Vol. 29 No. 2 (2025)
Articles

SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS IN TOURIST COMMUNICATION THROUGH THE PRISM OF THE BALKAN MENTALITY

Download
  • Hristina Santana,
  • Vladimir Pernikov
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7546/PsyRB.2025.28.02.05

Published 11/21/2025 — Updated on 05/04/2026

Keywords

  • Balkan mentality,
  • tourism communication,
  • digital storytelling,
  • authencity

How to Cite

Santana, H., & Pernikov, V. (2026). SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS IN TOURIST COMMUNICATION THROUGH THE PRISM OF THE BALKAN MENTALITY. Psychological Research (in the Balkans), 29(2). https://doi.org/10.7546/PsyRB.2025.28.02.05

Copyright (c) 2025 Psychological Research (in the Balkans)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The current study explores the evolving role of the Balkan mentality in shaping contemporary tourism communication, particularly through the lens of digital storytelling and influencer marketing. Traditionally seen as a development obstacle, the Balkan mentality—characterized by emotional expressiveness, hospitality, strong family bonds, and cultural traditionalism—is increasingly recognized as a competitive asset within global tourism. Recent trends indicate that international travelers are drawn not only to the region’s natural and historical attractions, but also to its authentic cultural atmosphere and interpersonal dynamics. This shift has been catalyzed by a new generation of digital influencers who function as cultural mediators. Through platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, these creators humanize the region, transforming the Balkan mentality into a globally accessible and emotionally engaging narrative. Methodologically, the study frames influencer content as a form of mediated intercultural communication, analyzing how it covers tourist expectations, fosters cultural empathy, and fills the psychological gap between “self” and “other.” The findings underscore a broader transformation in tourism marketing—from top-down campaigns to bottom-up, affect-driven storytelling—highlighting the centre of emotional authenticity and cultural resonance in building meaningful tourist-host interactions. Ultimately, the research demonstrates how the Balkan mentality, once marginalized, is being reframed as a symbol of cultural richness, contributing to deeper, more satisfying tourist experiences and enhancing the region’s appeal on the global stage.

