Content Marketing and Digital Engagement in Amazonian Sustainable Tourism

Objective: to analyze how different elements of content marketing on Instagram influence eWOM (measured through likes and comments) for sustainable hotels in the Amazon. Theoretical approach: the study is grounded in media richness theory and uses and gratifications theory to examine the effectiveness of social media content marketing strategies. Method: a content analysis of 1,000 Instagram posts from ten sustainable Amazon hotels was conducted, followed by a negative binomial regression model. Results: videos generate more engagement than images, validating media richness theory. Strategies focused on biodiversity and relaxation facilities are effective in generating likes, while informative and sustainability-related content encourages more comments. Cultural content showed an unexpected negative impact on engagement. Conclusion: the study contributes to the literature by providing specific recommendations on content marketing optimization in the unique context of sustainable Amazon tourism, an underexplored area in digital marketing research. The findings validate media richness and uses and gratifications theories in this specific context.