Destinantion Branding Through Digital Lenses: A Case Study of Penang’s Heritage Sites Via Instagram

This research explores the complex role of social media, with a particular focus on Instagram, in transforming the branding of tourism destinations. It centers on the significant impact of user-generated content (UGC) on Instagram in contributing towards tourism destination branding. Focusing on Penang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its rich multicultural legacy and historical significance, as a case study to illustrate the capacity of social media in destination branding. This paper aims to understand how UGC affects the process of destination branding by identifying the main associations of various elements related to popular tourist destinations
in Malaysia, namely Penang. Through content analysis of both visual (images) and textual (hashtags) components from Instagram, this research aims to unravel the key associations and perceptions tourists hold about Penang, contributing towards the destination's branding. Findings from this study highlight the transformative impact of Instagram in the destination branding process, not only in enhancing the destination's identity but also in empowering tourists to become active participants in shaping its identity of the destination. This paper illustrates the evolving nature of destination branding in the digital era, where visual storytelling and shared experiences generated by users on social platforms like Instagram significantly influence the role in the branding process through visual and content sharing.