Indicators of the co-created destination image of island destinations on social media – a comparison of DMOs, UGC and influencers (2025)

A total of 180 image posts on the social media platform Instagram were analysed during the second half of 2025, comparing posts from destination management organisations (DMOs), user-generated content (UCG) and posts from influencers.

The indicators provide insights into the destination image elements depicted in the image posts, as well as contributing elements and associated emotions in a comparison of different island destinations and stakeholders. On this basis, comparative research can be conducted in the context of the digital destination image and the influence of various actors on it. This dataset can thus contribute to comparative vertical and horizontal analysis and thus to studies in the field of destination management, destination image, social media and technology.