Paper Details

Name: Neeti Gupta
Country: India

Year: 2024
Volume: Volume-11, Issue-1 (January-June)
Page Number: 39-50

ABSTRACT
The role performed by culture in shaping regional development is being increasingly
acknowledged, and it is for this reason that Punjab enjoys a pivotal status, in terms of its rich
history, colourful festivals, and enduring traditions, both among domestic and international
tourists. The explosive growth of social media has changed how we market cultural
experiences, allowing destinations to reach international audiences for far less resources than
traditional means. In this context, the current study takes a bibliometric analysis of the
literature from 2010 to 2023 on social media marketing for cultural tourism promotion, with a
reference to Punjab as a case model. The analysis charts trends, growth of output, top journals
and authors' influence, co-author relationships and thematic clusters. The results indicate a
significant increase in interest from scholars after 2018, with the major themes being digital
storytelling, e-WoM, influencer co-creations, and destination branding. Second, the study
highlights that research specifically focused on Punjab is relatively underrepresented and
suggests a future research agenda which foregrounds embedding social media analytics, AIdriven engagement strategies and culturally based civic storytelling to sustain community
participation and cultural tourism development.
Keywords: Social media marketing, cultural tourism, Punjab, bibliometric analysis,
destination branding