RURAL TOURISM THROUGH THE LENS OF INSTAGRAM USERS

Sonja  Lazarević; Tanja  Stanišić; Miljan  Leković; Nemanja  Pantić

doi:10.59267/ekoPolj25041423L

Authors

Sonja Lazarević University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjačka Banja, Vojvođanska bb, 36210 Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia
Tanja Stanišić University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjačka Banja, Vojvođanska bb, 36210 Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia
Miljan Leković University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjačka Banja, Vojvođanska bb, 36210 Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia
Nemanja Pantić University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjačka Banja, Vojvođanska bb, 36210 Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59267/ekoPolj25041423L

Keywords:

rural tourism, Instagram, image content analysis

Abstract

Rural tourism is a form of tourism that takes place in a rural environment and in which the tangible and intangible culture of the destination is experienced. Along with the growing interest of tourists in these elements, the attractiveness of rural tourism and its representation in Instagram posts is also increasing. The purpose of this research is to evaluate trends in rural tourism by analyzing Instagram images as a useful information base. The key methodological tool in research is image content analysis. The results of the research made it possible to draw conclusions about the most represented rural tourism destinations, key attractions and activities, gender specificities of participants in rural tourism, as well as its pronounced seasonality. In particular, the research led to the identification of education as an emerging activity in rural tourism. The research results can be useful for management organizations, rural communities, and tourism marketers. At the same time, the research emphasizes the usability of user-generated images on social media platforms in researching trends in the tourism market.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Agustí, D. P. (2021). Mapping gender in tourist behaviour based on Instagram. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 35, 100381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2021.100381

An, W., & Alarcón, S. (2021). From netnography to segmentation for the description of the rural tourism market based on tourist experiences in Spain. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 19, 100549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2020.10054

An, W., & Alarcón, S. (2021). Rural tourism preferences in Spain: Best-worst choices. Annals of Tourism Research, 89, 103210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2021.103210

Azhar, M., Hamid, S., Akhtar, M. J., & Subhan, M. (2022). Delineating the influence of social media use on sustainable rural tourism: an application of TPB with place emotion. Journal of Tourism, Sustainability and Well-Being, 10(4), 292- 312. https://doi.org/10.34623/1ta2-yj22

Blanco-Moreno, S., González-Fernández, A. M., Muñoz-Gallego, P. A., & Egger, R. (2024). What do you do or with whom? Understanding happiness with the tourism experience: an AI approach applied to Instagram. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-02859-z

Boepple, L., & Thompson, J.K. (2016). A content analytic comparison of fitspiration and thinspiration websites. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 49(1), 98- 101. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22403

Carneiro, M. J., Lima, J., & Silva, A. L. (2015). Landscape and the rural tourism experience: identifying key elements, addressing potential, and implications for the future. Journal of sustainable Tourism, 23(8-9), 1217-1235. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2015.1037840

Chen, S., Sotiriadis, M., & Shen, S. (2023). The influencing factors on service experiences in rural tourism: An integrated approach. Tourism Management Perspectives, 47, 101122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2023.101122

Dašić, D., Vitković, B., & Borojević, K. (2024). The role of communication management in the development of rural areas. Economic of Agriculture, 71(4), 1421-1435. https://doi.org/10.59267/ekoPolj24041421D

Dimitrijević, M. (2025). Rural tourism in line with green and technological development: EU perspectives. Hotel and Tourism Management, 13(1), 119-130. https://doi.org/10.5937/menhottur2500005D

Fons, M. V. S., Fierro, J. A. M., & y Patiño, M. G. (2011). Rural tourism: A sustainable alternative. Applied Energy, 88(2), 551-557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2010.08.031

Huang, W. J., Beeco, J. A., Hallo, J. C., & Norman, W. C. (2016). Bundling attractions for rural tourism development. Journal of sustainable tourism, 24(10), 1387-1402. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2015.1115510

Hussain, T., Wang, D., & Li, B. (2024). Exploring the impact of social media on tourist behavior in rural mountain tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of perceived risk and community participation. Acta Psychologica, 242, 104113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.104113

Karali, A., Das, S., & Roy, H. (2024). Forty years of the rural tourism research: Reviewing the trend, pattern and future agenda. Tourism Recreation Research, 49(1), 173-200. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2021.1961065

Kataya, A. (2021). The impact of rural tourism on the development of regional communities. Journal of Eastern Europe Research in Business and Economics, 10, 652463. https://doi.org/10.5171/2021.652463

