This paper describes Natural Language Processing techniques to extract patterns of destination image formation from Social Media postings. In a pilot study, we show how Twitter postings can be mined to uncover travel motivations and values for various travel destinations; we also explore the mental representations that underly these values and motivations. While this pilot study is subject to limitations, the results demonstrate that Twitter data is a compelling source of information about travellers and destinations.

This research was conducted with the aim to reveal the influence of online travel communities on tourism destinations choice, with the focus on the Russian tourism market. The preliminary results indicated that social media has significant influence on consumer behaviour and decision-making process of Russian travellers. Still, there is additional activity of Russian tourist market actors is needed to more fully use the opportunities of online travel communities.