Tourist’s Perceptions towards Social Media: A study of Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

The aim of the study is to examine tourists’ perceptions towards social media and its effectiveness in travel planning in the context of Himachal Pradesh. With the rapid growth of digital platforms, social media has emerged as a key source of information, entertainment, and interaction for travellers. This study focuses on assessing tourists’ views regarding four major characteristics of social media—entertainment, information, credibility, and economy—along with their overall attitude towards its use in planning trips. Data were collected from 600 tourists across the districts of Shimla, Kullu, and Kinnaur using a structured questionnaire. The findings reveal that tourists strongly perceive social media as entertaining, credible, and cost-effective, with high mean scores across these dimensions. While timely information is appreciated, the relevance of information is rated moderately, indicating scope for improvement in content accuracy and usefulness. Overall, tourists consider social media an enjoyable, economical, and trustworthy platform that positively supports their travel decisions. The study concludes that enhancing the quality, relevance, and engagement of social media content can significantly strengthen its role in promoting tourism. These insights can assist tourism marketers, local businesses, and policymakers in designing more effective digital strategies to attract and engage visitors in Himachal Pradesh.