Role of Online Promotional Videos in Boosting Tourism: Analysing Indian State Advertisements

Padmini Jain[1]
 Sweta Rani[2]

Abstract

Persuading a tourist to choose a particular destination through communication messaging is a potent tool in enhancing tourism foot fall. Private properties have long used such techniques and with the advent of the digital media, they have well captured the online media. From Instagram reels of their happy customers to videos on MakeMyTrip and Airbnb, resorts, amusement parks hotels and luxury properties cash upon the video display ads. Indian government has been a bit late to climb onto this bandwagon. But they have done it with a bang. Almost all the Indian states have their own YouTube channels used to post high-quality videos. Yet, our country is slow in climbing the tourism index.This lag and lack prompted the objectives of the present research. What are the top visited Indian states doing right in terms of promotions? Do similar reasons attract travelers? Can we arrive at a Midas touch factor that leads to preference of spending one’s time and money for vacation travel? To find answers to such curiosities, using a verified tool, this study conducts a comprehensive content analysis of the promotional YouTube videos released by the Ministry of Tourism of Indian states for the top-5 most visited states in India—Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Gujarat—during the year 2022. The analysis focuses on three crucial dimensions of tourism sustainability: socio-cultural, environmental, and economic aspects. By scrutinizing 44 official promotional videos, this research aims to uncover the portrayal and emphasis placed on these sustainability dimensions in the tourism promotional content of these states. The findings contribute to understandingthe destination Image being portrayed in the chosen sample of videos. The results emphasise that heritage and cultural portrayals remain the most common imagery in the promotions of the most preferred tourist destinations among our States. This study has implications for the state governments trying climb the tourism index.

Keywords: Content Analysis, Tourism, Sustainability, Destination Image, Promotional Videos 

Introduction

Why would the promotional videos uploaded by the Official YouTube Channels of State Tourism Departments intrigue a researcher? The precedence of the need to explore these lies in their power to maximise the revenue of tourism Industry of India.

The realm of sustainable tourism has garnered interest of academics, Non- Governmental Organisations and other shareholders over the years (B˘ acil˘ & M.F., 2022). Like its other counterparts, the Ministry of Tourism of Government of India has launched ‘National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism 2022’ for ensuring sustainability in the tourism sector. It defines the nuances of Sustainable Tourism and guides all the stakeholders to position India as a preferred global destination for suitable and responsible tourism. According to the report, Sustainable Tourism stands for tourism that addresses the demands of tourists, the travel industry, the environment, and host communities while fully accounting for its current and future economic, social, and environmental implications. It further elaborates about three basic principles of the said type of tourism, which are: Environmental Sustainability, Socio-cultural Sustainability and Economic Sustainability. To ensure these principles, it enumerates various shareholders in which state governments are there as well.

Within the Indian tourism sector, the State/Union Territory tourism departments function as regional Destination Management Organisations, while the Ministry of tourism, India, serves as a National Tourism Office and its State/ Union Territory tourism departments act as a regional DMOs. They are also known as Regional Tourism Organization which promotes their particular geographic regions (Pike, 2004). There are 36 DMOs in the nation (India.gov.in, 2020), which stand in for the tourist departments of the 28 States and 8 Union Territories (UTs). To promote their destinations, many tourism departments are active on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and others (Kumar, Prem, et al, 2022). Out of these, YouTube is the platform on which travel-related videos have generated the second-highest searched results from its users (Kumar Roy, et al.,2020). Further, YouTube is predicted to have 1.2 billion users by 2029 after the ninth consecutive increasing years seen in statistics (Statista.com, 2024).

Theoretical Framework

‘Destination Image’, as a concept was, at first, introduced by Hunt (1971). It was then defined as the sum of beliefs, idea and Impressions that an individual has of a destination. Later on, this concept was considered as a more complex entity than what was perceived before.

