Into the Wild: The Role of Social Media in the Marketing of Tented Camps and Lodges in Masai Mara National Reserve
Master thesis
Permanent lenke
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3082188Utgivelsesdato
2023Metadata
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- Studentoppgaver (SV-NHS) [545]
Sammendrag
This research looks into the use of social media in the marketing of tented camps andgame lodges in Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, which is the most important wildlifetourism destination in the country. As elsewhere in the world, the Covid-19 pandemic had adevastating impact on the tourism industry in Kenya. Tourism recovery is facing additionalchallenges in Masai Mara National Reserve with regard to the sustainable tourism developmentgoals. This study is a descriptive cross-sectional research with content analysis as the main datacollection method. The sample includes 54 permanent tented camps and game lodges locatedwithin and near the Reserve. Their websites and social media profiles were assessed to providean insight into the current role of social media in their marketing strategies as well as into the useof social media for raising the awareness about sustainable tourism. The results of the researchshow that major social media platforms are well incorporated into the marketing of theseaccommodation facilities. However, the data indicates high variability in the role that socialmedia has in their marketing strategies. The findings also show that the majority of the campsand lodges are actively contributing to the awareness about sustainable tourism development inthe region by the means of social media.
Keywords: digital marketing, social media marketing, sustainable tourism