A Study on ‘Tourism Ambassadors’ in Indonesia Content Analysis, Instagram Accounts, and Tourism Promotion Strategy

Abstract

Considering the high competition within the tourism industry, a demand for an effective means of promotion will always be in place. In Indonesia, the program of tourism ambassadors has been widely spread throughout the archipelago, albeit the very little global attention it receives. However, one must admit that despite the problems and stigmata this program embodies, it may offer lots of potentials that might significantly boost the related sector in the future. This study attempts to shed light on the discourse by applying content analysis on five Instagram accounts of tourism ambassadors' associations and the responses of selected informants representing each related organisation. The research findings demonstrate that albeit the great extent of contributions that the tourism ambassadors already gave to the society, the program itself still requires a lot of optimisation efforts before being able to satisfy public expectation and contribute to the increase of the number of tourists