Bramwell and Rawding (1996) gave two constructs under the realm of ‘Destination Image’, namely, Perceived image and Projected image. Perceived Image stands for the mental image that tourists or prospective tourists build, encompassing perception, thoughts and emotions. The Projection image is the one that Destination Management Organisations work to create and market through a variety of media platforms (Andrers & Choi et al., 2023)

Considering the concept of destination image, scholars have focused especially on the function of media influence in light of the growing body of research. The reason for this focus is potential tourists generally getting their information about any destination from a variety of media platforms (Stepchentova & Eales et al., 2023)

Review Of Literature

Sustainability

The terms sustainability and sustainable development have no agreed-upon definition. Weaver and Lawton as stated in Bell and Morse’s paper (2008) linked its origin to the preservation of environmental quality. According to Bell and Morse (2008:5), this idea might be expressed as “don’t cheat on your kids” or as “whatever is done now does not harm future generations.” To get a total picture of sustainability, Moore et. Al (2017) have analysed over 200 papers, they found 24 definitions of sustainability that are currently in use. They have identified five important sustainability constructs based on these criteria, which can serve as the foundation for more sustainability research in the future.

Tourism Sustainability

The tourism industry is changing, with the creation and marketing of travel destinations starting to adhere to a framework that incorporates sustainability as a critical factor to guarantee long-term competitiveness (Philipp et. Al., 2022)

Though Moore et Al (2017) has come up with five constructs of sustainability, but the multidimensional assessment of sustainability is very much an ongoing phenomenon. The conventional pillars of sustainability—economic, socio-cultural, and environmental/natural—have been the main focus of scholars in their search for sustainable tourism indicators (Choi & Sirakaya 2005).

Since the traditional dimensions are sufficiently broad to encompass the majority of the new ones, the differences often lay in the method. For example, the economic dimension might incorporate the welfare of the host community, the environmental dimension can encompass ecological aspects, and so on. Meanwhile, visitor pleasure is more of an overall result of the implementation of sustainable tourism. (Baumgartner, 2012)

Venugopalan, T. and Shaifali (2019) determined that the key elements influencing the sustainability of Delhi, India’s tourism destinations are resource management, pressure on resources, local empowerment, environmental management, socio-cultural unsustainability, tourism governance, destination management, sustainable tourism promotion, and local community involvement.The aspects that impact the sustainability of tourist destinations in Kerala are explained by Venugopalan and Kumar (2017), and they include resource exploitation, resource management, economic sustainability, social sustainability, heritage management, destination management, tourism governance, and waste management. In essence, tourism sustainability is driven sustainable tourism promotion.

Destination Image

The process of identifying the destination image is difficult, and the construct is frequently evaluated subjectively. Many methods and approaches are employed because there is no standardized system of analysis to identify the target image and its associated components. (Stepchenkov & Svetlana et al., 2010)

Though, Baloglu and McCleary (1999) has defined it as the global impression or “the sum of beliefs, ideas and impressions that a person has” of a destination or a place. There are seven phases of this phenomenon. In the first phase, it is the general awareness of an individual about the destination which helps him/her to formulate an image of the place. In the second phase it is the commercial and promotional content which helps in changing the organic image into a stimulated image. Gunn (1988) as stated in Kim, Hyangmi, and Joseph S. Chen (2016). This establishes, that destination image can be developed with the help of promotional and commercial videos.

YouTube as Medium for Promotional Videos

Briciu, Arabela, and Victor-Alexandru Briciu (2020) demonstrated that YouTube is thought to be significant for the growth of the travel and tourism sector since it gives visitors new methods for selecting their location after watching video content. Ciornea, R., Drule (Tirca), A., Bacila, M., &Souca, L. (2020) found out that the majority of cities in Asia, the Pacific, and Europe select frames that show historical and archaeological structures, whereas cities in the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa chose frames that show outdoor sporting events. From an emotive standpoint, the Middle East and Africa are represented as having a vibrant atmosphere, Asia and the Pacific, American cities, and European cities emphasise inclusivity. As a subcategory, inclusivity—which is defined as diversity related to age, sexual orientation, gender, and disability—had the best representation for diversity related to age and gender, polarised by region, and least visible when it came to diversity related to religion and disability.Song and Wareewanich (2023) suggested that exposure to YouTube is important for forming a number of destination image-related aspects, such as architecture identity, perceived cognitive destination image, general impression of China as a travel destination, and perception of China as a nation. The study also shows that there is a chain mediation effect between these variables. This study validated YouTube’s cultivation effect on the perception of China as a destination country, which influences French perceptions of China as a travel destination.

