Philippine E-Journals

Surfacing Social Media as a Platform in Marketing Selected Tourism Establishments in Santa Rosa, Laguna

Drew Angella Asuncion | Jermielyn Cepeda

 

Abstract:

Social media has improved the way many companies connect with and target their demographics for the travel and hospitality sector. Specifically, the growth of the internet and the increased popularity of social networks has changed tourism and hospitality marketing. Speaking from this perspective, this study conducted an inquiry on the role of social media in selected tourism establishments in the City of Santa Rosa, Laguna. The primary concern of this study was to determine how tourism establishments use social media to attract tourist arrival; determine how the management responds to client's feedback on social media; and identify the challenges encountered by tourism establishments in their usage of social media as a marketing tool. The researchers have chosen three tourism-related establishments (restaurant, hotel, and travel agency) in Sta Rosa, Laguna. In order to achieve their aims, this study used a qualitative type of research-descriptive analysis method. As a result, the three tourism establishments found the usage of social media as a marketing tool, very effective and convenient. Moreover, all of the three establishments have the same way of responding to customer feedbacks online and claimed that they almost did not have any major challenges experienced upon their usage of social media as a marketing tool.