Social media and the tourism experience after destination choice: an exploratory study of students at the University of A Coruña, Spain
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29076/issn.2528-7737vol19iss52.2026pp165-177pKeywords:
social media, digital tourism, tourism experience, user-generated content, university studentsAbstract
This article examines the role of social media in the tourism experience once the destination has been chosen, using students at the University of A Coruña (Spain) as the reference population. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design is adopted, based on a 15-item online questionnaire distributed in December 2025. The sample comprises 110 valid responses. The analysis combines frequencies and percentages with chi-square tests. Results show the clear predominance of Instagram and TikTok and frequent use of social media to plan routes, activities and restaurants. User-generated content and, especially, friends' recommendations are relevant references, whereas social media has less weight as a direct booking channel. Bivariate tests show associations between gender and both planning and trust in reviews, and between age and both planning and overall assessment. The study concludes that social media serves as a tool for support, comparison and validation during the stay, although problems of information reliability, content saturation and non-transparent advertising remain
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ángel Rodríguez-Pallas, Javier Luis Fernández-Fernández, Raquel Santiago-Romo, María González-Santiago
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