Social Network Analysis in Cultural Tourism Organizations. Methodological and Managerial issues of text analysis approach of Heritage Festivals

Objectives. This paper proposes an interpretive framework addressing social network analysis in tourism-cultural organizations, helping develop a feasible solution for Social Media (SM) analysis within cultural organizations (better fitting organizations specificities, and culturally closer to their collective mindsets, generally humanistic). Methodology. An interpretive framework has been developed. Such framework has been operationalized by performing Content Analysis using T-LAB software. Empirical analysis was divided in two steps, addressing the same research context (local heritage festival). Findings. The analysis provides schematization of contexts classification in SM data analysis, that is potentially generalizable. Basing on empirical evidence, some insights about a) the possible uses of T-LAB, and b) of the conditions within which to use the software in small cultural/tourist organizations, have been provided. Research limits. The proposed schematization is tested only on a single empirical context. Generalizability of usage processes of T-LAB, indicated in this paper on SM data analysis requires additional testing in other contexts. Practical implications. The present work identifies stages and processes that small cultural/touristic organizations can follow to enable an analytic process, with respect to SM data (i.e., texts), using tools better fitting their operational capabilities, degree of complexity and cultural background. Originality of the study. The study offers an original framework and mapping of possible analytic tools for analogic and digital data, in small cultural organizations. It also provides a representation of the usage processes of the T-LAB software, with respect to the processing of written contributions, within a consumer behavior perspective.