Devising a Digital Marketing Strategy for Hospitality and Tourism Industry

This report discusses the significance of digital marketing in hospitality and tourism industry, academic literature pertaining to it, and comparative analysis of marketing functions of Marine Court and Haytor Hotel. It also covers effective digital marketing strategies and practices such as SEO and PPC.

Digital Marketing
Strategy

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
RECOMMENDATION.................................................................................................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Digital marketing is described as the process of marketing done by companies for their products
or services conducted through various electronic devices with the utilization of internet. The
digital platforms that organisation utilize to promote their goods are website, mobile application,
social media, emails and search engines. Digital marketing industry is referring as landscape
because it is an electronic place where buyers spend their time in buying and engage themselves
with firm's content (Valentini, and Zammit, 2017). Hospitality and tourism digital marketing is
described as how their various segments such as accommodation services, travelling
destinations, restaurants and other business activities get promoted through digital platforms. The
tourism and hospitality digital environment is consisting of external and internal factors which
could impact their functioning in market. To get competitive advantage in the market these
industries have to adapt new trends and developments which are taking place in their micro and
macro environment. Marine Court and Haytor Hotel are two small sized hotels in UK (Top 25
Small Hotels — United Kingdom & Channel Island, 2021). Marine Court is one of the Grade II
listed which is situated in UK and it was established in between the year 1936 and 1938. it is
situated on the seafront at Bangor, Country Down, Northern Ireland. It has provided their guest
various services such as luxury rooms, bar, restaurant and organising wedding as well as events.
Haytor is also one of the small hotels in UK which is only 400 meters away from Torquay. The
hotel also provides facilities to their customers such as terrace, garden, lounge, breakfast and
others to attract more people. The following report covers the academic literature pertaining to
digital marketing in hospitality and tourism industry. It also pays focus on the comparative
analysis of whole marketing functions of the selected hotels. Furthermore, various digital
marketing strategies and practices which are applied by chosen organisations along with their
effectiveness are also being discussed in this report.
MAIN BODY
Academic literature pertaining to digital marketing in the tourism and hospitality industries
Digital marketing has become very important in hospitality industry as many of the hotels have
used it to promote their activities on online platforms (Rattayapimol, 2017). According to the
World Tourism Organisation technologies are rising, interrupting and impacting the lives of
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people in such a way that it indicates that humans are at the beginning of Fourth Industrial
Revolution (DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, 2021).
According to the article done by Nilead, digital marketing is crucial for these industries
as it helps in spreading information quickly, enhance consumer engagement and provide simple
ways to book places instantly (Digital Marketing In Travel And Tourism Industry, 2018).
According to the recent data of 2020, around 87% adults in UK are using smartphones
and the internet penetration rate is almost 72%. it has been estimated that an average citizen of
the country spends approximately 148 minutes on their mobile phones. The utilization of
smartphones has been increased after the pandemic as it has been observed that 46% of people
accept that they are using their smart devices (30+ Smartphone Usage Statistics for the UK
[2021], 2021). This statistic represents that how people have become addicted to use their
phones which encourage industries to promote their products or services through digital
marketing.
In today's world of digitalization, it has become necessary for Hospitality and Tourism
industry to develop their online presence stronger. The statistics of year 2020, represents that
around 62% of UK companies have spent their budget on advertising digitally. It also shows that
almost 45 million citizens of UK are active on social media. From the Credo and Enders analysis
it has been evaluated that online marketer have invested around £13.4 billion in year 2018 in UK.
It has also been observed that almost 60% of small business of UK have invested in paid digital
advertising. The overall revenue generated by digital advertising in the year 2020 was around
£15.6 billion (30+ Astounding Digital Marketing Statistics for Brand Optimization, 2021). These
statistics shows that how businesses are adopting new digital ways and new trends to remain in
market for long time. They are engaging customers by creating creative and attracting
advertisements on online platforms.
