A Multi-Platform Social Media Integration Approach to Disaster Communication by Tourism Organizations: The Case of Hurricane Florence

Social media is integral to disaster communication and is even more critical when tourists are the intended audience. Tourists must receive timely and accurate disaster-related information, particularly when related to how they should respond to an impending disaster (e.g., evacuation orders). Social media provides the best medium for time-sensitive information to reach a vast audience. Social media, however, is a term used to cover multiple platforms, each appealing to different audiences with different use behaviors. Organizations must consider the characteristics of the platform in their online disaster communication strategies. Using a Social Media Integration approach, this study examined how tourism organizations integrated multiple platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) in their disaster communication efforts during Hurricane Florence. Analysis of 150 posts from seven DMOs across three platforms found that DMOs, while active on multiple platforms, are not integrating their communications effectively to obtain the best reach and capture users’ attention.