Advisers

Rose Y. Brew, PhD

Discipline

Tourism & hospitality

Abstract

Social media has become an important platform for shaping tourist behavior and destination preferences. Tourism destinations use digital promotional strategies to reach prospective visitors. This study examined social media promotional strategies and tourist destination choice in Intramuros, Manila, focusing on Facebook and TikTok and on factors such as visual appeal, travel-influencer content, and peer influence. The study used a quantitative descriptive design. Structured questionnaires were distributed to tourists visiting Intramuros, Manila, and gathered information on demographic characteristics, frequency of visits, perceptions of social media promotional strategies, and the reported extent of influence on destination choice. Data were analyzed using frequency distribution, percentage, weighted mean, and ranking. Most respondents were female tourists aged 18–22 who frequently visited Intramuros. TikTok was identified as the most influential source of destination information. Visual appeal, travel-influencer content, and peer influence were reported as important factors in tourists’ decisions to visit Intramuros. The study also reported a significant relationship between social media promotional strategies and tourist destination choice. The findings indicate that social media was an important source of tourism information and was associated with travel decisions, particularly among younger, digitally engaged tourists. The study recommends strengthening digital promotional strategies, improving the Intramuros website, and integrating it with social media platforms to increase tourist engagement and destination visibility.

Keywords

intramuros, digital tourism marketing, visual appeal, tourist destination choice, social media promotional strategies, travel decision-making