Contents
Title
Comparative Study in Digital Marketing Trends in Adventure Tourism: Bulgaria, Estonia, Ireland and Scotland
Author
Plamena PALAMAROVA
Classification JEL
M31, L83.
Abstract
Adventure tourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry and has been recognized as a powerful tool that can promote sustainable development in rural and economically marginal areas, generating smart employment and jobs growth, as well as providing strong incentives for conserving the natural environment. Adventure tourism services are getting more popular in Europe in recent years, and with the abundance of tourism organizations, adventure types and destinations, successful marketing strategy is key for attracting new customers to the niche service. With the worldwide digitalization trend the main channels for information on different and alternative types of tourism in recent years have been the different digital communication platforms (social media, website, e-mail and e-WOM marketing). The balanced online presence of the organization is an extremely valuable tool, especially if the target audience is young and active people looking for new opportunities. Unlike classic media communication tools, digital communications are extremely effective on the basis of much more limited resources. Therefore, for organizations offering a niche service, such as adventure tourism, the need for adopting digital communication channels is key for its market success. The survey, presented in the current paper, has been conducted with stakeholders in four different countries in Europe: Bulgaria, Estonia, Ireland and Scotland, and aims to establish the existing skill levels in digital marketing of adventure tourism organizations, as well as the opportunities for educational courses in the field of digital communication. Results are compared and analysed, in order to outline the current trends and opportunities for the stakeholders currently on the market, but also for those, looking for new tourism service opportunities.
Keywords
digital marketing, adventure tourism, digital marketing skills, social media marketing.
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