Zuo, B., Tsai, C.-H. (Ken), Su, C.-H. (Joan), Jantes, N., Chen, M.-H., & Liu, J. (2023) found that Destination Management Organisations should pay more attention to Space People Activity relationships instead of solely displaying physical settings in the YouTube promotional videos, thereby mapping affective value, building visitors’ place attachment and formulating effective marketing strategies. Keski̇ N Yilmaz, Yasemin (2023) examined the storytelling components of ten distinct destination promo movies that were posted on the official tourism promotion channel of Turkey, Go Türkiye, on YouTube. First and foremost, it was decided which of Fog et al.’s (2010, p. 32) themes, characters, conflicts, and storylines were appropriate for use in promotional videos as fundamental components of traditional storytelling. The results showed that all of the videos had message and character aspects, that none of the videos featured conflict, and that all of the videos had a plot that took place in a fictional world that might be weak. Strong narratives in destination promotion stories reinforce the audience’s emotional connection to the promoted location.

Destination Image Management through the online medium in India

Kumar, Prem, et al (2022) looks at the strategic ways that Indian DMOs use Facebook to market their destinations. Thirty-two DMOs’ Facebook pages provided six months’ worth of data for content analysis. Seven managers of tourist departments participated in semi-structured interviews. Through firm-generated material (visual content and educational posts), the DMOs for Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir have demonstrated strong user engagement. The results show that DMOs mostly use Facebook for research and customer support, and occasionally as a supplement to more conventional marketing methods. The inclusion of visual appeal, culture, and food on Facebook sites helps DMOs attract and retain users.

Nautiyal, Rajesh, et al (2023) highlighted the significance and potential of specific experiential and interpersonal hashtags when using Twitter to promote destination photos, hence optimising the platform’s potential for destination marketing. This study was based on a review of pertinent tweets from 2009 to 2019, this study investigates the perception that people have about Rishikesh, India. For the purpose of identifying and analysing any similarities or differences in the destination image promotion, the hashtags of resident, domestic, and international Twitter users (about Rishikesh, India) were compared with the images of Rishikesh promoted by the relevant Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO: Uttarakhand Tourism).

Khatoon, Najma, and Farah Choudhary (2024) examined the impact of social media functioning on the perception of green destinations. Utilising a non-probability convenience sample approach, data was gathered from 550 tourists visiting different locations in Ladakh, India. The impact that social media functionality has on the perception of green destinations was found to be significant.

Research Gap

Though, there exists extensive literature on sustainability in tourism, destination image and the use of online platforms for promotional activities, there is a noticeable research gap in the specific context of studying sustainability in through promotional videos released by the official state tourism boards of Indian states.

The majority of current research focuses primarily on the broad frameworks and concepts of sustainability and destination image, but it does not thoroughly examine how these aspects are conveyed through YouTube videos used for promotion. The impact of social media, particularly YouTube, on destination image has been examined in the reviewed studies; however, there is a lack of study that focuses especially on the content of promotional videos and how it shapes destination image within the framework of sustainability.

Significance of the Study

Academically, this study adds to the body of knowledge for the theory of Destination Image.

The research holds more importance socially, given India’s important position in the global tourism landscape. Considering that India is the second-largest employer in the travel and tourism industry (WTTC, 2021), ranks 54th on the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index (2022), and accounts for the sixth-largest share of the country’s GDP in this sector. The tourism and hospitality sector contribute US$ 178 billion to India’s GDP (IBEF report), it is critical to understand how to improve perceptions of India’s various travel destinations. It would assist the Ministry of Indian Tourism and its state counterparts in creating campaigns to promote their destinations, given that this study aims to determine how state tourism campaigns relate to sustainable objectives and portray their places.

Objectives and Research Questions

Objective 1: To examine the kind of destination image portrayed by promotional videos of official YouTube channels of 5 most visited Indian states of the year 2022.

Research Question 1: How does the content of promotional videos on the official state government tourism YouTube channels of the top 5 visited states portrayed its destination image in the year 2022?