The industry has adopted digital marketing strategies which has allowed them to remain
in market for long time. There are multiple reasons such as increasing number of smartphone
users, high social media engagement and low prices of digital marketing services which have
resulted into adoption of digital marketing by various organisation. The bookings done by
customers through online websites or applications have helped the companies in enhancing their
sales. Digital marketing helps these industries to provide their customers a personal experience
as it given them opportunity to conduct surveys by asking them questions. It provides
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organisations to interact with their customers by taking feedbacks about their experience
instantly. This helps them in improving their services and build good relationship with their
guests. It gives a platform to promote their services constantly and regularly in front of their
customers. Digital marketing assist industry to create a brand awareness in the market which
gives them competitive advantage over their competitors.
The preferences of customers have also changed after COVID-19 which was pandemic
occurred in the year 2020. More customers prefer to purchase products or services through
online platforms which pressurised industries to innovate their marketing schemes and shift
towards digital marketing more often. The coronavirus also enhanced the utilization of digital
marketing among industries which helped them in connecting with their potential consumers
(Melara San Román and Tena Blázquez, 2020).
Traditional vs. Digital Marketing
Basis Traditional Digital
Meaning Traditional marketing is
defined as marketing that
communicates with customers
through traditional channels or
media.
Digital marketing refers to the
promotion of goods and
services using digital channels
such as the internet,
smartphones, display
advertisements, and other
digital media.
Interruptions Consumers cannot avoid
seeing advertisements because
they are obligated to do so.
Allows customers to avoid or
bypass advertisements that do
not interest them.
Comparative analysis of the overall marketing functions
Digital marketing is the key for success for any business in the world of digitalization. In
any business effective marketing strategies is very vital to create a brand image in the market, to
attract more consumer base and to maintain loyalty. Marketing functions refer to the methods
that organisations utilize to achieve their objectives through their chosen marketing structure
(Guven, 2020). According to the American Marketing Association marketing is defined as
organisational function and the procedure for developing, making connections as well as
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delivering value to people along with managing relationships with them which could benefit
companies. The marketing functions that hotels perform are advertising, sales promotion, public
relations and generating new business for themselves. Marine Court and Haytor Hotels
implement various marketing functions which are different from each other. Comparative
analysis of whole marketing functions of these selected hotels is discussed below in detail:
Basis Description Marine Court Haytor Hotels
Research Customer before
visiting any places for
spending their
vacations or for a
business meetings
chose those hotels
which have positive
reviews as well as
amazing location.
Hospitality industry
have to ensure that
they offer better
facilities and
locations to their
clients. The
marketing team of
hotels must evaluate
what factors might
attract more customer
base and this they
have to invest in their
research department
(Kocić and
Radaković, 2018).
They could also take
feedbacks from
current and former
guests. In case of
Marine Court hotel,
its marketing team
constantly monitors
the reviews of their
clients on their
website (WELCOME
TO THE MARINE
COURT, 2021). The
hotel also has a
superb view over
Belfast Lough with
Bangor Marina,
Ireland which provide
their guest a great
experience.
On the other hand,
Haytor Hotel
provides a traditional
and elegant feel to its
guests as it is a
Victorian Villa which
was built in 1853.
The research team of
the hotel analysed
that customer prefer
to have a unique
experience which
motivates the hotel to
maintain their
historical building
(The Haytor Hotel,
2021).
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Basis Description Marine Court Haytor Hotels
Awareness It is very important to
keep potential
customers aware
about what services
or products an
organisation is
offering. For hotels it
is prominent to make
their clients aware
about their brans as it
will benefit them in
gaining more prestige
and credibility in the
market. The
awareness about
brand improves the
ratings of hotels on
online websites and
assist in enhancing
consumer base
(Torres and et. al.,
2017).
In context of Marine
Court hotel, it has a
very attracting
website which
contains all the
information and also
have their presence
on social media
platforms such as
Facebook and
Twitter. People could
also check the
reviews by its guests
who have
experienced its
services on
Tripadvisor
(WELCOME TO THE
MARINE COURT,
2021).
