TRAVEL EXPERIENCE AND INFOTAINMENT: A NEW DIRECTION FOR DIGITAL JOURNALISM

Abstract

The article analyzes thedevelopment, theoretical foundations, and digital transformation of travel journalism. The study examines scholarly interpretations of the concept of “travel journalism” and argues that it constitutes a complex media phenomenon situated  at the intersection of journalism, tourism, and cultural communications.  The article traces the historical origins  of travel journalism and genres such as travelogues (sayohonatnoma), travel essays, sketches, and descriptive journalistic writing. It explores the digital transformation of contemporary travel journalism particularly the integration of informative and entertainment elements through the infotainment style. It highlights the changes in the content and form of travel journalism under the influence of the internet, social media, and digital platforms. The author emphasizes that the widespread adoption of blogs, video reports, podcasts, photo projects, and other multimedia formats has expanded the possibilities for visual storytelling genre hybridization, and interactive engagement with the audience. The study also examines the informative, educational, and cultural-mediatory functions of travel journalism, as well as its role in promoting tourist destinations.  Special attention is paid to emerging digital formats, including virtual tours, multimedia storytelling, and visually integrated texts. It also provides a scholarly analysis of the main trends in the field, the risks of commercialization, standardization, and issues regarding the reliability of information. The author concludes that one of the key challenges of modern travel journalism is to maintain a balance between factual information, analytical interpretation, and artistic representation.