Fonte: Journal of Tourism & Development; Vol 42 (2023); 67-80
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Resumo: Marketing in the tourism and hospitality industry is gradually shifting from the conventional way to a more digitised regime. This became even more conspicuous during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other things, e-marketing contributes to the brand of hotels and expands their market base. Nonetheless, hotels in the Cape Coast Metropolis appear to be making less out of the opportunities presented by e-marketing activities; possibly due to limited empirical evidence on how e-marketing influences the brand image of hotels. This study, thus, examined the perceived effect of e-marketing on the brand image of hotels in Cape Coast, Ghana. A convenience sampling procedure was employed to include 142 customers in the study. Data were obtained with the aid of well-structured questionnaires and analysed with descriptive and inferential statistical tools such as frequencies, percentages, and regression models. The result of the descriptive analysis showed that emails, SMS, websites and Facebook are perceived as effective marketing and promotional tools. Moreover, results of the regression analysis revealed that emails, SMS, Facebook and website have significantly positive effects on brand image. It was concluded that improved e-marketing activities are drivers of enhanced hotel brand image. It was recommended that the Ghana Hotels Association should put policies in place to encourage hotel managers and owners to focus on making their e-marketing activities and platforms more attractive to improve the brand image of their hotels.
