OBSERVARE
Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa
e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier
International Relations and Social Networks
JulyJulho 2021
191
SOCIAL NETWORKS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
IN THE TOURISM SECTOR
DAVID CALDEVILLA-DOMÍNGUEZ
davidcaldevilla@ccinf.ucm.es
Graduate and Doctor in Information Sciences. Graduate in Teaching. Lecturer in the Faculty of Information
Sciences at the UCM (Spain). Lecturer at: U. Complutense, U. Europea de Madrid, IED, ESERP and IPAM.
Index h 17. 6th Spanish author in published works, 13th in cited articles and 20th in citations received out of
747 authors. Secretary General of the Spanish Society for Ibero-American Communication Studies and of the
International Forum on Communication and Public Relations.
ALMUDENA BARRIENTOS-BÁEZ
almudena.barrientosbaez@unir.net
PhD with international mention in Education and lecturer at the Univ. Europea and the Univ. Internacional de
La Rioja (Spain). Master in Protocol Management, Production, Organization and Design of Events, area of
Communication and Master in Tourism Accommodation Management. Degree in Tourism and Teaching. She is
part of the project new values, governance, financing and public audiovisual services for the Internet society:
European and Spanish contrasts (RTI2018-096065-B-I00) of research of the State Programme of R+D+I.
JUAN ENRIQUE GONZÁLVEZ-VALLÉS
jegonzalvez@ucm.es
PhD in Information Sciences and Degree in Journalism. He is a member of the Department of Theories and
Analysis of the Department of Communication at the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain). He is a
member of the Concilium Research Group as well as of the Spanish Society of Ibero-American
Communication Studies and Forum XXI. He was director of the International University Congress on
Communication: Contents, Research, Innovation and Teaching, and is currently a member of its Organizing
Committee and Scientific Committee.
MANUEL BLANCO-PÉREZ
mblancoperez@us.es
Doctor in Communication and Literature. Master in Communication and Culture, University of Seville. Master
in Social Economy. He is currently a lecturer in the Department of Marketing and Communication at the
University of Cadiz (Spain) and in Journalism at the University of Seville.
Abstract
Tourism is a social and scientific phenomenon. From here, its knowledge must be approached from a
complete vision and not limited to a single discipline or set of them separately, since it is multidisciplinary.
The role of international relations in tourism is a phenomenon with great economic, social, cultural, and
environmental consequences, which can condition the behavior of tourists and the tourism sector as a
whole. The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has affected the entire world population, the main economic
engines of each and every one of the countries and international relations derived from the tourism sector.
The coronavirus has not only affected the people who are under its effects, but it has also changed the
global perception of reality just as the media have been forced to create a new way of communicating.
Meanwhile, social networks have been the fastest and easiest way to disseminate all kinds of information
and misinformation, adopting new formats and new anti-hoax measures (fake news). They have been
effective and it is identified that thanks to the different platforms, citizens have found themselves
somewhat more sheltered, understood and have received information about what is happening around
their lives. Due to the closure of borders and the decrease in flights, worldwide tourism suffers serious
consequences and for all this, the incidence of the coronavirus in the economy and international relations
are protagonists of a difficult reality and a prompt and expected recovery.
Keywords
Comunicación; Turismo; Redes sociales; Relaciones internacionales; Covid-19.
