Sociometrica researchers have analyzed 220 thousand posts published by foreign tourists on social networks over the past year. The most attractive destinations were Taormina, Lucca and Siena. Tourists like squares, culture and food, but logistics is difficult
Who knows what Italy appears to foreigners arriving here on vacation. What impressions of the country they share on Facebook, Twitter and other Internet platforms that have become a reflection of the real life of almost every civilized person. What are the tourists talking about and, most importantly, as they say. Experts of Sociometrica, an agency specializing in the analysis of socio-economic phenomena, tried to answer these questions.
They conducted a semantic analysis of posts posted freely on various social networks on the pages of people who visited Italy.
The initial selection was based on certain keywords, and then the notes were processed and sorted by subject. Thus, 218 thousand English-language Internet notes published over the past year were analyzed. From this piling up of opinions, statements and comments, a picture was formed reflecting the image of Italy in the eyes of a tourist. A picture in which there is light and shadow.
The most discussed topic by travelers was transport (48.8%). Various methods of transportation and easy achievement of the intended goals and points of the route were of most concern to people who came to rest in Italy. In second place on the discussion was the topic that experts initially expected to see at the top of the rating - the macro theme "culture". After all, the question of the culture of the visited country arises from any traveler. Tourists also discussed work, crime, politics (incomprehensible for people who have not lived at least some time in the country), shopping, religion and so on.
As a result, 78% of the reviews about the Italian tourism system are positive, the most common adjectives in the country are such as “economical”, “beautiful” and “unique”.
However, this figure drops to 62% when it comes to Italy as a whole, and not just its hospitality industry. “It is very important to develop an effective system for monitoring discussions on blogs, forums and social networks,” commented Stefano Spaggiati, head of Sociometrica's expert laboratory, “After all, this is an inexhaustible source of valuable information that makes it possible to evaluate your own competitive advantages and improve the level of services offered. "
It is time to learn what and how they say about Italy, not only in reviews and guidebooks, but also on the most visited world Internet platforms.
And some more positive statistics. It is expected that most of the tourists to Italy are attracted by gastronomy. According to the results of the study, restaurants and cafes were in first place among the benefits that Italy can offer travelers (82 points out of 100).
They are followed by beaches (81 points), shopping (80) and hotels (80). In terms of museum heritage, the most frequently mentioned tourists, of course, were Florence, Rome (with the Vatican) and Venice (by the way, here, according to reviews, the organization of museums leaves much to be desired). But the most frequently mentioned tourist destination was Taormina, followed by Lucca, Siena, Assisi, Riva del Garda, Mantova, Costa Smeralda, Alto Adige, Portofino and Amalfi. All these are medium or small towns in which a tourist feels more confident and freer compared to large cultural centers.
