The Role of Online Social Media on the Experience and Communication of Gay Events in a Tourist Destination: A Case Study of a Small-scale Film Festival in Nice

Abstract Purpose To know the role of online social media (OSM) on the experience and communication of a gay film festival (ZeFestival) in a tourist destination: Nice, France Methodology/approach Literature review accompanied with a qualitative study and netnographic analysis. Findings Informs on the use of OSMs by both organizers and festival goers, with a much poorer involvement of stakeholders than was envisaged. Proposes avenues for finding the causes of this lack of communication and sharing of the online experience. Research limitations/implications An exploratory study of a single gay film festival. The research work should be extended to other gay cultural events in Nice and France as a whole. Practical implications Recommendations for online experience sharing and communication before, during, and after the event. Originality/value This theme has been hardly broached on an international scale and never in a French context.