Visitors’ perceptions of Bucovina on Instagram: which places generate more social media engagement ?

Instagram is one of the most influential social media platforms, shaping the way tourists imagine and experience destinations. It is currently used as an instrument for influencing visitor behavior and to increase tourist flows. This paper analyzes the spatial distribution and social media engagement of Instagram posts tagged with the label #discoverbucovina. A number 6.472 Instagram posts were used to identify the most popular places associated with Bucovina on Instagram, and especially the weight of rural and urban places and heritage in people’s posts. Even if Bucovina is well known as a traditional rural destination, the results indicate a strong concentration of the Instagram posts in the most important cities and in several popular rural destinations that gather the main tourist attractions and facilities in the region. The distribution of posts is also linked to accessibility, tourism tradition and specialization. An east-west gradient was observed in the distribution and engagement of Instagram posts, also linked to the relief altitude. As people’s posts reflect their perceived importance of places and heritage, further influencing other visitors, this study is particularly relevant for a better capitalization and management of resources in this region, as well as for other rural and nature (mountain)-based destinations.