Audience Perceptions of Social Media Influencers’ Role in Tourism Promotion in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates: A Comparative Survey Study

Amer Ahmad; AbdAllah Aljalabneh

doi:10.4185/rlcs-2027-2763

Autores/as

Amer Ahmad Al Ain University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7583-024X
AbdAllah Aljalabneh Zarqa University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8129-8395

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4185/rlcs-2027-2763

Palabras clave:

influencers en redes sociales, promoción turística, percepciones del público, Jordania, Emigratos Árabes Unidos, imagen de destino

Resumen

Introducción: Este estudio analiza el seguimiento, según lo declarado por los propios encuestados, de personas influyentes en las redes sociales para obtener información relacionada con el turismo entre los participantes de Jordania y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, y explora las percepciones de los encuestados sobre el papel promocional de estas personas influyentes en cuatro categorías turísticas: turismo de desierto, turismo costero, turismo médico y turismo de eventos. Metodología: El estudio adoptó un diseño de encuesta descriptiva cuantitativa. Los datos se recopilaron mediante un cuestionario estructurado administrado a una muestra selectiva de 2.400 usuarios de redes sociales, con 1.200 encuestados de Jordania y 1.200 de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos. El estudio no pretende ser representativo a nivel nacional. En su lugar, analiza los patrones observados en la muestra encuestada. Resultados: Los resultados muestran claras diferencias entre las submuestras de ambos países en cuanto al grado de seguimiento de los influencers en redes sociales para obtener información relacionada con el turismo. Los encuestados de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos declararon niveles más altos de seguimiento, mientras que los de Jordania se mostraron más propensos a indicar un nivel de interacción moderado. Los resultados también indican que los encuestados percibían a los influencers como figuras con un papel promocional notable en varios ámbitos turísticos, en particular el turismo de eventos y el turismo de desierto, mientras que el turismo costero y el turismo médico mostraron una mayor variación entre los dos contextos nacionales. Conclusión: Se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en el grado de seguimiento de los influencers en redes sociales por parte de los encuestados en función del género, la edad, el nivel educativo y la nacionalidad. Los resultados también indican asociaciones positivas estadísticamente significativas entre el grado de seguimiento de los influencers y las percepciones de los encuestados sobre el papel de estos en la promoción del turismo en el desierto, el turismo costero, el turismo médico y el turismo de eventos. Dado que el estudio es transversal y se basa en percepciones declaradas por los propios encuestados, los resultados deben interpretarse como asociaciones y no como pruebas de efectos causales o de un comportamiento de viaje verificado fuera de Internet.

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Biografía del autor/a

Amer Ahmad, Al Ain University

Profesor adjunto en el Colegio de Comunicación y Medios de la Universidad de Al Ain, Emiratos Árabes Unidos. Posee un doctorado en Medios y Comunicación de la Universidad de El Cairo, Egipto. Sus intereses de investigación incluyen las plataformas de redes sociales y los influencers, la alfabetización mediática, los medios digitales y los impactos sociales de los nuevos medios. Es autor del libro Introducción a los medios digitales. Durante su estancia en la Universidad de Zarqa en Jordania, ocupó el cargo de vicedecano de la Facultad de Medios durante tres años, además de sus responsabilidades docentes e investigadoras. Su experiencia académica incluye su puesto actual en la Universidad de Al Ain, junto con su anterior nombramiento en la Universidad de Zarqa en Jordania.

AbdAllah Aljalabneh, Zarqa University

Profesor adjunto en el Departamento de Radio y Televisión de la Universidad de Zarqa, Jordania. Posee un doctorado en Medios de Comunicación de la Universidad de Bristol, Reino Unido. Sus intereses de investigación incluyen la alfabetización mediática, la radio y televisión interactivas, los medios digitales y la promoción turística. Trabajó en la Universidad de Zarqa durante cinco años y desempeñó el cargo de jefe del Departamento de Radio y Televisión durante un año. Desde 2025, ocupa el cargo de vicedecano de la Facultad de Medios de Comunicación, posición que continúa ocupando hasta la fecha.

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