1. University of Westminster
Westminster Business School
BKEY 501: Business Research and Professional Practice
Simona Astolfi w1498834
Maria Magdalena Vila w1496010
Napattha Chavalitcheewingul w1519476
Polina Popova w1473897
Elizabeth Shogbanmu w1500001
CW3 - Group Research Project
2. Our journey ahead:
1.Introduction
Research Question
Research Objectives
2.Literature Review
Criteria
Themes
Gaps
3.Methodology
4.Findings
5.Conclusion
a. Limitations
b. Recommendations
c. Future Research
6.Reference List
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Introduction
Reference
List
Source: Piktochart ( 2016)
4. Research Question
“How social media impact on the travel industry?”
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Source: Call centre support UK ( n.d.)
Relevance of the topic:
• Nowadays social media is the biggest growing trend in mobile
technology (WTM, 2014).
• Large amount of markets use social media to promote products and
companies (Eye for travel, 2016).
• It was interesting to find out how that is applied to the travel industry.
5. Research Objectives
1.To analyse the travel industry and its consumers.
2.To investigate social media as a marketing communication channel for the travel industry
a. To establish which social media ( Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) is mainly used
in the travel industry
b. To establish which travel sectors are mostly affected by social media
3.To evaluate how social media influence the consumers decision-making process in the travel
industry.
a. Positive impact
b. Negative impact
4. To explore how social media affect the consumer’s perception on travel.
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7. Criteria of Literature Review
Sources:
Oxbridge Essay, (n.d.)
Bradley (2013)
The National Foundation for Educational
Research in England and Wales, (2016)
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8. Themes covered in the Literature Review:
Travel industry overview
“Estimated future growth of 4.7%”
“The most successful sector is the low cost
airlines”
“The biggest trend is the mobile technology”
(WTM, 2014)
Social media within the travel businesses
“Facebook has the biggest impact on the travel
industry”(Newsroom, 2015)
“95% of marketers use social media for their marketing
strategies, for example imagery ”(Eye for travel, 2016)
“Social media enhance the image of business and
connect the company with consumers” (Buhalis et al.,
2013)
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Griffith, (2013),
Source: Facebook, (no date) Source: Massplanner, (2014)Source: Institute of Travel and Tourism, (2015), Mosio, (2012)
9. Themes covered in the Literature Review:
Social media impact on consumer’s travel
decision making process
“Social media are crucial in the evaluation and
post-purchase stage” (Hudson and Thal, 2013)
“One-third of UK travellers choose their hotel
relying on reviews available on Tripadvisor and
Facebook” (Koumelis, 2011 cited in Buhalis et
al., 2013)
EWOM is highly influential, but not as
traditional WOM (Buhalis et al., 2013)
Social media as a source of inspiration and
platform to share information
“52% of consumers state that they were inspired by
the photos posted by their friends on Facebook while
they were planning their vacation. 76 % of consumers
will use social media as platform to share information
about their holidays” (Morrison 2015)
“Social media is a top source of inspiration when
choosing holidays” (Fotis, 2015)
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Source: Wilkinson, (2014) Source: Weightwatchers, (2015)
10. Gaps in the Literature Review
Reference
List
Mostly quantitative
data
Users’ behaviours
and habits in
relation to travel
How people perceive
to be influenced by
social media
Customers’
point of view
Source: Nevistas, (2015) Source: Bullhorn, (2016)
Source: Cohen, (2016) Source: Business2community, (2015)
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12. The Research Onion- Methodology
Source: Conceptdraw.com (2016)
Research
Design
Mixed Method
(Quantitative
+Qualitative
research)
Philosophy Pragmatism
Approach Inductive
Strategy
choice
Primary
Research
+
Secondary
Research
Source: Simext, (2016)
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13. Quantitative:
Online Survey
Qualitative:
Depth Interview
Qualitative:
Focus Groups
Why?
• Self-completion
questionnaire
instantly captures
data and saves
time and money.
• Easy to analyse
• There is no
pressure from
others while the
interview take
place.
