Using Social Media in Times of Crisis

ABSTRACT

The role of social media in crisis communications is an embryonic area of research in tourism, thus the purpose of this study was to examine drivers of social media use during crises. An online survey of 2,416 tourists from Australia, Brazil, China, India, and Korea was conducted. Hierarchical regression revealed that the drivers were risk perceptions associated with crime, disease, health-related, physical, equipment failure, weather, cultural barriers, and political crises when controlling for nationality, as well as use of a smartphone during past travel when controlling for nationality and risk perceptions. Implications and recommendations are discussed.

Keywords:

• Social media
• smartphones
• international travel
• tourism crisis management

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Mandala Research, LLC for their continued partnership and collecting the data for this research study.