online knowledge sharing phenomenon as a tool for destination promotion

As internet is growing with rapid pace, the scope of destination promotion also getting wider which is realized by destination marketers. The social networking sites helps in tremendous way to present live experience in-front of the potential tourist. These social networking sites, now, emerged as a top platform for knowledge sharing, hence, due to these knowledge sharing phenomenon, online community building also carried on where the actual consumers of the tourism destination's services are interacted with the potential customers. Basically, the success of knowledge management initiatives depends on knowledge sharing. The present study followed qualitative approach of individual-level knowledge sharing. Based on the extensive literature review, a framework for understanding knowledge sharing research has been designed. The main objective of this paper is to explore whether the elements of online knowledge sharing like the perception of trust, risk and sharing, have an impact on the sharing of travel related information at the C2C travel and tourism website. For each emphasis area, the paper discusses and summarizes the theoretical framework used. The paper concludes with a discussion of emerging issues, new research directions, and practical implications of online knowledge sharing research which can contribute in the promotion of tourism destination.