THE INFLUENCE OF USER-GENERATED CONTENT (UGC) ON SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE FORMATION OF THE TOURISM ATTRACTIVENESS OF DESTINATIONS IN KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

The development of social media is changing how tourists search for information and form perceptions of destinations. This study aims to assess the relationships between the perceived quality of user-generated content (UGC), trust in UGC, destination image, and tourism behavioral intentions in the context of Kazakhstan. The study is based on an online survey conducted from March to May 2025, with an analytical sample of 300 adult social media users. Five-point Likert scales, descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, and Pearson correlation analysis were employed. The internal consistency coefficients of the four scales ranged from 0.861 to 0.907. All six relationships examined were positive and statistically significant (r = 0.55–0.71; p < 0.001). The strongest correlation was observed between destination image and behavioral intentions (r = 0.71). The study’s scientific contribution lies in the integrated analysis of the informational, trust-related, image related, and behavioral dimensions of perceptions of tourism-related UGC about Kazakhstan. The findings support the use of informative and authentic user-generated content in the digital promotion of tourism destinations.