Instagram communication strategies of central and Eastern European capitals: activity, engagement, and content characteristics

This paper examines how Instagram is utilised as a tool for online tourism communication through a comparative analysis of the official English-language profiles of six Central and Eastern European capitals: Bratislava, Bucharest, Budapest, Prague, Vienna, and Warsaw.The study covers a one-year period from November 2023 to October 2024.Adopting a mixed-methods approach, it combines quantitative analysis of posting activity (2,021 posts), user engagement, and caption length with qualitative keyword analysis of textual content.The results reveal substantial differences in posting behaviour, digital presentation, and communication styles across the analysed cities, reflecting distinct destination marketing strategies and underscoring the importance of content quality over posting frequency.A key empirical contribution is the identification of a positive correlation between caption length and user engagement, suggesting that more detailed and context-rich captions enhance audience interaction.At the same time, the findings indicate that strong visual identity and destination positioning may compensate for shorter captions.Furthermore, the analysis uncovers city-specific narrative patterns aligned with local tourism assets and target segments, offering deeper insight into how destinations construct their digital identities.By integrating performance indicators with content characteristics in a comparative Central and Eastern European context, the study addresses an underexplored area in existing research and advances understanding of Instagram-based city branding.The paper also offers practical implications for social media marketing and outlines directions for future research, including longitudinal, cross-platform, and behaviour-oriented analyses.