially when targeting the young and tech-savvy lot. Good old-fashioned word-of-mouth recommendations and engaging content will always stay ahead of adverts in terms of influence. For example, Instagram and TikTok, with their visual modes of storytelling, now have huge potential to promote lesser-known tourism sites and influence people's desire to visit. While the study points to awareness-building through social marketing campaigns, it finds that actual engagement is more in-depth with credible experience-based content from real travellers or influencers.
Thus, it emerges from the study that social media marketing is, at this point in time, a potential tool for Nepali domestic tourism. By engaging travellers with local discovery, it also fosters sustainable tourism through locality that encourages themselves to learn about and value their own culture. These findings-would be of high significance to the Government of Nepal, tourism stakeholders, and marketers who will be engaging social media practitioners within the tourism development framework in Nepal.