How to cite this article
Caldevilla-Domínguez, David; Barrientos-Báez, Almudena; Gonzálvez-Vallés, Juan Enrique; Blanco-Pérez,
Manuel. Social networks and international relations in the tourism sector. Thematic dossier International
Relations and Social Networks, July 2021. Consulted [online] on date of last visit,
https://doi.org/10.26619/1647-7251.DT21.13
Article received on February 18, 2021 and accepted for publication on March 26, 2021
JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations
e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 191-203
Social networks and international relations in the Tourism sector
David Caldevilla-Domínguez, Almudena Barrientos-Báez,
Juan Enrique Gonzálvez-Vallés, Manuel Branco-Pérez
192
SOCIAL NETWORKS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
IN THE TOURISM SECTOR
1
DAVID CALDEVILLA-DOMÍNGUEZ
ALMUDENA BARRIENTOS-BÁEZ
JUAN ENRIQUE GONZÁLVEZ-VALLÉS
MANUEL BLANCO-PÉREZ
1. Introduction
Tourism can be addressed in a multispectral way, from its social aspects, its cultural
importance, its impact on the natural environment, and, of course, its economic strand
(Caldevilla-Domínguez et al., 2020). It is not even limited to be seen as an industry of
the tertiary and free time sector, and tourism is the result of public and private, and
governmental and popular actions. In spite of that, there is limited academic action
regarding this field, thus leading to an analytical gap in the subject and its link to
International Relations. Such gap can be filled with the multidisciplinary contribution
derived from the study of local and/or national tourism, including its economic, cultural,
and other strands, as a differentiating attractive aspect (Martínez-Rolán et al., 2019).
There is also the gap linked to the influence of information and communications
technologies (ICTs): since through their implementation in the tourism sphere, users
with intermediate digital competences (Fernández-Cavia et al., 2020, Chinchay-
Villarreyes et al., 2020) are influencing the industry, specifically by endorsing products
or services via social networks (Matassi & Boczkowski, 2020). In the current digital
context, relation ambits, which a priori have opposite origins, are linked (Ganga-
Contreras et al., 2017), anticipating the multidisciplinarity climate that should
characterize tourism research: The participatory culture of prosuming (Martín-Antoranz
et al., 2020) imposed by ICTs environment (ultimately, the Web is strongly related to
various forms of consumption (Gonzálvez-Vallés et al., 2020), the tourism industry and
the International Relations linked to it. In the first one, there are practices like crucibles,
the collective intelligence and the collaborative culture between users and threats such
as the ones pointed out by Cáceres (2009) and Barrientos-Báez et al. (2018), while the
second promotes the homogenization of productive processes, sacralizing profits and
1
Article translated by Carlos Javier Rivas Quintero (University of the Andes, Mérida, Venezuela).
JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations
e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 191-203
Social networks and international relations in the Tourism sector
David Caldevilla-Domínguez, Almudena Barrientos-Báez,
Juan Enrique Gonzálvez-Vallés, Manuel Branco-Pérez
193
business concentration. The third is the maximization of the human relation science,
expressed in its terms of greatest volume and consequences, but also more influenced
by micro-managing. Between these three subjects of study there is a gray area. It is here
where users with intermediate digital competences are influencing tourism industries,
specifically by endorsing products or services via social networks (Matassi and
Boczkowski, 2020, Araújo and González, 2019).
This work partially emerges from reflections on the new media ecosystem and its relation
with one science field –the study of the tourism phenomenon- which has a component in
and impact on International Relations.
In tourism science, the emergence of social networks changed the communicative
paradigm (Caldevilla-Domínguez, 2014), transforming how people from all the countries
and social classes access information, plan, and share their trips, allowing suppliers to
interact dynamically and directly with users, thus facilitating the adaptation of their
activity to the new realities with the implementation of effective feedback. However,
various studies show there is still a lack of knowledge of how some initiatives can lead to
a better use of social networks (Oliveira et al., 2017, Hays et al., 2013, Infante-Limón,
2014). Social networks gain strength from specific environments (Calderón et al., 2017).
This article aims to contribute to a better understanding of social networks’ potential in
tourism and tourism’s relation with International Relations.
2. Design and Method
This article is a narrative review aimed to search and retrieve documents concerning the
implementation of ICTs in tourism promotion and tourism activities that can be linked to
International Relations, to respond to the initial statement. To this end, various sources
from relevant subjects have been consulted in books, articles, studies, and scientific
journals. Criteria for information searching included: studies, articles, and monographs
published until 2020, in Spanish or English, with open access to the full text (with the
possibility of giving way to older material if it provided a relevant theoretical basis). The
exclusion criteria included articles that were markedly opposite to a scientific source,
such as opinion articles, or computer access material produced by users without being
grounded in expertise. The search strategy was based on tourism, International
Relations, and ICTs descriptors, relevant to the subject of study.