Kumar, S., & Shekhar. (2020). Technology and innovation: Changing concept of rural tourism–A systematic review. Open Geosciences, 12(1), 737-752. https://doi.org/10.1515/geo-2020-0183

Kumar, S., Valeri, M., & Shekhar. (2022). Understanding the relationship among factors influencing rural tourism: a hierarchical approach. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 35(2), 385-407. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-01-2021-0006

Lazarević, S., Stanišić, T., & Ion, R.A. (2024). Slow tourism as a contemporary tendency in the tourism market: Image content and geotag analysis on Instagram. Economics of Agriculture, 72(2), 589-598. https://doi.org/10.59267/ekoPolj2402589L

Lazović, S., Milićević, S., Đorđević, N., & Kraguljac, V. (2024). Exploring rural tourism potential in rural areas of Vrnjačka Banja. Hotel and Tourism Management, 12(2), 59-73. https://doi.org/10.5937/menhottur2400007L

Le Busque, B., Mingoia, J., & Litchfield, C. (2021): Slow tourism on Instagram: an image content and geotag analysis. Tourism Recreation Research, 47(5-6). https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2021.1927566

Liu, Y. L., Chiang, J. T., & Ko, P. F. (2023). The benefits of tourism for rural community development. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01610-4

López-Sanz, J. M., Penelas-Leguía, A., Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, P., & Cuesta-Valiño, P. (2021). Sustainable development and rural tourism in depopulated areas. Land, 10(9), 985. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10090985

Lupi, C., Giaccio, V., Mastronardi, L., Giannelli, A., & Scardera, A. (2017). Exploring the features of agritourism and its contribution to rural development in Italy. Land use policy, 64, 383-390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.03.002

Marković, M., Stanković, J. J., Marjanović, I., & Tsaples, G. (2023). A noncompensatory approach to the creation of composite indices of agricultural sustainability of the European Union countries. International Journal of Sustainable Agricultural Management and Informatics, 9(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJSAMI.2023.127538

Pan, S., Lee, J., & Tsai, H. (2014). Travel photos: Motivations, image dimensions, and affective qualities of places. Tourism Management, 40, 59–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2013.05.007

Rogers, S. C. (2002). Which heritage? Nature, culture, and identity in French rural tourism. French Historical Studies, 25(3), 475-503.

Rosalina, P. D., Dupre, K., & Wang, Y. (2021). Rural tourism: A systematic literature review on definitions and challenges. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 47, 134-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2021.03.001

Rosalina, P. D., Dupre, K., Wang, Y., Putra, I. N. D., & Jin, X. (2023). Rural tourism resource management strategies: A case study of two tourism villages in Bali. Tourism Management Perspectives, 49, 101194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2023.101194

Siegel, L. A., Tussyadiah, I., & Scarles, C. (2023). Cyber-physical traveler performances and Instagram travel photography as ideal impression management. Current issues in tourism, 26(14), 2332-2356. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2022.2086451

Stanišić, T., Lazarević, S., & Kopeva, D. (2024). Exploring adventure tourism trends through image content analysis of Instagram post, Hotel and Tourism Management, 12(2), 123-138. https://doi.org/10.5937/menhottur2400013S

Streifeneder, T., Hoffmann, C., & Corradini, P. (2023). The future of agritourism? A review of current trends of touristic commercialisation in rural areas. The Annals of Regional Science, 71(1), 93-119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00168-022-01126-w

Stylianou, C., Pipyros, K., & Aslanides, A. (2025). Rural place branding through social media: a stakeholder strategy perspective. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 17(1), 62-76. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-12-2024-0297

Sugino, H., Oishi, T., & Yagi, N. (2023). Using Instagram data for tourism promotion of fishery villages An integrated analysis of images, hashtags and texts. Journal of Global Tourism Research, 8(1), 41-50. https://doi.org/10.37020/jgtr.8.1_41

Tang, M., & Xu, H. (2023). Cultural integration and rural tourism development: A scoping literature review. Tourism and Hospitality, 4(1), 75-90. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp4010006

The World Bank (2025). DataBank, Retrieved from https://databank.worldbank. org/ (October 2, 2025)

Tiggemann, M., & Zaccardo, M. (2018). ‘Strong is the new skinny’: A content analysis of #fitspiration images on Instagram. Journal of Health Psychology, 23(8), 1003-1011. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105316639436