From 'Likes' to Hikes: A Systematic Review of Social Media's Impact on Consumer Decision-Making in Adventure Tourism

Abstract

The digital transformation of outdoor recreation has fundamentally reshaped consumer decision-making, shifting destination selection from traditional marketing communications toward real-time, social media-driven interactions. This systematic literature review (SLR) investigates the influence of social media and user-generated content (UGC) on destination choice, risk perception, psychological restoration, and management strategies in adventure tourism. Following PRISMA guidelines, 52 peer-reviewed journal articles retrieved from the Scopus database were systematically analyzed using thematic synthesis and bibliometric mapping. The findings reveal three interrelated themes. First, social media reconfigures destination choice by prioritizing visually appealing and shareable experiences, often encouraging visitors to value content creation over traditional adventure attributes. Second, UGC plays a dual role, amplifying risk through aestheticized representations of hazardous environments and supporting risk mitigation through peer-generated safety information and electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM). Third, outdoor recreationists continuously negotiate the tension between seeking psychological restoration and maintaining digital social validation, highlighting the emergence of hybrid management approaches that integrate digital communication with protected area governance. Building on these findings, this review proposes an integrated conceptual framework that explains how social media shapes consumer decision-making while providing practical guidance for destination managers seeking to balance visitor engagement, safety, and the restorative value of nature. The study contributes to the growing literature on digitally mediated tourism by synthesizing fragmented evidence into a comprehensive framework for understanding social media's role in contemporary adventure tourism.