Mapping motivations for a Canadian leisure experience : impact of social media engagement

Abstract

Mapping Motivations for a Canadian Leisure Experience seeks to reveal the impact social media has on the leisure tourist experience in Canada. Desired experiences vary from generation to generation. How influential are informally generated images shared through modern day technology such as social media forums to the leisure experience of a tourist? Does the impact override or align with the formal marketing message intended by destination marketing professionals? Are tourist expectations inflated as a result of communications via social media? Are experiences deflated due to hyper-communication? Are people too involved with their devices to enjoy or be present during the lived moments that make up their tourist experiences? This report offers an analysis of the impact of social media engagement during the leisure experience on the experience itself through a qualitative discourse of perceptions, posted social media images and text as shared by Australian Millennials as they travel and experience the Canadian leisure landscape. This analysis generates informative data on the relationship between Millennials, their leisure journey, and social media delivering a social media engagement theory that is applicable to future research that seeks to gain further insight into the effects of social media on leisure and travel.