The Influence of Social Media on the Travel Planning Process and Tourist Locations

Social media is transforming travel planning process. Social media has revolutionized the way people plan their trips and select their destinations. Users rely heavily on User Generated Content (UGC) as a trustworthy source of information when making travel decisions. Through social media platforms, travellers can connect with one another and share their experiences, which can have a significant impact on other users’ travel choices. The purpose of this study is to find out the traveler’s travel plans and the location of tourists influenced by social media. This study used a quantitative research approach. The research population of social media users in Indonesia, using the non-probability sampling technique of incidental sampling method, used the Slovin formula to 210 respondents. The method of data analysis with SEM-PLS is assisted by SmartPLS software version 3.0. The results showed that tourists’ travel plans were influenced by social media. While the determination of the location of tourist destinations is influenced by social media. These results indicate that social media users before carrying out a tourist trip, first look for tourist travel planning and look for information on tourist attractions that will be destinations to facilitate each tourist in visiting each tourist destination.