Beyond the Scenery: Unveiling the Sustainability Silence and Fragmented Blue Economy Narratives in Indonesian Hotel Instagram Highlights
Nugroho Putra Utama

Master of Accounting, Gadjah Mada University

Abstract

The transition to a Sustainable Blue Economy (SBE) is imperative for Indonesia^s coastal tourism sector. However, how industry market leaders communicate this paradigm shift through dominant digital channels remains under-researched. This study explores the characteristics of SBE narratives constructed by top-tier luxury hotels in Indonesia on Instagram. Utilizing a qualitative multimodal approach, this study conducted a focused manual analysis of the ^Instagram Highlights^ feature-the persistent digital storefronts-across 10 market-leading hotel brands. The findings reveal a significant ^Sustainability Silence^ phenomenon, where 60% of market leaders exhibit greenhushing behavior by failing to utilize this strategic digital space for SBE advocacy. Among the active minority (40%), narratives are highly fragmented as a form of brand differentiation, forming a typology ranging from Science-based Conservation (e.g., coral restoration) to Radical Operational Circularity (e.g., zero-waste labs). These findings confirm Signaling Theory, where hotels selectively broadcast costly, hard-to-imitate signals (such as an in-house marine biologist or a dedicated sustainability lab) to build credibility and overcome consumer skepticism. The study suggests a critical need for hotels to shift their digital branding from merely ^selling marine scenery^ to actively ^communicating marine responsibility.^

Keywords: Sustainable Blue Economy, Hotel Digital Branding, Instagram Marketing, Sustainability Communication, Signaling Theory.

Topic: Tourism and Hospitality