Tourists and social media: Already inseparable marriage or still a long-distance relationship? Analysis of focus group study results conducted among tourists using social media

In the recent years, the Internet has become an important source of information and also a place where tourists document their travels and share their experiences using social media. On the one hand, the activity of people on the Internet corresponds to the needs of information society and systematic digitalisation of contemporary tourism. On the other hand, the constantly broadening access to new technologies in various aspects of life is accompanied by negative phenomena like information or communication overload and digital addiction. Hence, the study of the needs of tourists in the use of social media while travelling was chosen as the objective of this paper. To achieve this objective, a focus group study was conducted. As it transpired, the opinions of the tourists were diverse, ranging from enthusiasm and interest through severe criticism.