Whereas in case of
Haytor Hotel has also
maintained an online
website which
contains all details of
services offered by
the hotel. The hotel
keep update its
customers through
various social media
platforms such as
Facebook and
Instagram (The
Haytor Hotel, 2021).
Basis Description Marine Court Haytor Hotels
Promotion It refers to advertising
of products or
services by various
companies through
various offline and
online platforms to
In case of Marine
court hotel, it
provides an exclusive
offer and promotions
when people enter
their email address in
Whereas in terms of
Haytor hotel, it keeps
update its former and
present guest or other
people through
sending them email.
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attract more potential
customers. For hotels
it is very vital to
promote their services
in order to enhance
their profitability and
to increase consumer
base. Promotion is
important for hotels
to conduct on regular
basis because it helps
in keeping a record
about how the
business in
performing in market
(Fricker and
Deshayes, 2018).
the box given on their
website. By entering
email address people
could get regular
updates of new offers
provided by hotel on
regular basis
(WELCOME TO THE
MARINE COURT.
2021).
The hotel provides a
facility to enter email
address on their
website where an
individual can fill up
all details and Haytor
contact them by email
(The Haytor Hotel,
2021).
Basis Description Marine Court Haytor Hotels
Relationships To run a successful
business in hospitality
industry it is very
crucial to maintain
good relationship
with customers. As in
case of hotels
previous guests play
important role in
promoting hotel
image through word-
to mouth strategy and
In terms of Marine
Court hotel, the staff
members treat their
guests with respect
and dignity which
makes people
welcomed. According
to one of the guest the
staff was friendly and
rooms of the hotel
were very
comfortable. They
In context to Haytor
hotel, it offers great
facilities to their
guests which keep
them engage and
motivates them to
come again visit the
hotel. As according to
one guest’s wonderful
experience of staying
in hotel for five
nights said that the
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also by posting on
social media (Ju,
2018). They also help
in creating a sable
revenue base which
results in growth of
hospitality industry.
The hotels can
maintain their
relationships with
their guests by
offering them some
loyalty programmes
or reward them
regularly.
were offered lot of
biscuits with their tea
and also given warm
towels. The hotel also
kept its promise by
taking guests for sea
view. The guest
experience was very
good which makes
them to visit the hotel
for fourth time and in
future they want to
come because the
relationship which
hotel maintained is
outstanding
(WELCOME TO THE
MARINE COURT.
2021).
rooms have a very
elegant looks and
comfortable space.
The employees of the
hotel were also
humble and
cooperative which
also make their stay
delightful. The
customer also
provided with all the
facilities they wanted
and breakfast was
also very tasty which
provide them
amusing taste (The
Haytor Hotel, 2021).
Digital marketing strategies and practices and their effectiveness
According to Small Insights, in 2018 the most effective marketing strategy was social
media which is around 18%. There are various strategies by which the selected hotels have
enhanced their popularity among customers. Digital marketing strategies implemented by hotels
are as follows:
Basis Description Marine Court Haytor Hotels
Search engine
optimization (SEO):
This marketing
strategy is one of the
most effective digital
marketing strategies.
It is the procedure of
The main aim of
applying this strategy
by respective hotel is
to direct more internet
traffic to their website
This strategy is
effective for selected
hotel as it grabs every
person of their
targeted audience no
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improving online
website which could
help them in getting
highly ranked in
search engines.
which could attract
more customers.
matter whether they
are in their buying
funnel (Feinstein and
Yadav, 2018).
Pay-per-click
advertising:
it is another most
powerful digital
marketing strategy
which is defined as a
paid form of
promoting services
that is based on an
auction-based system.
The main advantage
of PPC is that it bid
on keywords that the
hotels want to show
up for their
advertisement’s
triggers when a
customer search for
something including
hotels' keywords
(Reynolds, Peters and
Davis, 2019).
