Determinants of Digital Engagement in Cultural Tourism: A Logistic Regression Analysis of Social Media Likes

Abstract

Digital media are central to the visibility and attractiveness of cultural institutions that operate at the intersection of heritage, leisure and tourism. Increasingly, cultural organizations rely on social platforms not only to communicate with local communities but also to engage international visitors and strengthen their role within the tourism economy. Social media uses “Likes” to provide a measurable signal of audience interaction and approval and have therefore become a valuable indicator of digital engagement. This study investigates the determinants of audience engagement by analyzing 1,349 social-media posts from ten Greek cultural organizations. A unique dataset was systematically coded across several dimensions, including organizational identity, sustainability orientation (economic, social, environmental), thematic focus (collaboration, education, inclusion, transparency), content structure (text, image, video, multimodal) and language of communication (Greek, English, bilingual). Engagement was measured through Likes, employed as the dependent variable. To examine engagement patterns, Likes were dichotomized into high versus low engagement using the sample median as the threshold. Logistic regression analysis estimated the probability that a post achieved high engagement conditional on its characteristics. Results confirm that sustainability orientation significantly influences engagement levels, with posts addressing social sustainability showing the highest mean engagement. Logistic regression further reveals that education and inclusion themes negatively predict high engagement, whereas transparency emerges as a positive predictor. Interaction effects demonstrate that engagement outcomes depend on synergies between sustainability themes and interactive design. Specifically, combining calls-to-action with embedded links increases engagement for environmental posts but reduces it for economic ones. Simultaneously, links without explicit calls-to-action benefit economic sustainability communication. The interaction model substantially improves explanatory power, relative to the main-effects model, indicating that digital engagement is context dependent rather than additive. The findings offer quantitative evidence on how cultural organizations’ communication strategies shape online audience behavior. From a managerial perspective, the results highlight the need for differentiated communication strategies that align sustainability narratives with suitable interactive elements. Investing in transparency messaging and designing content strategically across sustainability dimensions can enhance both visibility and impact within the cultural tourism ecosystem.