Social media and destination promotion: insights from travel agents in China

China is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, but inbound tourism has suffered setbacks since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It is now gradually recovering. The development of social media has provided a new channel for promoting China's destination image. Through semi- structured interviews with English tour guides and travel agency managers, this study explores how Chinese travel agents perceive the use of social media in shaping and promoting the image of Chinese tourist destinations to foreign audiences. Then, a thematic analysis was conducted. Participants highlighted that the perceived usefulness of social media information was closely linked to its quality and credibility. When content was seen as trustworthy and informative, it was more likely to influence their acceptance of the information, thereby shaping perceptions of China's tourist destination image. This study's innovation lies in its use of interviews and unique focus on the perspectives of travel agents, unlike previous research centered on tourists or potential travelers. Insights from travel agents can help the tourism industry refine destination promotion strategies, improve customer experience, tailor targeted marketing campaigns, enhance social media content, and build trust and credibility, ultimately aligning industry efforts with tourist needs and expectations.