Gastronomy Tourism Branding Strategy through Social Media: Netnographic Study on Instagram Account @jogjafoodhunter

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the branding strategy of gastronomic tourism carried out throughsocial media, with a case study on the Instagram account @jogjafoodhunter. Gastronomic tourism isincreasingly developing as one of the main attractions of cultural tourism, where social media plays animportant role in shaping the perception, image, and preferences of culinary tourism. This study uses aqualitative approach with a netnography method to observe digital communication practices, interactionpatterns, and visual narratives built into the content of @jogjafoodhunter. Data were collected throughobservations of uploads, comments, hashtags, and user engagement over a certain period. The analysistechnique used is thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) to identify narrative patterns, visualstrategies, and forms of audience engagement that contribute to the branding process. The results of thestudy show that the @jogjafoodhunter account implements an effective branding strategy throughcurating attractive visual content, using language that is close to young audiences, and collaboratingwith local culinary MSMEs. This strategy has succeeded in building the image of Yogyakarta as anauthentic and dynamic culinary tourism destination. This study recommends optimizing social media asa branding tool for gastronomic destinations by paying attention to narrative authenticity, visualconsistency, and digital community participation.