Then the
advertisements appear
on the top and if the
buyer click on that
link, they have to pay
for it. The main
purpose of executing
this strategy by the
selected hotel is that it
helps it in reaching
their customers with
transactional
questions according to
which the guests are
ready to pay for their
services.
PPC is one of the
most cost-effective
method for paid
advertisements and it
will help these
selected hotel to boost
up their profitability.
Content Marketing: This is also an
effective online
marketing strategy
which focuses on
engaging, reaching
and connecting with
The main aim of using
this strategy by hotel
is that it provides all
the valuable
information that it
want to share with
It is one of the
smartest digital
marketing tools which
helps hotel in
connecting customers
through buying funnel
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customers through
content. The content
post by these hotels
contains infographics,
videos, blog post and
more attracting
content which keep
people engage on
their website.
their customers
(Banik and Sengupta,
2019). This also helps
in optimizing their
content for search
engines to improve
their position in
search results. It also
assists in increasing
traffic and converting
search into revenues.
and also by
implementing this the
conversion rates
become double.
Content marketing
also provide people an
opportunity to read all
the facilities offered
by various hospitality
services which makes
easy for them to
choose their
destination.
Email marketing: This strategy is also
one of the cost-
effective digital
marketing schemes.
This mainly focuses
on keep engaging the
existing consumers as
well as helps in
making new customer
base.
It is a very
effective strategy for
hotels as it helps in
making people aware
about their services,
building brand image,
remain in mind of
people and motivates
them to visit again if
they have already
done (Magdinceva
Sopova, Petroska
Angelovska and
Takovska, 2018).
Through email hotel
share its upcoming
events, strategies,
The main of purpose
of applying email
marketing is to remain
in mind of targeted
customers, provide
evident information to
present clients,
personalized content
and coupons offering
which could keep
them coming again
and again.
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discount offers and
many more schemes
which could help
them in engaging their
customers.
Social media
marketing:
This is one the most
popular and trending
way of promoting
products or services
online as major
people use this
platform to explore
new hotels. The social
media marketing
helps in creating
brand awareness
among people and
enhances conversions.
The most popular
social media
applications that
hotels use are
Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, LinkedIn
and various other
platforms (Briones,
2019).
It provides the
selected hotel an
opportunity of direct
interaction with their
potential customers as
it directs the content
to them easily and
hotels could take
instant feedbacks.
It is most preferable
digital marketing
strategy used by these
hotels as majority of
people are engage in
these platforms. The
guests who have
previously
experienced the
services of these
hotels also post details
about their delightful
stay on these social
media platforms.
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RECOMMENDATION
 It is recommended to hotels that to expand their customer base they should advertise
more through various digital marketing platforms.
 The hotels should invest in their research and development department in order to know
what are upcoming trends in market.
 Hotels to remain in minds of their clients should come up with new services and offers
which could help them in enhancing customer base.
 In this present time where COVID-19 has become one of the major factors, they must
take all the precautions for their guest and implement sanitizers stations in all their area.
They should recruit the staff who are already got vaccinated and use of mask as well as
gloves must become mandatory.
 Hotels should take constant feedbacks from their guests on online platforms as well as by
asking them directly so that they could improve their facilities according to customers'
needs.
Reflection
From the above discussion about digital marketing in hospital and tourism industry I have
evaluated that it has contributed majorly in the success of this sector. I have concluded that small
and medium sized hotels should utilize the digital marketing strategies more often. I have also
seen that many people use smartphones to explore more places to visit and prefer to travel as
well as stay at those places which have good reviews on online websites. The investors have also
invested in digital marketing advertisements. I have also examined that for gaining a competitive
advantage over others it is very important for hotels to create awareness about their brand and
invest their time in researching about the demands of customers. They should also implement
potential promotional strategies to attract more customers towards them and could help in
enhancing their profitability. They must maintain a good interpersonal relationship with their
guests by treating them with respect as they will help the hotels in promoting their brand in
public. I have also estimated that there are several ways of effective digital marketing strategies
which could help organisation to make connection with their potential clients. According to my
perspective if these digital strategies are executed in proper way than it could assist companies to
expand information about their services to large base of customers.