3. Development
3.1. Tourism
As a phenomenon, it can be affirmed that tourism has elements and manifestations prior
to its generalization and recognition as a proper economic sector: having produced
business branches very open to asymmetric communication (Navarro Celis et al., 2020),
such as cultural tourism (Araújo and Domínguez, 2012), or entering the thriving
sustainability market (Barrientos-Báez et al., 2020a, León-León et al., 2018).
JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations
e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 191-203
Social networks and international relations in the Tourism sector
David Caldevilla-Domínguez, Almudena Barrientos-Báez,
Juan Enrique Gonzálvez-Vallés, Manuel Branco-Pérez
194
The implementation of tourism science with pecuniary purposes to reality has generated
these branches, thus responding to a variety of audiences segmented by economic
criteria (Caldevilla-Domínguez et al., 2019). Due to these factors, tourism phenomenon
is studied multilaterally, resulting in investigative subsections such as tourism
psychology, tourism politics, tourism economy, and tourism sociology, as means to
determine the segments and different types of demand and target audiences.
All this makes it impossible for the definition of tourism to be limited to its economic
strand. A reductionist vision of the tourism theory only to leisure time underpinned by
the fact that tourism requires its practitioners to have time and means to travel, driven
by their searching for entertainment, being these conditioning factors necessary but
insufficient for the study of the tourism social phenomenon.
In 1991, The International Conference on Travel and Tourism Statistics, approved by
UNWTO (World Tourism Organization), signified the zenith of research efforts in the
subject between 1975 and 1985, from both international organizations and interested
countries, with Canada standing out. Basing on previous studies, WTO defined internal
and international tourism, creating a classification of tourism activities. The basic
definition was, “the activities of persons traveling to and staying in places outside their
usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other
purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place
visited (WTO, 1991). Furthermore, Goeldner (2000) defines it as “the processes,
activities, and outcomes arising from the relationships and the interactions among
tourists, tourism suppliers, host governments, host communities, and surrounding
environments that are involved in the attracting and hosting of visitors”. His approach
limits the scope of analysis to the perspective from the country source of tourists, the
relationships among them and the business entities providing services to them.
Regarding its characteristics, the tourism product is mainly “time” for sightseeing, staying
in hotels, and travelling. It is also the product of “seasons”, since certain dates increase
the value of territories (Fernández-Paradas and Sánchez Guzmán, 2018). These time
choices entail a “life section” that is different, enjoyable, and of a leisure or work nature,
based on the enjoyment of experiences in places outside or different from people’s usual
environment. Like any other service, it is intangible and subjective from both sides of the
service chain. The objective is to make the client feel sensations and emotions through
new experiences; with the purpose of achieving that feeling of living something new,
which is why it is essential for the business, and the Academy, to train those in charge
of providing these experiences (Barrientos-Báez et al., 2020b). It is not about offering
people material goods but creating and meeting their expectations of the experiences
awaiting them, the environment they will experience and the memories they will cherish.
Especially, the unique selling proposition is satisfying the expectations that people were
helped to generate. Using tangible goods is an essential part of the process to create the
expectations the client seeks to experience such as those involved in transportation, the
food available for visitors, accommodation amenities, and a very relevant aspect recently,
the safety of the trip, which all combined determines the quality of the service enjoyed
by the traveller. Now more than ever, the market is governed by clients’ public opinions
(Feijoo-Fernández and Guerreo-Cortés, 2018). Other characteristics of the tourism
product that influence service quality are:
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e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 191-203
Social networks and international relations in the Tourism sector
David Caldevilla-Domínguez, Almudena Barrientos-Báez,
Juan Enrique Gonzálvez-Vallés, Manuel Branco-Pérez
195
− Expiration: the inability of stocking a service. Service time: either you use it or lose
it.
− Aggregability and modularity: tourism product is formed by “mixing” diverse
“ingredients”, some of which can be replaced with other equal or similar ones.
