The Web and Social Media for the Promotion of the Tourist Destination. Bran Castle (Romania): Myth, Literature, Cinema and History

The article aims to analyze the change that has taken place in the promotion of one of the
most important and well-known cultural heritage in Romania, the Bran Castle, thanks to
social networks. They are very important marketing tools for visibility and by power of
positioning in the tourism market. Google Trends compares the interest shown by people in
relation to the different destinations in Romania, and more specifically in relation to Bran
Castle, the Transylvania region and the "Count Dracula". The results show that this tool can
contribute to the knowledge of people's interest in relation to the tourist destinations. Nvivo's
content analysis is also applied to investigate the cultural and tourist promotion that Bran
Castle plans in its strategy. All this information is very useful for Destination Management
Organization (DMO). The analysis of the data existing on social networks confirms the
popularity of the myth of Dracula and its association with the image of the country, but we
believe that Romania must wisely address this apparent negative stereotype and adopt a
strategy of correct positioning of the Dracula symbol.