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CONCLUSION
From the above discussion it has been evaluated that digital marketing plays a vital role
in enhancing growth for any business. For tourism and hospitality industry it has become
essential to promote their services on digital platform as majority of population use their
smartphones to explore things. It has also been observed from the above report that people prefer
to visit those places which has good reviews on online websites. Hence, if become more
important for hotels to provide best services to their guest in order to gain competitive advantage
from their rivals. The small hotels to increase their presence could use several means of online
promotion or digital marketing strategies. In the end it could be analysed that digital marketing in
today’s world of digitalization has become very important part of organisations to enhance their
profitability.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Banik, N. L. and Sengupta, G., 2019. The Effectiveness of Digital Marketing on Networking
Sites of Social Media. International Journal of Business and Economy, 1(2), pp.18-23.
Briones, C. L. T., 2019. Digital Marketing as a Communication Tool in Emerging Businesses.
In Handbook of Research on Digital Marketing Innovations in Social Entrepreneurship
and Solidarity Economics (pp. 353-366). IGI Global.
Feinstein, N. and Yadav, N., 2018. What's Up? What's Next? Identifying and Predicting Trends
in Digital Marketing Innovations for Small and Mid-Sized Enterprises. In ICSB World
Conference Proceedings (pp. 1-8). International Council for Small Business (ICSB).
Fricker, J. and Deshayes, L., 2018. Smart wearables and digital marketing strategies.
Guven, H., 2020. Industry 4.0 and Marketing 4.0: In Perspective of Digitalization and E-
Commerce. In Agile Business Leadership Methods for Industry 4.0. Emerald Publishing
Limited.
Ju, I., 2018. Marketing Communication. The International Encyclopedia of Strategic
Communication, pp.1-14.
Kocić, M. and Radaković, K., 2018. The importance of digital marketing in the customer
relationship management process. Marketing, 49(1), pp.44-51.
Magdinceva Sopova, M., Petroska Angelovska, N. and Takovska, M., 2018. Financing of
innovative marketing activities for small enterprises in the tourism sector-case of the
Republic of Macedonia.
Melara San Román, M. D. P. and Tena Blázquez, A., 2020. Digital Marketing/Marketing digital.
Rattayapimol, S., 2017. Digital marketing towards the leading change in Thai manufacturing
company.
Reynolds, K., Peters, C. and Davis, C., 2019. Above Board Storage and the Need to Revamp its
Marketing Strategies. Journal of Case Studies, pp.NA-NA.
Torres, R. and et. al., 2017. La efectividad del uso del marketing digital como estrategia para el
posicionamiento de las pymes para el sector comercio en la ciudad de
Barranquilla. Investigación y Desarrollo en TIC, 8(2), pp.3-5.
Valentini, S. and Zammit, A., 2017. The Value of Engaging Customers through a Gamification
Marketing Strategy. University of Bologna.
[Online]
30+ Astounding Digital Marketing Statistics for Brand Optimization. 2021. Online Available
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uk/>. /
30+ Smartphone Usage Statistics for the UK [2021]. 2021. Online Available through:
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Digital Marketing In Travel And Tourism Industry. 2018. Online Available through:
<https://nilead.com/article/digital-marketing-in-travel-and-tourism-industry>. /
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION. 2021. Online Available through:
<https://www.unwto.org/digital-transformation>. /
Top 25 Small Hotels — United Kingdom & Channel Islands. 2021. Online Available through:
<https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Hotels-cSmall-g186216>. /
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The Haytor Hotel. 2021. Online Available through: <Haytor Hotel – Elegant boutique hotel in
the heart of Torquay>. /
WELCOME TO THE MARINE COURT. 2021. Online Available through: <Home - Marine Court
Hotel>. /
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