− Subjectivity, individuality, and immediacy: it is subjective since it depends on clients
and suppliers’ circumstances at the time of the tourism experience taking place. Based
on such circumstances, the level and type of satisfaction will vary from one client to
another.
− Production-consumption simultaneity: the client participates in finishing the product
and is part of its final result.
− Heterogeneity: the product is made up of a myriad of factors, many of which are not
foreseeable or programmable, thus the experience is never exactly the same; for
example, due to the aforementioned simultaneity.
− It is not transportable: the client is transported, not the product.
− Seasonality: subject to fluctuations in demand due to the general and specific weather
conditions.
− Interdependence: with the rest of its sector and related economic areas.
− Easily copied: it is extremely easy for anyone to gain a deep understanding of the
product.
− High fixed costs: the necessary infrastructure to provide the service has to be
constantly maintained in proper conditions, regardless of whether they are being used.
Therefore, we can affirm that the constituent parts of tourism are affected by the very
occurrences and types of relationships that cause and surround trips: among visitors and
entities managing these trips, service suppliers that allow and fill with content tourists’
stay, and legislation applicable in the origin, destination and internationally.
3.1.1. Travellers
WTO has an essential glossary that defines traveller as “someone who moves between
different geographic locations, for any purpose and any duration.” The terms of
international tourism that we have used here are defined by WTO (1991) as follows:
− Visitor: a traveller taking a trip to a main destination outside his/her usual
environment, for less than a year, for any main purpose other than to be employed
by a resident entity in the country or place visited.
− Tourist: A visitor who travels to a country other than that in which he/she has his/her
usual residence for at least one night but not more than one year, and whose main
purpose of visit is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the
country visited.
− Excursionist: a visitor who travels to a country other than that in which he/she has
his/her usual residence and that is outside his/her usual environment, for less than
24 hours without spending the night in the country visited. His/her main purpose of
visit is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the country
visited.
JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations
e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 191-203
Social networks and international relations in the Tourism sector
David Caldevilla-Domínguez, Almudena Barrientos-Báez,
Juan Enrique Gonzálvez-Vallés, Manuel Branco-Pérez
196
3.1.2. Analysis of tourism multidisciplinarity
The different definitions of current tourism are product of constituent principles from
various disciplines.
Precisely, the diversity of conceptual approaches concerning tourism has represented an
obstacle to the creation of a comprehensible theoretical framework to understand and
classify the issues regarding this subject. From economy, sociology, and tourism, there
have only been discussions on the economic strand and the sociocultural impact. This is
due to the preconception that scholars of this phenomenon have tools from other
disciplines to understand it. But this leaves very little room to determine what tourism
per se has to say, as a scientific discipline, about itself as such phenomenon. Studying
tourism from this angle entails acknowledging it has innated means of analysis in those
subjects that are inherent to it. However, as aforementioned, its scholars rely on a
treasure of theories and methods that originated from various other disciplines of social
sciences: politics, sociology, anthropology, psychology, ecology, geography, economy,
history, etc., which are fields of study pertaining to other subjects (Tribe, 1997), and
that are somewhat related to tourism: such as marketing, administration, leisure, and
entertainment, directly linkable to the use of social networks (Parra-López et al., 2014).
Although tourism touches various facets of human life, the economic and commercial
aspects have received a favorable treatment in this sense: probably because they have
constituted a resource for the development of third world countries. A money-making
machine in many economies. This preconception has sometimes become a reality, while
in other cases is still no more than a false promise (Fiorello, 2010; Boccardi et al., 2008).
