Cultural Narrations in Tourist Contexts: Examples From Greek Social Media During the COVID-19 Lockdowns

Every land is connected to cultural narratives and storytelling that in many cases shape its identity, its brand as a sociocultural entity, and as a touristic destination. The digital semiosphere has created a place where these narratives are reproduced and circulated, shared and commented on in ways and quantities unimaginable some years ago. From the Grand Tour to culture tourism and recent social media posts, the connection of tourism with arts, cultural resources or sites is evident and unquestionable. This article examines the use of cultural resources as signs or “markers” of the destination “Greece” in the Facebook accounts visitgreece and discovergreece, created by the Greek National Tourist Organization and the Greek Tourist Sector, respectively. The sample of posts includes those uploaded between the dates 6/01/2020 and 5/31/2021, a period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through thematic and content analysis, the cultural codes and narratives promoted through the specific year are outlined and interpreted, in an attempt to foreshadow the impact of these codes and narratives to the shaping of Greece’s brand image during the COVID-19 lockdowns.