Objective 2: To analyse the depiction of sustainability in the promotional videos of official YouTube channels of 5 most visited Indian states of the year 2022.

Research Question 2: Is there any variation in the representation of natural or environmental aspects of sustainable tourism in promotional videos among the top 5 visited states of India in the year 2022?

Research Question 3: Is there any difference in the depiction of socio-cultural dimension of sustainable tourism in promotional videos among the top 5 visited states of India in the year 2022?

Research Question 4: Is there any variation in portrayal of economic dimension of sustainable tourism in promotional videos among the top 5 visited states of India in the year 2022? 

Research Methodology

For the assessment of three dimensions of sustainability shown in official promotional YouTube videos of Tourism Ministries of Indian states, content analysis of visuals has been used.

Tool

To carry out this analysis, the code-sheet has been adapted from B˘ acil˘ a, M.F.; Ciornea, R.; Souca, L.M.; Drule, A.M (2022), who has developed it to study about the dimensions of sustainability of the social media video advertisements of the world’s most visited cities.

B˘ acil˘ a, M.F.; Ciornea, R.; Souca, L.M.; Drule, A.M (2022) note that their study adds to the body of knowledge on the creation of destination images by putting forth a content analysis grid that can be used to identify and assess the aspects of sustainable tourism that are presented in the promotional movies of various states, towns, and even nations. They elaborate in their methodology section that they conducted a focus group and reviewed relevant literature to determine code names, categories, examples, and operational definitions in order to secure systematisation. The final grid consisted of a list of 70 items, broken down by the viewpoint of the destination, the environmental, economic, and sociocultural aspects of sustainable tourism, government initiatives for environmentally and tourism-related sustainable development, and the explicit presence of tourists in the video. The objects were categorised as absent (zero) or present (one). Out of 70 items, this study has adapted 51 items as per the stated objectives in the previous section.

Sample

For the purpose of analysis, a population of 419 videos from the official channels of 4 state tourism departments have been selected through a purposive sampling as it has been found out that the third most visited state of India of the year 2022, Andhra Pradesh whose official YouTube channel name is APTDC did not upload any video in the year 2022. Rest of the states are Uttar Pradesh (the most visited), Tamil Nadu (second most visited), Karnataka (fourth most visited) and Gujarat (fifth most visited) (tourism.gov.in, 2023) whose official YouTube channels are Uttar Pradesh Tourism (3.54K), Tamil Nadu Tourism (12.3 K), Karnataka Tourism (1.48 K) and Gujarat Tourism (84.1 K). From each of the mentioned channels, a sample of 11 videos were selected (every tenth video from a time period of January 2022- December 2022) employing systematic random sampling technique. In total, the duration of these videos was 1 hour, 37 minutes and 8 seconds. In order to analyse the parameters of sustainability and destination image, ‘video’ is considered as unit of analysis. For the data analysis, MS Excel has been used.

Data Presentation

Research Question 1: How does the content of promotional videos on the official state government tourism YouTube channels of the top 5 visited destination image in the year 2022?

Destination Image

 

 

 Uttar
Pradesh		 Uttar
Pradesh (%)		 Tamil
Nadu		 Tamil
Nadu (%)		 Karnataka Karnataka
(%)		 Gujarat Gujarat
(%)		 Total
Videos
Natural Areas Destinations-Sea/mountains 0 0 3 6.8181 4 9.0909 0 0 44
Preserved nature attractions-secured forests/ wild areas 0 0 2 4.5454 3 6.8181 0 0 44
Urban areas 4 9.0909 1 2.2727 1 2.2727 2 4.5454 44
Cultural destinations-historic city/ ruins 9 20.4545 3 6.8181 1 2.2727 2 4.5454 44
Cultural destinations- cultural heritage 11 25 5 11.3636 2 4.5454 3 6.8181 44