• More detailed
data can be
captured
• Rich amount of
data is provided
• Uncovered topic
may come up into
discussion
Limitations
• Error is possible
• Needs pilot
• Unexpected
questions may
come up
• Harder to organise
• There is a need for
a moderator that
posses the right
skills
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14. Sampling method
Online Survey Random Volunteer
Sampling
Snowball
technique
In-depth
Interview
Non-Random Purposive
Sampling
Heterogenous
technique
Focus Groups Non-Random Purposive
Sampling
Heterogeneous
technique
Reference
List
Source: JOTO Public Relations (n.d.)
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15. Screener and Sample frame - size
Question Answer Next Step
Are you over 18? Yes→
No→
Take part on the
research
Not suitable
Do you have active account in
any social media network?
Yes→
No→
Take part on the
research
Not suitable
Do you travel? Yes→
Never→
Take part on the
research
Not suitable
Sample frame: UK population from 18 to 60+
Sample size:
• Quantitative Research:
• Length: 1 month
• Online Survey x67
• Qualitative Research:
• Length: 2 weeks
• In-depth interviews x5
• Focus Group x2
• with 5 participants
Total respondents = 83
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16. Reliability and Validity
Reference
List
● Ensure reliability of data by comparing multiple sources in the literature
review
● Compare qualitative and quantitative results effectively
● Helps eliminate information that is invalid in regards to our research.
Why? ● Check validity of our questionnaire.
● Ensure clarity and understanding of questions
asked.
● Mistakes are allowed .
Changes made ● Paraphrased the questions
● Changed the order of questions
● Grammar errors fixed
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17. Data Analysis
Online Survey Focus Group In-depth Interviews
Coding
Tabular Analysis
Quantified Graphs (bar charts,
pie charts)
Transcripts
Tabular Analysis
Quantified Graphs
Relevant Qualitative Quotes
Transcripts
Radial Diagrams
Tabular Analysis
Graphs
Relevant Qualitative Quotes
Cross Referenced - Triangulation
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19. Social media and the travel industry are related
“Instagram allows
me to see travel
destinations from
different
perspectives”
Male, 23
“I rely on
friends and
family”
Male, 20
Source: Piktochart ( 2016)
Sample size: 83 Quantitative data time frame: One Month Qualitative data time frame: Two Weeks Margin of error: +/- 8%
Do you use Social Media to get information about travel?
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20. Travel sectors affected by Social Media
Social media as a marketing communication channel
Sample size: 83 Quantitative data time frame: One Month
Qualitative data time frame: Two Weeks
Margin of error: +/- 8%
Sample size: 67 Quantitative data time frame: One Month
Margin of error: +/- 9%
The most used social media
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21. Social media and the decision-making process
Reference
List
“No, because
even if they
make me think
about it at the
end I always
stick with my
decision.”
Male, 26
“I would change
destination if I
read on social
media that
there’s
something really
bad like a
terrorist attack
or a cataclysm”
Female, 23
“When I see friends visiting some places and post pictures on
Facebook, I can be influenced to go there” Female,20
Sample size: 83 Quantitative data time frame: One Month Qualitative data time frame: Two Weeks Margin of error: +/- 8%
Ways in which Social Media influences people regarding
travel
People who change their minds about travel plans because of
Social Media
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22. Social media and the decision-making process
“It allows to
see destination
from a number
of different
perspectives”
Male, 20
“Social media changed my habit a bit. Before we
usually contact travel agency now everything is
online” Female, 22
“No, because I
have always used
online booking
services and I
have never used
any other way of
holiday bookings,
social media have
never affected my
habits”
Male, 26
“Yes they
changed, but
it is not
because of
any social
sites, it is
because of a
personal
situation”
Male, 22
Sample size: 83 Quantitative data time frame: One Month
Qualitative data time frame: Two Weeks Margin of error: +/- 8%
Respondents thinking that the decision-
making process has been simplified by social
media
Have respondents travel habits changes during the
last years?
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23. Tripadvisor and Facebook are the most reliable networks
Reference
List
“Absolutely not, because I’d rather
find information myself than check
sites like Facebook”
Male 21
“Instagram, photography”
Male, 23“Friends’ photo on Facebook, it
shows where people have been,
what is available in that area”
Male, 22
“Instagram, because is where most
of images and short-video
regarding people travelling, are
shared.”
