Travel vloggers as a source of information about tourist destinations

Sammanfattning: Travel vloggers are a relatively new phenomenon that appeared around 2016. These are travelers who share their experiences in a video format, mostly on YouTube. Whereas their motives might be out of self interest - in reality they market the destination they are in, drawing attention to new potential destinations for the viewer. The aim of this study is to examine the relevance of travel vloggers as a tourist research method. More specifically regarding tourists visiting Georgia, if travel vloggers are beeing used before departure, if it influences the tourists' perception of Georgia and what they want to experience when they visit. The study also intends to examine what travel vloggers show in their videos of Georgia. To analyze the results theories regarding guided tourism, cognitive distance and youth tourism will be used. The results indicate that travel vloggers are established as a tourist research method and that it does affect what tourist want to experience when they visit. It also shows that travel vloggers show what is considered not typical tourist attractions, differentiating them from more traditional means of research. The results could be linked with the theories regarding guided- and youth tourism, however not with cognitive distance.