Impacts of Social Media Influencers for Destinations Post-Disaster Communication - Destination Image Restoration, Tourism Recovery, and Destination Resilience

• Project/Area Number: 25K21468
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 80020:Tourism studies-related
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: ONG YI・XUAN 北海道大学, メディア・コミュニケーション研究院, 講師 (11000399)
• Project Period (FY): 2025-04-01 – 2028-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2025)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥990,000); Fiscal Year 2027: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000); Fiscal Year 2026: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000); Fiscal Year 2025: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
• Keywords: social media influencer / disaster communication / destination image / tourism recovery / risk

Outline of Research at the Start

This study aims to prove the positive influence and effectiveness of SMI posts in raising awareness of alternative destination images beyond what was reported on mainstream media outlets, changing attitudes, and subverting negatively perceived destinations to more hopeful ones. Ultimately, this study offers a robust framework for DMOs to enhance communication with various stakeholders, especially in post-disaster management and contributing to destination image restoration, tourism and economic recovery, and resilience building for the destination(s).