Female, 18
Sample size: 83 Quantitative data time frame: One Month Qualitative data time frame: Two Weeks Margin of error: +/- 8%
Most relied Social Media Networks
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24. Desire to travel encouraged by social media
“Yes, it did. I follow some people who travel full-time and seeing
their content increase my desire to travel.” Female, 18
“Well, yes pictures would help me decide where I
want to go” Male, 22
“No, what
increases my
desire to travel are
the stories that my
friends tell me
about their
experiences
abroad. “
Male, 26
Source: Visualize us ( n.d.)
Sample size: 83 Quantitative data time frame: One Month Qualitative data time frame: Two Weeks Margin of error: +/- 8%
Has social media increased respondents’ desire of travel?
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25. People are mainly influenced by Friends and Family
Source: Piktochart ( 2016)
Sample size: 83
Quantitative data time
frame: One Month
Qualitative data time
frame: Two Weeks
Margin of error: +/- 8%
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27. Conclusion
• Respondents are more influenced by social media than what they think.
• Male respondents tend not to rely on social media.
• Social media increase the desire to travel.
• More attention is still being paid to what friends and family say.
• Tripadvisor and Facebook are perceived as the most reliable social
media.
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Source: Magoosh ( n.d.)
28. Other Issues
● The identity of the respondents has been kept confidential
● Permission to record focus groups and in-depth interviews was asked
before they were carried out.
● Participants were informed about the purpose and subject of the research.
● The research has been done according to the MRS code of conduct.
Source: CDP (n.d.)
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29. Limitations
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Source: Piktochart ( 2016)
How to overcome them...
● Triangulation - put together
primary research and literature
review (to ensure the information
are correct and reliable).
● Tried to gather as many
respondents of older age ranges
as possible in the quantitative
research.
Limitations
• Lack of academic sources
- Not all of the academic sources available are up to
date
• Qualitative research is limited - demographic profile
as the majority of students aged 18-25
• Short time-frame → Longer time frame - more
response
● Very limited budget
30. Key Recommendations
1. Self-promotion through social media.
2. Increase own presence on unconventional social media (Facebook & Instagram).
3. Use market mavens to promote travel and advertise own brand
4. Create free contents and competitions with prizes, to engage the audience.
5. Building trust and good reputation online is a must.
6. Work in partnership with people who are travelling (e.g. Nicolò Balini)
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31. Future Research
● Try to find more people from different age ranges.
● Cover issues with no response levels by giving
incentives to respondents.
● Relation between culture and influence of social
media.
● Frequency of checking social media about travel,
check if there is a pattern between frequency and
level of influence.
Source: Question Science (2012)
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33. Reference List:
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Holloway I, Wheeler S (2010) Qualitative research in nursing and healthcare . Third edition. Oxford : Blackwell Publishing.
Hudson, S. and Thal, K. (2013). The Impact of Social Media on the Consumer Decision Process: Implications for Tourism Marketing. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 30(1-2), pp.156-160.
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Morrison, K. (2015). Social Media and Travel Go Hand in Hand (Infographic). [online] Adweek.com. Available at: http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/social-media-and-travel-go-hand-in-hand-
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35. Mosio.com, (2012). mBytes - “ Innovations of Mobile Technology: Telemedicine, Text Message Marketing, Mobile Services | Mosio | Two Way Text Messaging Software. [online] Mosio.com.
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36. Reference List:
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The National Foundation for Educational Research in England and Wales, (2016). How to choose your research methods. [online] Nfer.ac.uk. Available at:
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Editor's Notes
Group members:
Welcome to our presentation about our research project.+
Group members: Maria
That is the content list for this presentation and we will explore each of this points. In the bottom of each slide you will be able to check which part we are covering.
Group members:
Group members: Maria
This is the research question that is the heart of our research: “ How does social media impact the travel industry”
The main idea of the research starts with two topics: Social media and travel Industry. Therefore, have that in mind!
Questions to audience: How many of you in this class use social media?
Questions to audience: And how many of you have used social media to get information about travel? Such as Tripadvisor?
We are covering this topic as nowadays social media is a growing trend in our society and a large amount of markets are using social media for promotion and increase awareness of brand and products.
Group members: Maria
These are the objectives for this research, therefore we will answer all this inquiries on our findings:
To analyse the travel industry and its consumers.
