An ethnographic study of the motivations of foodstagrammer tourists

Abstract

The proliferation of social media platforms for sharing and posting photos is radically changing the experiences of foodies and food tourists, and businesses are becoming increasingly dependent on them.

This article seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the modifications of the motivations of foodies and food tourists caused by the intensive use of Instagram, who are referred to using the moniker foodstagrammers. We used ethnography to explore, over the course of six months, the motivations of foodstagrammer tourists visiting the city of Barcelona, a very popular food-tourist destination. We performed observations and completed immersion experiences in six food tours with 48 participants, most of whom were using Instagram. The data collected were analysed and interpreted regarding the actions, people, and activities, both live and online.

Our data suggest that motivations usually associated with foodies and food tourists become secondary in the case of foodstagrammer tourists, for whom the primary motivations are related to information sharing and taking photos. It offers new insights into the effects of social media on the tourist experience that are relevant for managers interested in marketing food-related business and destinations, since the momentum for experience-socialisation platforms is widely expected to continue expanding.

Keywords:

• Foodie
• ethnography
• community
• experience
• motivations
• foodstagrammer

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mar Vila

Mar Vila is Associate professor and Director of the Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting at Ramon Llull University, Esade; and member of the Research group on Tourism Management, GRUGET. Her research activity focuses on management control and tourism management.

Gerard Costa

Gerard Costa is Associate professor of the Marketing Management Department at Ramon Llull University, Esade; and member of the Research group on Tourism Management, GRUGET. His research activity focuses on market orientation and social marketing.

Eleunthia Ellinger

Eleunthia Ellinger is a PhD candidate in Management Sciences at Ramon Llull University, Esade. Her research activity focuses on ethnography and organisations.