Egypt’s image as a tourist destination: an exploratory analysis of DMO’s social media platforms

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to provide a holistic analysis of Egypt’s image as a tourist destination on Social Media Platforms (SMPs). As a result, the promoted Destination Image (DI) of Egypt on SMPs was investigated, as well as the characteristics of the SMPs and how they are currently viewed by users (tourists). An exploratory analysis using a two-step quantitative approach was carried out. The findings show that the Egyptian SMPs failed to make a relative balance among the various key attractions to successfully deliver Egypt as a destination for all tastes. However, the validity of using the SMPs as marketing platforms can be improved if they are managed by a proficient team recognizing the value of the destination and being conscious of marketing techniques (e.g., the relevance of content, information depth and amount, and the ability to develop a relationship).This paper concentrates on Egypt’s image; however, the value of this study lies in being among the recent studies to assess both the projected and perceived destination image on social media platforms.