Social media and tourism: case study in Catalonia

Abstract

In this article we study the social media use by business tourists coming to Barcelona (Catalonia). The methodology used is a quantitative method that converts the object of study into numerical data, with emphasis on the measurable objective. We devise a quantitative questionnaire. The multiple choices are an instrument for obtaining data and it is used to gather the information needed: facts, opinions, trends. Data collection was carried out for 4 months in 2015 with a final sample of 494 participants. We conclude that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Foursquare are the social media more used by young people and gender does not influence their use. However, the degree of use of Google+, Linkedin, TripAdvisor and Booking have no significant relationship, taking into account such variables as age and gender.