Politicization of media consumption: Influence of touristic advertisements on young Russians and Germans on news media channels

In recent years, news media channels have been a central means to distribute touristic advertisements directed at young people. While the politicization of media and the shift in consumer habits in democratic and authoritarian countries have been documented in the fields of political science and media studies, its repercussions on tourism have not been studied yet. This position paper bridges this gap by examining how shifting media consumption patterns influence the effectiveness of touristic advertisements through a literature review and documents these changing consumer habits through a mixed methods study conducted with Russian and German university students. Key findings of this research reveal that a significant number of young Russians prefer using various private media for news, whereas Germans still tend to prefer state media. Despite this divergence, both groups engage heavily with social media, suggesting that it is the most promising means of tourism marketing.