Abstracts Business

Evaluate the impact of social media marketing on business performance in the hotel industry in selected countries of Asia

by Amal Wijenayaka

Social media plays a major role in searching for information in the travel and tourism sector especially select a hotel for the accommodation. From the business point of view, they are effective tools and platforms increasing customers’ engagement and business interactions (Sigala, 2012). These platforms become the highest priority level in hoteliers and about 66% of hotels are using any platforms by 2012 and it is continuously increasing (TripAdvisor, 2012). According to Gupta (2019), social media helps or providing information to consumers to collect data to decide to book a hotel room for accommodation, analyzing negative and positive aspects. Because most of the time leisure travellers go to a specific hotel first time in their life. They love to change the hotel every time to get a different experience. Business travellers always use the same hotel. So this information more valuable leisure travellers than business travellers. Some hotel operators published fake photos as they belong to their hotel. Sometimes customers decide on it and they may not be correct decisions. Social media comes to fill this gap. Because it provides real information to people to take correct decisions. Business performance of the hotel industry such as profitability, ARR, RevPAR, BOR completely depend on selling their rooms to customers (Srivastava & Mitra 2016) and social media marketing helps to attract new customers. How will it happen? It provides information to the analysis. But hotel operator must have a responsibility to provide real information in effective ways. So it is very important to handle social media marketing strategies accurately or strategically to get maximum results in the hotel industry in Asia (selected countries). Because social media platforms are no longer gain competitive advantages to the industry. What is the reason for it? The answer is social media is widely available and anyone can easily go through it. Just need an email address and a mobile phone number. However, to gain competitive advantages from social media, every hotel needs to handle it strategically. This report will explain how operators or management should it strategically. After the background part of the introduction chapter, rationale, scope, aim and objectives, theoretical underpinning and evidence parts will be pointed out.