This has caused the field of economy to be the one in charge of generating the largest
quantity of applicable theoretical-conceptual contributions. Tourism’s socio-
anthropological aspects, which we have also mentioned already, have not been immune
to all this, causing terms related to “subject of tourism”, “role” or “actor” of tourism, etc.,
to be coined. This multidisciplinary intervention in tourism-subject has promoted the
emergence of the concepts of tourism geography, tourism psychology, tourism policy, or
tourism legislation. The qualifier tourism operates, in this case, as the nexus that
connects tourism, geography, and psychology; disciplines that are not epistemologically
related to tourism, but which have had an enormous impact on the initial conception of
professionals in the sector. The noun-adjective tourism must allude to what the whole
name represents, and not partially linked realities. Tourism is a complex and human
phenomenon (Tribe, 1997); hence it needs the participation of the aforementioned
disciplines: not only in an aggregative sense, but also in a way that all the disciplines
involved can benefit from the total contribution. Tourism is a phenomenon that extends
to various sectors of human existence, individually and socially: if tourism has favorable
financial effects upon an area, it would also influence, in one way or another, the social
aspect. Hence, the participation of economy and sociology will be necessary to study its
effects and characteristics. Therefore, it is essential to note how important the economic,
social, political, and environmental configurations are in the creation of tourism’s
theoretical corpus: acknowledging that, in accordance with the context surrounding this
phenomenon, it must be subject of a comprehensive study including all the applicable
disciplines.
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e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 191-203
Social networks and international relations in the Tourism sector
David Caldevilla-Domínguez, Almudena Barrientos-Báez,
Juan Enrique Gonzálvez-Vallés, Manuel Branco-Pérez
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Acknowledging tourism as a subject of a multidisciplinary study must not entail that they
would “confiscate” said subject and, with it, the exclusivity on knowledge regarding this
matter. The sense of education in tourism is to understand, explain, and substantiate
tourism knowledge, but as stated before, from a comprehensive and truly
multidisciplinary perspective. All this without falling, to the extent possible, in partisan
preconceptions associated to these multiple disciplines that, consciously or
unconsciously, could hinder the ultimate goal of multidisciplinarity. Tourism’s scholars
must not limit themselves to the particular approaches of their fields but use the
appropriate contributions of each discipline in a way that the subject under discussion
(tourism) can be reformulated. This interdisciplinarity, of which we are constantly
speaking, gets very close to the concept of hybridization: aiming that this subject cease
to be supported only by a few chairs that are erected in “the” theoretical framework of
tourism. These special academic needs derive from tourism being, in its origin, a subject
of study essentially human, whose activity spectrum permeates diverse layers of the
aforementioned humanity. These factors result in the necessity of disciplinary
convergence in each one of these layers that allow forming an understandable applicable
whole: to address aspects derived from free time, consumption, social trends and cultural
context, individual motivations and views, as well as the very context of tourism activity.
With the latter taking care of its policies, business models, and how they influence their
social environments, its development regarding globalization, sociocultural
characteristics, and the adaptation processes to the modernity of tourist destinations. To
this end, the creation of conceptual-theoretical schemes that define the subject of study,
called “tourism”, are necessary. It should not receive the tittle of science merely for its
theoretical and practical framework combination, nor should its study be limited to an
epistemological question, nor should it be proposed that it be limited to being an ordinary
subject field exclusively oriented toward the execution of the activity and its ramifications
in International Relations, since the main problem it faces is not only its development as
business, but how to understand it and redirect it as an undisputed reality, aiming at the
comprehensive development of destination countries and serving as a positive nexus to
unite nations.
3.2 International Relations
They were initially conceived in an entirely historical-political light, but have increasingly
taken into consideration the economic, cultural, and social components in recent times.
After all, the science of International Relations addresses social relations, whether these
are the relations that originate among individuals, groups of individuals or both, with the
preeminence it gives to the relations between States. There is consensus (WTO, 1991)
that International Relations address a living part of social reality, which makes them a
social science. Arenal (1990) states, “International Relations are configured as an
integration and synthesis discipline of the data provided by other disciplines, while the
objective of its research provides superior content, which grants its special character to
it at the core of social sciences,” implying that International Relations are not limited to
the relations between States, extending to the interactions between people and groups
located in different countries; relations between groups internationally, and not only
between governments.