To investigate social media as a marketing communication channels for the travel industry.
a. To establish which social media (facebook, twitter, instagram etc.) is mainly used in the travel industry
b. To establish which travel sectors are mostly affected by social media
To evaluate how social media influence the consumers decision-making process in the travel industry.
Positive impact
Negative impact
To explore how social media affects consumer’s perception on travel.
Group members:
Group members:
In order to create our literature review we followed certain criteria. Before utilising a source we have ensured that the information would be reliable and validate. We have utilised four types of sources: prior literature review, industry reports & professional bodies, academic sources and finally market research report publishers and aggregators.
Prior literature review allows to study arguments other researchers have previously analysed, as well as guide the primary data collection as it enables to find where the gaps in the literature are. However, in case of little availability or completely lack of data, they become needless.
Industry reports & professional bodies are considered genuine and reliable because of the authors. Although self-interest towards the profession or industry could lead to bias.
Academic sources are considered the most reliable. Even if it is important to always investigate the relevance of the data, especially because most of the material is of American provenience.
Lastly market research report publishers and aggregators provide large quantity of material based on secondary research, helpful because of the information already being analysed and structured but any gap in the literature is being filled.
Because of the criteria followed when choosing the literature review, the final result has a good level of reliability and trustworthiness.
Group members: Simona
This slide shows the main themes covered in the literature review. The literature review starts with a general overview of the travel industry suggesting trends, market growth and industry highlights.
Moving on, the review covers how social media impact on the travel businesses and how these one use social media as a marketing tool to connect with their consumers; we found out that one of the strategies used by marketers to influence consumers during their decision making, it’s imagery via social media platforms.
Group members: Simona
In addition to that, social media seems to be very crucial in the decision making process, especially in the evaluation and post purchase stage. As stated above, one-third of UK travellers choose their hotel relying on reviews from social media such as Tripadvisor and Facebook. We discovered that electronic word of mouth is highly influential however, customers say that they believe more in traditional word of mouth because it is a trustworthy source.
Lastly, the review shows that social media can be also a source of inspiration, as 52% of consumers stated that they were inspired by pictures on social media while they were planning their holidays. In relation to this, these consumers were probably inspired by the 76% of consumers that like to share their holiday images on social to share their experiences. Furthermore, social media are considered the top source of inspiration when choosing holidays.
Group members: Elisabeth
What was revealed from our secondary research was mainly related to the business’ point of view on how social media is impacting the travel industry. Surveys and prior research confirmed the fact that the marketing strategies are being influenced by the advent of these new channels of communication. However, it was also noticeable a lack of qualitative information; in fact, most of the data was quantitative.
Furthemore not a wide selection of information from the customer’s point of view were available. Lastly, we perceived the data regarding the social media users current habits and behaviour not enough detailed for our research, and more specifically, our objectives.
Therefore, our primary research was mainly focus on addressing these gaps and a close interaction where respondents were able to give free answers enabled us to fill in these gaps.
Group members:
Group members: Simona and Maria
Our methodology is based on the research onion.
The methodology that we used is mixed research design which is the branch of multiple methods research that combines the use of quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques and analytical procedures.
The philosophy of this research is Pragmatism which emphasises the importance of practical consequences and the approach we chose was inductive, as we want to generate new theory emerging from the data.
Group members: Simona and Maria
We carried for quantitative research, online surveys and for qualitative research we carried out in-depth interviews and focus groups. In that way we could gathered a larger range of data and cover the limitations of the different methods to ensure the data our data were going to be more reliable.
We carried a self-completion questionnaire as it captures instantly the data and it saves time and money. Moreover, it is easy to analyse the data gathered. However, the limitations is that there is the possibility of error and there is the need for piloting, which we did.
We used depth interviews as we believe they can capture more detailed data and furthermore, the participant will not have the pressure from others, like in focus groups, and may be more open to answer questions about him/ herself. The limitation here is that unexpected questions may come up.
We carried two focus groups as they allowed us to gather a richer amount of data and explore topic that have not been considered before. There are limitations for focus groups, as it is harder to organise and there is the need of a high-skilled moderator
Group members: Napattha, Maria
The sampling methods used vary through the different methods of data collection.
For online survey, we used random sampling, specifically volunteer sampling snowball technique. We believed that this sampling method is the most effective because the research topic is difficult to find a right sample who experienced travelling, and by doing so it is more cost-effective than other sampling methods.