Table 1: Projected Destination Image

Out of all videos, videos of Uttar Pradesh had 25% share. 9.0909% of videos showed urban areas, 20.4545% depicted cultural destinations featuring historic city/ ruins and all 25% has shown cultural destinations featuring cultural heritage. None of the videos portrayed preserved nature attractions showcasing secured forests or wild areas. Amongst the samples chosen from Tamil Nadu Tourism, 6.8181% of the videos portrayed natural destinations-Sea/ Mountains, 4.5454 % depicted preserved nature attractions-secured forests/ wild areas, 2.2727% showed urban areas, 6.8181% portrayed cultural destinations featuring historic city/ ruins and 11.3636% of those portrayed cultural destinations featuring cultural heritage. Amidst the selected sample from Karnataka Tourism videos, 9.0909% of videos showed natural destinations-sea/ mountains, 6.8181% depicted preserved nature attractions, 2.2727% had shown urban areas, 2.2727% portrayed cultural destinations featuring historic city/ ruins and 4.5454% had cultural destinations featuring cultural heritage. Among the sample of videos from Gujarat Tourism, 4.5454% portrayed urban areas, 4.5454% depicted cultural destinations featuring historic city/ ruins and 6.8181% had shown cultural destinations featuring cultural heritage.

Fig 1: Projected Destination Image

The chi square value for the observations of facets of projected destination image is 23.023 and the degree of freedom is 12. for the significance level of 0.05 and at the degree of freedom 12, the p value is 21.026 which is less than the chi square value. Hence, there is a difference in the projection of facets of Destination Image in the selected states of India.

Research Question 2: Is there any variation in the representation of natural or environmental aspects of sustainable tourism in promotional videos among the top 5 visited states of India in the year 2022?

Table 2: Environmental/ Natural Dimension of Sustainability

Uttar
Pradesh

 Uttar
Pradesh
(%)		 Tamil
Nadu		 Tamil
Nadu (%)		 Karnataka Karnataka
(%)		 Gujarat Gujarat
(%)

Total
Videos
Natural attractions- sea, mountains, river 10 22.7272 3 6.8181 4 9.0909 1 2.2727 44
Natural Areas outside the city 7 15.9090 3 6.8181 3 6.8181 3 6.8181 44
Parks and green spaces in the city 0 0 1 2.27272 1 2.2727 0 0 44
Mild/Nice weather 4 9.0909 6 13.6363 4 9.0909 4 9.0909 44
Clean Environment 5 11.3636 6 13.6363 3 6.8181 4 9.0909 44
Reduced traffic 0 0 4 9.0909 3 6.8181 3 6.8181 44
Lack of crowds 6 13.6363 4 9.0909 3 6.8181 4 9.0909 44
Natural Ambient sound 0 0 2 4.5454 1 2.2727 0 0 44
Outdoor natural strolls/ trekking 0 0 2 4.5454 2 4.5454 0 0 44
*Intense traffic 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2.2727 44
Crowds 2 4.5454 0 0 1 2.2727 1 2.2727 44
Implied sound pollution 2 4.5454 1 2.2727 0 0 1 2.2727 44
Intense Public Lighting 4 9.0909 0 0 0 0 2 4.5454 44

 

In Uttar Pradesh tourism video, they have portrayed 22.7272% of natural attractions like sea, mountain, rivers e.t.c, natural areas outside city occupy 15.9090% of the video,it has no focus on parks and green spaces in the city, reduced traffic, natural ambient sound, outdoor natural strolls/trekking, intense traffic but they have put focus on mild/nice weather (9.0909%), clean environment (11.3636%) lack of crowds (13.6363%), crowds (4.5454%), implied sound pollution (4.5454%) and intense public lightning (9.0909%).           