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e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 191-203
Social networks and international relations in the Tourism sector
David Caldevilla-Domínguez, Almudena Barrientos-Báez,
Juan Enrique Gonzálvez-Vallés, Manuel Branco-Pérez
198
This perspective is relevant since practice has demonstrated the necessity to understand
international events in essence, thus allowing attaining categorizations of the expectable
or predictable behavior in International Relations. Some authors argue that International
Relations must be studied as a specialized branch of political science, disregarding the
study of other non-strictly political actors and areas, for example, the geographic
constraints, the ideological phenomena, NGO, the state of public opinion, etc. Although
they have certainly been considered a part of political science, now their interdisciplinary,
multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary character tends to be highlighted.
The scope of International Relations encompasses International Political Economy, Law,
Philosophy, Geopolitics, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, and of course, Tourism:
with particular emphasis on the analysis and materialization of Groups-State foreign
policy. Rodríguez-Torres and Puerta-Rodríguez (n.d.) state, “Hence, International
Economic Relations are defined as the extension of national economic relations to the
outside, which becomes a clear manifestation of its nature as Social Relations of
Production” (p. 8). And “we must also consider that these Relations are directly influenced
by the political relations that entail the existence of different States, hence they will also
depend on the domestic and foreign economic policy implemented by countries,
constrained at their basis by the different development levels of participants’ productive
forces” (p. 9). It is possible to affirm that economic relations on an international scale,
based on their complex and multispectral nature and based on the sector in which they
develop, are five: commercial, monetary, financial, collaborative/cooperative, and for
economic integration. González-Gómez (1990) states “[…] the discipline of international
relations emerges to satisfy the need of popular masses, on the one hand of
governments, and on the other, to understand the complicated current international
panorama […], therefore, the discipline begins as a science of great powers and to serve
their interests, although in fact it is of interest to all the nations in the world” (p. 3).
Foresight studies of International Relations aim to support the decision-making processes
that enhance the most positive developments of the international scene, minimizing the
negative ones. International Relations, being a science, are not a normative science:
their purpose is not establishing behavioral norms or principles of the actors involved or
individuals per se, being the economic strand important.
3.3. Applied ICTs
According to Araújo and Domínguez (2012) the key to an effective digital communication
lies in “searching ways of managing it and making it attractive to users”, geared towards
generating the need of consuming the product. Tourism is probably one of the activities
that have been influenced the most by Information and Communications Technologies
(Altamirano et al., 2016) after teaching with regard to its previous establishment
(Correyero, 2003). The action of new digital communication technologies permeates the
very existence of travel thanks to the modern Orwellian telescreens: mobile devices with
geolocation applications capable of assisting travellers with vital or minor aspects. Social
networks affect how advertisements are perceived, by facilitating the contrast between
the experience being advertised and the impression of thousands of travellers (Martínez-
Sala et al., 2019). Therefore, we can affirm that the traditional ways of obtaining
information (and even of advertising) have been left behind, with the risks that hoaxes
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e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 191-203
Social networks and international relations in the Tourism sector
David Caldevilla-Domínguez, Almudena Barrientos-Báez,
Juan Enrique Gonzálvez-Vallés, Manuel Branco-Pérez
199
entail, a blight on certain economic sectors such the hospitality industry (and certainly
tourism) since sources must be compared and that is hardly ever made (Ruiz Rico, 2020).
The tourist 2.0 is an independent and technologically capable tourist promoter, since they
rely on a collaborative digital community (Sarmiento & Terceño, 2018). Social networks
are an ideal space to research the market and delve into the particularities of users,
especially of digital native adults, from 18 to 30 years of age. “Knowing the personality
of others is an essential ability to have successful relationships” (Martínez-Valerio, 2016),
and within this digital communication context, social networks emerge like an open-door
platform leading to the inner minds of these generations. The daily number of trends that
appear on social networks from which brands could benefit is innumerable; but they must
be assessed professionally to determine which ones concern their audiences and specific
market niches. Tourism sector has made used of the Web 2.0, and especially, of social
networks, making them promotional tools in everyday life, leading to the emergence of
specific social networks for this sector: virtual communities launched by users. For any
tourism institution or company, it is indispensable to know how to operate within the
social networks environment to relate better with its users or potential travellers.
