This
dissertation
was
written
as
part
of
the
MSc
in
Hospitality
and
Tourism
Management
at
the
International
Hellenic
University
with
the
help
and
guidance
of
Dr.
Buhalis.
Today,
social
media
enjoy
a
phenomenal
success
and
very
high
usage
levels.
At
the
same
time,
they
have
transformed
many
industries
globally.
This
is
also
the
case
with
the
tourism
industry,
which
already
was
a
very
dynamic
and
complicated
system.
Social
media
like
Facebook
or
Instagram
are
used
by
millions
of
people
regardless
the
age,
sex
or
background
companies
try
to
include
them
more
and
more
into
their
strategies
aiming
for
more
efficient
targeting
of
their
audiences
and
updated
data.
This,
along
with
a
Google
study
on
the
different
stages
of
traveling,
triggered
the
researcher’s
thought
to
conduct
a
research
about
how
people
dream
of
Greece
through
Instagram.
Though
the
title
is
short,
the
research
is
complex
as
it
consists
of
three
different
and
difficult
concepts.
An
adequate
number
of
researchers
have
attempted
to
reveal
aspects
of
each
one
separately
but
none
was
found
that
would
attempt
to
include
all
three.
Instagram,
dreaming
and
Greece
are
under
the
microscope
in
this
dissertation,
the
relationship
between
them
was
studied
in
search
of
gaps
in
the
literature.
The
objectives
are:
to
explore
Instagram
use
and
impact
during
the
stage
of
the
holiday
travel
process
and
reveal
the
functions
of
Instagram
within
the
context
of
the
holiday
travel
process,
to
understand
what
is
considered
as
a
dream
destination
by
travelers
and
if
Greece
or
destinations
inside
the
country
are
considered
one
and
to
provide
a
deeper
understanding
of
Instagram
potential
implications
for
travel
and
tourism
related
stakeholders
taking
Greece
as
an
example
of
how
a
destination
image
is
managed
and
how
it
affects
consumer
behavior.
Finally,
this
dissertation
aims
to
contribute
to
the
already
existing
knowledge
on
the
studied
topics
by
shedding
more
light
into
consumer
behavior
theories,
social
media
impact
and
implications
and
to
link
Greece,
which
is
so
rarely
studied,
to
all
this
technology
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