In Tamil Nadu’s tourism videos, they have emphasised more on mild/nice weather and clean environment having 13.6363% each in the total share, along with 6.8181% on both natural attractions and natural areas outside the city, 2.2727% on parks and green spaces in the city, 9.0909% on reduced traffic, natural ambient sound and outdoor natural strolls/trekking each and 2.2727% on implied sound pollution. But they haven’t emphasized on intense traffic, crowds and intense public lightning. Among Karnataka’s tourism videos, their focal point has been their natural attractions and mild/nice weather, both getting 9.0909% of videos followed by 6.8181% of natural areas outside the city, clean environment, reduced traffic, lack of crowds each, 4.5454% of outdoor natural strolls/trekking and 2.2727% of parks and green spaces in the city and natural ambient sound and crowds each. They have not put focus on intense traffic and implied sound pollution much. In Gujarat’s tourism videos, they have given their attention on mild/nice weather, natural ambient sound and clean environment (9.0909% each) followed by 6.8181% on natural areas outside the city and reduced traffic, 4.5454% on intense public lightning and 2.2727% on natural attractions, intense traffic, crowds and implied sound pollution. They did not give any attention to intense traffic, implied sound pollution and intense public lightning. They have not given parks and green spaces in the city, natural ambient sound and outdoor natural strolls/ trekking their due share in the selected videos.

The chi square value of the environmental dimension of tourism sustainability is 35.926 and the degree of freedom for the stated observations is 36. The p value for the significance level 0.05 and at the degree of freedom 36 would lie between degree of freedoms of 30 and 40 which would be between 43.773 and 55.758 and that would be greater than the obtained chi square value. Hence, there would be no variation in the depiction of Natural/ Environmental dimension of the videos uploaded by the official channels of the selected state.

Research Question 3: Is there any difference in the depiction of socio-cultural dimension of sustainable tourism in promotional videos among the top 5 visited states of India in the year 2022?

Uttar
Pradesh		 Uttar
Pradesh
(%)		 Tamil Nadu Tamil

Nadu (%)

 Karnataka Karnataka

(%)

 Gujarat Gujarat
(%)		 Total
Videos
Cultural attractions 10 22.7272 10 22.7272 2 4.5454 2 4.5454 44
Preserved historical buildings 4 9.0909 3 6.8181 3 6.8181 3 6.8181 44
UNESCO awards/ distinctions/ GI tags 0 0 1 2.2727 0 0 0 0 44
Museums, theatres, art galleries 0 0 4 9.0909 1 2.2727 2 4.5454 44
Festival/Event 4 9.0909 4 9.0909 0 0 1 2.2727 44
Crafts/handmade art 1 2.2727 2 4.5454 1 2.2727 0 0 44
Local traditions and cultural identity-including folk art and clothing 8 18.1818 8 18.1818 1 2.2727 1 2.2727 44
Dance/Music 3 6.8181 5 11.3636 0 0 1 2.2727 44
Traditional food 0 0 3 6.8181 0 0 0 0 44
Green label/healthy products 0 0 1 2.2727 1 2.2727 0 0 44
Cultural Preservation 10 22.7272 9 20.4545 2 4.5454 2 4.5454 44
Scenes from local community’s way of life 4 9.0909 7 15.9090 2 4.5454 1 2.2727 44
Activities- listening to music/ dancing 1 2.2727 5 11.3636 0 0 1 2.2727 44
Activities- visit to cultural/historical attractions 8 18.1818 5 11.3636 2 4.5454 3 6.8181 44
Activities- attending opera or theatre performances or art exhibitions 1 2.2727 3 6.8181 0 0 0 0 44
Activities- interaction with local people 0 0 3 6.8181 0 0 0 0 44
Activities- visit to rural areas/ villages/ traditional houses 0 0 1 2.2727 0 0 0 0 44
Activities- consuming traditional products 0 0 2 4.5454 1 2.2727 0 0 44
Culinary experiences in traditional restaurant 0 0 1 2.2727 1 2.2727 0 0 44
Culinary experiences in non-traditional restaurant 0 0 1 2.2727 1 2.2727 0 0 44
Friendly locals 0 0 5 11.36363636 1 2.2727 0 0 44
Ambient sound-traditional music/ local language 0 0 5 11.36363636 1 2.2727 1 2.27272 44

Table 3: Socio-Cultural Dimension of Sustainability

In the videos of Tamil Nadu Tourism, the focus has been on cultural attractions with 22.7272 % of share among all the selected videos. In the videos of Karnataka Tourism, emphasis has been given on preserved historical buildings with 6.8181% of share in the chosen sample of videos. Among the Gujarat Tourism videos, the categories preserved historical buildings and activities – visit to cultural/ historical attractions are featured in 6.8181% of all the videos. Except for Tamil Nadu, no states have any UNESCO awards/ distinction/ GI tags (2.2727%). In the category of traditional food, no state, except Tamil Nadu has showcased it with a share of 6.8181% of total videos. In the criteria of activities – interaction with local people, no state except Tamil Nadu has depicted that with a video share of 2.2727% of all the chosen videos. The category of activities – consuming traditional products has been portrayed by Tamil Nadu (4.5454%) and Karnataka (2.2727%).