4. Results
The importance of tourism in International Relations is mainly perceived in how these
disciplines are interrelated: something noticeable in the systemic approach and in the
elements that are inherent to tourism: its multidisciplinary, aggregative, dynamic, and
open nature.
The systemic approach is the most appropriate one to understand this “tourism system”
for several reasons: first, because it highlights the interdependence in tourism; various
relevant disciplines working towards achieving a common goal. There is also the open
nature of tourism as a system, having a flexible, dynamic, and changing structure. New
concepts and facts are constantly being implemented to tourism. Additionally, it is
affected by multiple external influences leading to both negative and positive results on
any subject that enters its contact sphere. It is also important to bear in mind the
complexity and variety of the tourism discipline as seen in the varied offer of travel
packages and types of tourism, and as it can be seen in the intense competitiveness
within the sector, including the big companies worldwide.
The way how the COVID-19 phenomenon has boosted the implementation of ICTs and
the even greater growth of Social Networks has generated the acceleration in this
systemic interrelation: thus, enhancing tourism user communities (internationally cross-
cutting communities, with English increasingly becoming the lingua franca) despite the
logical recent decline in the king-strand concerning the study of tourism: the economic
strand.
Therefore, at an international level, there have been digital exchanges of information in
the tourism area, and it has been possible thanks to social networks. Due to them, a
portion of the current pre-COVID international relations has permitted this relation sub-
sphere in the tourism sector to keep on functioning despite the circumstances, promoting
interest, demand, and information for the future. Here lies the importance of international
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e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 191-203
Social networks and international relations in the Tourism sector
David Caldevilla-Domínguez, Almudena Barrientos-Báez,
Juan Enrique Gonzálvez-Vallés, Manuel Branco-Pérez
200
relations for the tourism discipline, as well as part of the added value provided by global
digitalization to it.
5. Conclusions
The international nature of social relations is undeniable, regardless of whom their
protagonists are and whether they take place within a State or, on the contrary, by
breaking its limits. We are speaking of relationships among nations, groups, cities:
between groups and individuals, and between individuals: being tourism a paradigmatic
example of International Relations not directly linked to States of big groups.
International Relations as a science, aim to support the decision-making processes that
enhance the most positive developments of the international scene, minimizing the
negative ones. They are not a normative science (but a science after all) since their
purpose is not establishing behavioral norms or principles of the actors involved or
individuals per se, being the economic strand important.
Meanwhile, tourism is both a newly developed social phenomenon and a science
regarding how it must be studied and treated academically. Thus, knowledge here must
be attained through a real multifaceted approach, without falling in preconceptions
derived from a single field of knowledge; something that is much more effectively
achieved with a systemic approach that allows perceiving how this phenomenon is related
to the rest of reality and sciences. It should not receive the tittle of science merely for its
theoretical and practical framework combination, nor should it be limited to an
epistemological question, nor should it be an ordinary subject field exclusively oriented
toward the practical ambit and its ramifications in International Relations, since the main
problem it faces is not only its development as business, but how to understand it and
redirect it as an undisputed reality, aiming at the comprehensive development of
destination countries and serving as a positive nexus to unite nations.
The role of International Relations within this phenomenon and the tourism discipline
bears a significant economic and social weight, although the current situation of the
tourism-economic activity being at a standstill due to COVID-19 offers the unique
opportunity of studying this phenomenon with relative independence from this variable.
Tourists 2.0 are now active subjects of the communicative process at an international
level in the tourism industry: beyond their traditional importance as “clients”, their
“digital” role now is to be advertisers, promoters, and critics of the products they
consume, and the services being offered to them.
This change of paradigm regarding their inner “I” entails the need of rethinking the
communication strategies based on the new digital environment, given the fact that the
new publics in the sectors are native of it, and have created their own collaborative
communities in it; communities capable of removing a large portion of the reputational
control from the hands of companies, and to keep operating and exercising their influence
during times of recession in the sector.
JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations
e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 191-203
Social networks and international relations in the Tourism sector
David Caldevilla-Domínguez, Almudena Barrientos-Báez,
Juan Enrique Gonzálvez-Vallés, Manuel Branco-Pérez
201
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