For in-depth interview and focus group we used the same method which is non-random purposive sampling, specifically heterogeneous technique.
Group members: Napattha, Maria
Our sample frame is the UK population from 18 to 60+.
This is the screener that we used to select our participants.
For the online survey we had 67 respondents.
We carried two focus group with 5 participants each.
Finally we carried out 5 in-depth interviews.
In overall we have total respondents 83
Group members: Polina
To prove the reliability and the validity of our research we used pilot studies and triangulation. We discovered that some questions were complicated , therefore we changed the order and the grammar.
We used pilot Study as it checks specific aspect of the research when it is design and before it is carried out through the actual respondents. In that way we could check the validity of our questionnaire, ensure the understanding and clarity of the questions asked and fix mistakes.
The limitations of the pilot study is that does not guarantee success, it is just tested in a small amount of people and the reduce the level of incorrect predictions (Qualres.org, 2016)
Triangulation is the use of different source of data in a research to create a good understanding. It is used as we compare different sources and to ensure the validity of these. Moreover, it helped to clarify which information is relevant and which not (Skill Zone Ltd, 2016)
Group members: Maria
In this table it is shown the data analysis process and how we present it for online surveys focus group and in-depth interview. For this research all data was cross-referenced.
The process for online survey was based on coding, tabular analysis and quantified graphs (bar charts, pie charts, etc.).
For focus group the process started with transcripts, followed by tabular analysis, quantified graphs and relevant qualitative quotes, the two last ones to present the data.
The process followed to analyse the in-depth interviews was done through transcripts, radial diagrams, tabular analysis, and to present the data graphs and relevant qualitative quotes
Group members:
For our findings we combines our primary and secondary research
Group members: Polina and Maria
From 83 respondents, 100% use different social media platforms. That is supported by the WTM (2014 that stated that social media was “The biggest trend is the mobile technology”
From our research we found that the majority of respondents do not use social media to get information about travel, their travel decisions are influenced by official websites of travel agents, resorts etc, friends and family, other.
However, still a reasonable percentage of respondents said they do use social media to get inspiration for travel destinations, places to stay. This is mostly via image content that is posted on Instagram and Facebook, which are the two social media platforms that are in most demand.
Group members: Napattha
As we can see from the pie chart, Facebook is the most used social media followed by Instagram. Therefore, Facebook is the good channel for travel industry to advertise and take advantage from the social media.
We also found out by further research which travel sectors are affected the most by social media. In the literature review from Adweek,2012, they mentions that the top three travel sectors that mostly affected by social media are airlines, accommodation and destinations. However, after we conducted the questionnaire, the result shows that destinations are likely to be to most affected but accommodation and airlines are not affected by social media. This shows that social media has not much affected on travel industry in overall.
Group members: Simona
This slide shows the findings related to our third objective, which is to evaluate how social media influence the consumers decision-making process in the travel industry.
The first graph shows if the respondents were influenced by something that they red or saw on social media.
52% said no and 48% said yes. The two comments next to the graph are representative for both of the parts. In relation to the people that said yes, they said that they were influenced by post/comments
and picture posted on social media and the next graph shows this clearly, where around 45 people said that they were influenced by this. In second place, there are the people influenced by post and pictures from company website and at last the ones influenced by post and pictures from public figures.
Group members: Simona
The first graph on this slide shows if whether or not social media simplify respondent decision-making process. The majority, 77.1%, said yes, most of the people said that allows them to see different options and make a decision in a simpler and faster way. Just a small percentage said that social media doesn’t simplify their decisions.
The next graphs shows if during the past years respondent changed their habits and if yes, they were asked if social media was one of the reasons. The sample was almost equally divided between the three options available to them, 38.6% said that they changed but not because of social media, 30.7% said that they changed and the reason is social media and again 30.7% said no they never changed and three comments attached to graph are representative for each result. In conclusion, social media are not strong enough to change people’s habits at the moment.
Group members: Maria
For quantitative research most respondents said that they relied in Tripadvisor in terms of travel. However when qualitative research was carried respondents stated that they rely in Facebook and Instagram because it shows videos and images of friends rather than the ones in Tripadvisor. This data is supported by Newsroom (2015) that states that “Facebook has the biggest impact on the travel industry” . Also there was respondents that stated that they do not rely on social media at all in terms of travel.
