The role of tone of voice in tourism destination brands’ social media communication

Purpose: Enhancing consumers’ sharing behaviour on social media platforms is crucial for tourism destination brands. This can lead to increased consumer–brand relationship outcomes, amplified reach and perceived trustworthiness of their communication. This study aims to investigate the impact of the tone of voice (corporate vs human) adopted by a tourism destination in its social media communication on users’ perceived hedonic value and sharing behaviour, while also considering the interplay with the type of cultural heritage dimensions (tangible vs intangible) highlighted in the communication. Design/methodology/approach: A 2 (corporate vs human) × 2 (tangible vs intangible) between-subjects factorial design was used. A total of 400 respondents viewed a fictitious tourism destination brand page on Instagram, with posts manipulated according to the study variables and answered an online survey. Findings: The conversational human voice generates a higher level of hedonic value than the formal corporate voice; in turn, the increased hedonic value positively influences sharing behaviour. The type of cultural heritage dimensions moderates the tone of voice effect. In this moderated mediation, higher outcomes are achieved when tangible rather than intangible elements are communicated by adopting a human tone of voice. These findings advance the knowledge of the causal process responsible for consumers’ sharing behaviour, thereby enriching the discourse on stakeholder engagement in destination branding literature. Originality/value: This study addresses the issue of tone of voice from the perspective of tourism destination brands, an angle of analysis neglected in prior research. It also sheds light on the effect of interaction between tone of voice and cultural heritage dimensions, unaccounted for in previous studies.