Social Media and Destination Marketing in China: A Systematic Review of Short Videos

Traditionally, tourists gain information about a particular destination from tourist boards and journals. However, in the modern era of rapid technological advancements, social media plays a significant role in influencing tourists’ decisions regarding their choice of destination. It has changed how information is shared, and one of the famous sources of information sharing is short videos. China mainly operates domestic tourism and must attract international tourists. Therefore, this systematic review examined social media's influence on destination marketing in China and reviewed the use of short videos as a destination marketing social media tool. The study followed the qualitative research approach and started with a keyword search relevant to the purpose of the study. Later on, the papers included in the study ranged from 2010 to 2022. Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus database were used for conducting the study. Since it is a systematic review, the study reported the methodology by following the PRISMA checklist. The study's findings revealed that social media marketing is extensively used to share information related to destinations and thus emerged to influence tourists’ decision-making significantly. Additionally, findings revealed that social media is growing, and social media also influences Chinese destination marketing. Importantly, the information shared in the form of short videos, live videos, and user-generated videos positively contributed to the positive image creation of the tourist experience in China, which led to an enhanced intention to travel.