Group members: Maria
A large majority of respondents stated that they have felt an increment on their desire for travel through social media. In the focus group everyone answer yes to the question “ Does social media increase you desire for travel?”. People suggested that they feel an increment on the desire for travel when they see people who travels full time and posts their experiences.
However we had still people saying that they would not be motivated by social media, for example they are inspired by the stories of friends about travel experiences.
Group members: Polina and Maria
Through our research we found out that when having to take travel decisions, the majority (59%) of respondents are mainly influenced by friend and family, closely followed by social media.
Some respondents stated that they were influenced by official websites (24%) and a minority stated that were influenced by other things such as documentaries and TV shows.
Group members:
Group members:
To conclude, we can affirm that most of the respondents are more influenced by social media than what they actually think.
Many of the male respondents, also claimed not to rely on social media either when gathering information about possible holidays or even just when looking for a restaurant.
Social media actually increase the desire to travel.
Although being influenced by social media, people tend to pay more attention and rely the most on what friends and family say as well as their personal past experiences.
Tripadvisor and Facebook are perceived as the most reliable social media by respondents.
Group members:
Other issues that we considered are all the ethical procedures to follow in order to conduct our research accurately. These one are to keep the identity of respondent confidential, to ask the permission to record our interviews and focus groups and lastly, to inform the respondent about our research subject. This other issues are:
The identity of the respondents has been kept confidential
Permission to record focus groups and in-depth interviews was asked before they were carried out.
Participants were informed about the purpose and subject of the research.
The research has been done according to the MRS code of conduct.
Group members:
Limitations
Lack of academic sources- While collecting our secondary research data, we realised that there were not many academic sources available on the topic and most them were not enough up to date as we believe that when talking about social media, which are evolving on daily basis, sources need to be as up to date as possible.
Qualitative research is limited (focus group and in-depth interview) - demographic profile as the majority of students aged 18-25
In our research, we had only a month to conduct a research therefore this limitation would be short time-frame as
Depending on season when people go travel - summer
Longer time frame - expected more responses and more reliable result
Very small budget
How to overcome this limitations.
We overcame this limitations through triangulation, so we supported our findings through our literature review that was already triangulated through the use of different sources.
To overcome the issue related to gather information from older respondents, we tried to access them through qualitatives research (online survey) as it was the only way, taking in mind our timing and budget limitations, to access these part of the population
Group members:
Social media are a free and wide platform companies should utilise to promote themselves and increase their share of voice maintaining the costs low.
Respondents tend to consider platforms specialised in travelling, such as Tripadvisor, as the most reliable. However, they named Facebook and Instagram as the social media they are using the most, therefore companies operating in this sector should strive to increase their presence on this platforms, in order to reach new possible customers.
Taking advantage of market mavens, which are actively engage online, could highly benefit companies, in terms of brand’s promotion. In this case, Instagram would be a good platform given the importance images have in this type of social media.
Creating free contents periodically released and organising competitions with prizes such as holidays and discounts, could lead to more loyal customers.
With the advent of the internet, and then of the social media, building a solid reputation and gaining people’s trust is a must for every company who wants to be successful.
Working in partnership with people who are travelling full-time would also be a good idea, as people this would create positive associations in the mind of the consumers. Nicolò Balini for example, is an Italian guy who funds his travel through local companies such as ‘Naar Tour Operator’ and ‘Discover LA’
Group members:
If future research would be carried, something should be done different:
Try to find more people from different age ranges so our sample would be more representative of the whole population
Cover issues with no response levels through giving incentives to respondents, therefore they are more motivated to fully participate on the research.
Try to find out if there is a relation between culture and influence of social media on individuals.
Analyse if there is a relation between the frequency of checking social media about travel and the level of influence on individuals coming from this.
Thank you for your attention! Do you have any questions?
Group members: Simona, Polina, Elisabeth, Napattha, Maria
Group members: Simona, Polina, Elisabeth, Napattha, Maria
Group members: Simona, Polina, Elisabeth, Napattha, Maria
Group members: Simona, Polina, Elisabeth, Napattha, Maria