Download

References

  1. Adžić, S., Pavlović, M., Milunović, M., Pavlović, Đ., Savić Tot, T., & Radanov, P. (2024). The impact of rakija
  2. cultural heritage and rakija marketing on the consumer purchasing decisions. Economics of Agriculture,
  3. (3), 923–941. https://doi.org/10.59267/ekoPolj2403923A
  4. Beşirova, S. (2024). Effect of sponsored social media advertisements and word-of-mouth communication on
  5. consumer purchasing behavior in tourism: A case study of Facebook. Journal of Tourism Theory and
  6. Research, 10(1), 23–31. https://doi.org/10.24288/jttr.1439577
  7. Blanco-Gómez, M. L., & Gómez-Ortiz, M. J. (2024). Sports tourism and social media storytelling: A multimodal
  8. perspective. VISUAL REVIEW – International Visual Culture Review, 16(6), 165–177.
  9. https://doi.org/10.62161/revvisual.v16.5358
  10. Brune, S., Knollenberg, W., & Vilá, O. (2024). Building tourism resilience through communication. Tourism and
  11. Hospitality, 5(1), 51–59. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp5010004
  12. Cascio, C. J. (2019). Social touch and human development. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 35, 1–9.
  13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2018.12.002
  14. Chung, J. Y., & Koo, C. (2020). Why do people share their travel experiences on social media? Tourism
  15. Management, 78, 104041. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.104041
  16. Choleva-Dimitrova, A. (2021). Dynamics of first names in the Bulgarian anthroponomic system (according to
  17. official first names in the city of Sofia, in the years 2007 and 2014). Onoma, 56(4), 57-85.
  18. DOI:10.34158/ONOMA.56/2021/4
  19. Dang, T. D., & Nguyen, M. T. (2023). Systematic review and research agenda for the tourism and hospitality
  20. sector: Co-creation of customer value in the digital age. Future Business Journal, 9(1), Articleௗ94.
  21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-023-00274-5
  22. de Mello, C. B. (2022). Social cognition development and socioaffective disorders. In Developmental
  23. Psychopathology (pp. 1–18). Springer. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK595463/
  24. de Mello, C. B., Cardoso, T. S. G., Alves, M. V. C., Boggio, P. S., Wingenbach, T. S. H., Coêlho, M. L. S.,
  25. Comfort, W. E., Marques, L. M., & Alves, M. V. C. (Eds.). (2023). Social cognition development and
  26. socioaffective dysfunction in childhood and adolescence. In P. S. Boggio, T. S. H. Wingenbach, M. L. S.
  27. Coêlho, W. E. Comfort, L. M. Marques, & M. V. C. Alves (Eds.), Social and affective neuroscience of
  28. everyday human interaction: From theory to methodology (pp. 145–160). Springer.
  29. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86515-9_10
  30. Douglas, M. (1970). Natural symbols: Explorations in cosmology. London: Barrie & Rockliff.
  31. Ghosh, S. S., Roy, D., Putatunda, T., & Ray, N. (Eds.). (2024). Language and cross-cultural communication in
  32. travel and tourism: Strategic adaptations. Apple Academic Press. Available via Taylor & Francis
  33. Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures. Basic Books.
  34. Graham, M., Zook, M., & Boulton, A. (2013). Augmented reality in urban places: Contested content and the
  35. duplicity of code. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 38(3), 464–479.
  36. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-5661.2012.00535.x
  37. Gries, R., Krakovsky, C., & Asboth, E. T. (Eds.). (2016). The Balkans as the European inner otherness [Special
  38. issue]. Medien & Zeit: Kommunikation in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart, 31(1). Arbeitskreis für
  39. historische Kommunikationsforschung.
  40. Hadjiyski, I. (1920s–1930s). Bit i dushevnost na nashiya narod [Бит и душевност на нашия народ].
  41. Hadjiyski, I. (1920s–1930s). Optimistichna teoriya za balgarskiya narod [Оптимистична теория на
  42. Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond culture. Anchor Books.
  43. Hammond, A. (2002). Distance from British influence during Ottoman and Communist rule: A comparative
  44. analysis. WRAP: Warwick Research Archive Portal.
  45. https://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/1284/1/WRAP_THESIS_Hammond_2002.pdf
  46. Hristova, T., & Veleva, М. (2011). Socialna psihologia v turizma, Science and Economics. [Социална
  47. психология в туризма].Varna. (In Bulgarian).
  48. Does sincere social interaction stimulate tourist immersion? A conservation of resources perspective.
  49. Journal of Travel Research, 62(2), 223–236. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875211067549
  50. Kärtner, J. (2024). Early social-cognitive development as a dynamic system. Frontiers in Psychology.
  51. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1399903
  52. Kosturkov, S. (1920s–1930s). Research on the Bulgarian national character.[Изследване на психологията на
  53. Kuneva, L., & Stoyanova, M. (2025). A folk psychological analysis of migration-related narratives in Bulgaria:
  54. Who gets to belong? In Narratives and Practices of Migrant and Minority Incorporation in European
  55. Societies (Chapter 7). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003521075-10
  56. Liao, Z., Pang, Q., & Xiao, H. (2025). Glocalization: Cross-cultural communication of tourism research. Tourism
  57. Management, 108, 105129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2024.105129
  58. Marinović Matović, I., & Simić, I. (2018). Cultural and communication barriers in international tourism. In
  59. Modern Management Tools and Economy of Tourism Sector in Present Era (pp.ௗ277–288). Association
  60. of Economists and Managers of the Balkans. https://doi.org/10.31410/tmt.2018.277
  61. McLeod, S. (2020). Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of cognitive development. Simply Psychology.
  62. https://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html
  63. Olejniczak, W. (2024). Enhancing cross-cultural communication in Eastern Europe: The role of Interslavic in the
  64. hospitality industry. Theseus.fi.
  65. https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/872820/Olejniczak_Wiktoria.pdf?sequence=2
  66. Petersen, K., et al. (2023). A systematic mapping study on tourist–tourist interactions. Journal of Hospitality and
  67. Tourism Management, 56, 163–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2023.06.017
  68. Purushotham, H. C., & Kavya, J. (2023). Evaluating social media communication effectiveness on travel
  69. planning of youths—post COVID-19. In Recent advances in commerce, management, and tourism (pp.
  70. –41). https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/mono/978-81-19761-70-8/CH4
  71. Ramirez, A. (2025). Serial mediation effects of reflective practice and creative expression on artistic skills
  72. development: A cross‐cultural analysis in university art education. Frontiers in Psychology.
  73. Reis, H. T., Collins, W. A., & Berscheid, E. (2000). The relationship context of human behavior and
  74. development. Psychological Bulletin, 126(6), 844–872. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.126.6.844
  75. Said, E. (1978). Orientalism. Pantheon Books.
  76. Salgado Moreno, A. L., Mora Forero, J. A., García Revilla, R., & Martinez Moure, O. (2024). Research trends in
  77. communication and tourism: A systematic review and a bibliometric analysis. Administrative Sciences,
  78. (9), 208. Available via MDPI
  79. Sampaio de Almeida, D., Brito e Abreu, F., & Boavida-Portugal, I. (2025). Digital twins in tourism: A systematic
  80. literature review. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2502.00002
  81. Schöner-Schatz, L., Hofmann, V., & Stokburger-Sauer, N. (2021). Destination’s social media communication
  82. and emotions: An investigation of visit intentions, word-of-mouth and travelers’ facially expressed
  83. emotions. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 22, 100661.
  84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2021.100661
  85. Sotirova, N. (2018). The ‘Bulgarian situation’: Constructing the myth of a ‘national mentality’ in Bulgarian
  86. discourse and its effect on agency. Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 20(6), 564-577.
  87. Veleva, M. (2020). Best practices as opportunities for leadership soft skills improvement in human resource
  88. management in Bulgarian tourism organizations: The Four Season Hotels example. Izvestia Journal of
  89. the Union of Scientists – Varna. Economic Sciences Series, 9(3), 63–71. https://doi.org/10.36997/IJUSV
  90. ESS/2020.9.3.63
  91. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University
  92. Press.
  93. von Hofsten, C., Uhlig, H., Adell, M., & Kochukhova, O. (2009). How children with autism look at events.
  94. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 3(3), 556–569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2008.10.004
  95. Wang, L., & Alasuutari, P. (2017). Co-construction of the tourist experience in social networking sites: Two
  96. forms of authenticity intertwined. Qualitative Research in Psychology.
  97. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468797616687559
  98. Wundt, W. (1900–1920). Völkerpsychologie: Eine Untersuchung der Entwicklungsgesetze von Sprache, Mythus
  99. und Sitte (Vols. 1–10). Wilhelm Engelmann.
  100. FunkyௗTours. (n.d.). 18 reasons why Balkans should be your next travel choice. Retrieved June 30, 2025, from
  101. https://funkytours.com/18-reasons-why-balkans-should-be-your-next-travel-choice/
  102. KE Adventure Travel. (2023, September 19). 10 reasons why the Balkans should be on your radar. KE Adventure
  103. Travel Blog. Retrieved July 1, 2025, from https://www.keadventure.com/blog/10-reasons-why-the-
  104. balkans-should-be-on-your-radar/