Figure 3: Socio- Cultural Dimension of Sustainability

The chi square value of the socio-cultural dimension of tourism sustainability is 56.3292 and the degree of freedom for the stated observations is 63. The p value for the significance level 0.05 and at the degree of freedom 63 would lie between degree of freedoms of 60 and 70 which would be between 79.082 and 90.531 and that would be greater than the obtained chi square value. Hence, there is similarity in the depiction of Socio-cultural dimension of the videos uploaded by the official channels of the selected states.

Research Question 4: Is there any variation in portrayal of economic dimension of sustainable tourism in promotional videos among the top 5 visited states of India in the year 2022?

 Uttar
Pradesh		 Uttar
Pradesh
(%)		 Tamil Nadu Tamil
Nadu
(%)		 Karnataka Karnataka
(%)		 Gujarat Gujarat
(%)		 Total
Videos
Strong economy 1 2.2727 4 9.0909 2 4.5454 3 6.8181 44
Safe cities-the absence of underdeveloped/ high-crime areas/ neighbourhoods 2 4.5454 4 9.0909 2 4.5454 3 6.8181 44
Good infrastructure 1 2.2727 3 6.8181 3 6.8181 4 9.0909 44
Smart city 0 0 0 0 2 4.5454 0 0 44
Good transport system 0 0 2 4.5454 1 2.2727 0 0 44
Hotels/resorts 0 0 0 0 1 2.2727 0 0 44
Local businesses 1 2.2727 5 11.3636 2 4.5454 0 0 44
Activities-shopping 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 44
Nightlife 0 0 0 0 1 2.2727 0 0 44

Table 4: Economic Dimension of Sustainability

The selected videos of Uttar Pradesh Tourism depicted strong economy, safe cities- the absence of underdeveloped/ high-crime areas/ neighborhoods, good infrastructure, local businesses in 2.2727%, 4.5454%, 2.2727% and 2.2727% of the total videos respectively. Tamil Nadu Tourism portrayed strong economy in 9.0909%, safe cities in 9.0909%, good Infrastructure in 6.8181%, good transport system in 4.5454% and local businesses in 11.3636% of all the chosen videos. Karnataka Tourism showcased strong economy in 4.5454%, safe cities in 4.5454%, good infrastructure in 6.8181%, smart city in 4.5454%, good transport system in 2.2727%, Hotels/ resorts in 2.2727%, local businesses in 4.5454% and Nightlife in 2.2727% of all the selected videos. On Gujarat Tourism’s official YouTube Channel, the selected sample of videos showed only three parameters of Economic dimension of Sustainability, which are strong economy, safe city and good infrastructure.

Figure 4: Economic Dimension of Sustainability

The calculated chi-square value of the economic dimension of sustainability is 17.74 and the degree of freedom of the observations is 24. For the significance level of 0.05 and at the degree of freedom 24, the p value is 36.415 which is less than that of chi-square value. Hence, there is no difference found in the depiction of Economic dimension of sustainability in the selected sample of videos of official YouTube channel of the chosen states.

Interpretations of the Results

The study’s content analysis of promotional YouTube videos released by the Ministry of Tourism for the top five most visited states in India—Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Gujarat—revealed significant insights into the portrayal and emphasis on sustainability in tourism promotional content. Analysing the above presented findings up to the three studied parameters indicate that:

  1. Socio-Cultural Sustainability: The videos prominently highlight cultural heritage, festivals, and local traditions, showcasing a strong emphasis on preserving and promoting the socio-cultural aspects of these states. This suggests that there is a concerted effort to enhance cultural tourism and educate viewers about the rich cultural fabric of these regions. India also remains a country where tourism is largely driven by pilgrimage.
  2. Environmental Sustainability: The analysis shows a moderate emphasis on environmental sustainability. Visuals of natural landscapes, wildlife, and eco-friendly practices are present but not as prevalent as socio-cultural elements. This indicates a growing awareness and inclusion of environmental concerns in tourism promotion, although it may still require greater emphasis.
  3. Economic Sustainability: The videos highlight economic sustainability by promoting local businesses, crafts, and cuisines, which not only attract tourists but also support the local economy. This suggests a strategic approach to tourism that aims to create economic benefits for local communities.

