Strategic Language Choices in Tourism Promotion: ADiscourse Analysis of Instagram Captions by the LodgeMaribaya.NPM:217010021

This research, entitled “Strategic Language Choices in Tourism Promotion: A Discourse Analysis of Instagram Captions by the Lodge Maribaya” explores how language is strategically used in digital tourism promotion, focusing on Instagram captions as persuasive media. This research was chosen because language in promotional captions plays an important role in shaping perceptions of destinations, yet previous research often emphasizes visuals rather than verbal strategies. The research aims to answer questions such as: (1) how strategic language choices in captions are realized through ideational, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions, and (2) how those strategies influence readers’ perceptions of the Lodge Maribaya as a tourism destination. The writer used Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) by Halliday and Matthiessen as the main framework, analyzing the three metafunctions of language: ideational, interpersonal, and textual. The research employed a qualitative descriptive method with a case research design. The primary data consisted of 10 Instagram captions written in English and posted on the official account of the Lodge Maribaya (@thelodgemaribaya) between July 2023 and July 2025. Supporting data were collected through interviews and questionnaires with local tourists to strengthen the interpretation. The findings show that captions strategically use material and mental processes, imperative moods, evaluative words, thematic progression, cohesion, and persuasive structures. These choices highlight values such as relaxation, healing, nature, adventure, and togetherness. The analysis demonstrates that Instagram captions function not merely as descriptions but as persuasive discourse, shaping the image of the Lodge Maribaya as a healing, attractive, and memorable destination. Keywords: Tourism Promotion, Instagram, Caption, Discourse Analysis, Systemic Functional Linguistics.