#Visitspain. Breaking down affective and cognitive attributes in the social media construction of the tourist destination image

The consolidation of social media as the main sphere for image formation for tourist destinations requires a reinterpretation of how and who is leading the image formation process. There are still some gaps in the literature regarding the structure of virtual (destination) brand communities and the nature and composition of user-generated content. Conducting a quantitative content analysis of a sample of some 1500 tweets in the Spain brand community on Twitter (#visitspain) has allowed the author to (1) identify stakeholders, (2) explore the nature and distribution of affective and cognitive attributes, (3) analyse relationships among those attributes and with tourism products and place brands, and (4) observe potential seasonal variations over the year. Findings indicate the need to consider those elements as relevant recommendations for practitioners.