Specific significant observations emerged from the data, about the uniformity and differences among the top five visited States in their strategies of promotions using the online videos.

  • Lack of Promotional Activity in Andhra Pradesh: Despite being the third most visited state, Andhra Pradesh’s Department of Tourism did not upload any promotional videos in 2022. This is an irony, as many travelers rely on mass media to make travel decisions.
  • Cultural Emphasis: All four active YouTube channels (Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Gujarat) prominently feature cultural destinations. This suggests a strategic emphasis on showcasing cultural heritage to attract tourists. However, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat neglected natural destinations in their promotions, unlike Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, which included natural elements.
  • Environmental Representation: The portrayal of natural attractions (seas, mountains, rivers) is present across all states, reflecting an understanding of the appeal of natural beauty. However, parks and green spaces are underrepresented, except in Karnataka’s videos. Natural ambient sounds, which are preferred by tourists, are missing in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat’s videos.
  • Socio-Cultural Aspects: Cultural attractions and preservation are prominently featured, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Despite the potential benefits, UNESCO awards, GI tags, and local interactions are minimally depicted, with Tamil Nadu being a notable exception in some categories.
  • Environmental and Economic Sustainability: While environmental sustainability is moderately depicted, economic aspects such as local food and traditional products are underrepresented. Only Tamil Nadu and Karnataka show some activities related to consuming traditional products.

Recommendations

The results indicate significant implications of this research study:

For the Tourism Industry:

  • Diverse Marketing Strategies: The industry should diversify its promotional content to include underrepresented aspects such as local food, interactions with locals, and sustainable tourism practices. This can attract a wider range of tourists.
  • Increased Tourist Engagement: By showcasing authentic experiences and sustainable practices, the tourism industry can attract a more environmentally and culturally conscious audience, potentially leading to increased tourist engagement and satisfaction.
  • Incorporating Feedback: Understanding tourist preferences for natural sounds and less crowded destinations can help refine promotional strategies to better meet traveler expectations.

For the Government:

  • Strategic Policy Implementation: Governments should support a broader range of promotional content that highlights sustainability and lesser-known attractions. This can help distribute tourist traffic more evenly and promote sustainable tourism.
  • Resource Allocation: Increased funding and resources should be allocated to creating high-quality promotional content, especially for states like Andhra Pradesh, which did not produce videos in 2022.

For Academia:

  • Further Research: The study opens opportunities for more detailed research into the impact of digital media on tourism and sustainability. Longitudinal studies can track changes and trends over time.
  • Curriculum Enhancement: Incorporating these findings into educational programs can provide students with current insights into effective tourism marketing and sustainability.

Conclusion

This study highlights the significant role of online promotional videos in shaping the destination image and advancing tourism sustainability. The analysis of YouTube videos from the top visited states in India demonstrates the effectiveness of digital media in promoting cultural heritage and natural beauty. However, there is a need for a more balanced representation that includes environmental and economic sustainability aspects. The findings suggest that well-crafted online videos can attract a diverse tourist audience and promote sustainable tourism practices. For the tourism industry, this means leveraging digital platforms more effectively. Governments can use these insights to develop better policies and allocate resources efficiently, while academia can explore further research opportunities. Overall, this study underscores the potential of online promotional videos as a valuable tool in modern tourism marketing, capable of driving sustainable tourism and benefiting all stakeholders.

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[1]Dr. Padmini Jain, Assistant Professor, School of Journalism and New Media Studies, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. padminijain@ignou.ac.in

[2]Sweta Rani, Research Scholar, SOJNMS, IGNOU. wanderersweta22@gmail.com