Module Description:

This module explores the effects of digital marketing on the promotion of tourism and hospitality services. Its objective is to implement digital marketing benchmarks and paradigms regarding customers’ acquisition, interaction, and retention in service industries. My expectation is that you will be able to formulate and implement digital marketing strategies for all types of tourism and hospitality businesses. This module includes social media management, content marketing, digital analytics, SEO, pay-per-click advertising, and mobile and email marketing. New trends like influencer marketing, consumer engagement with AI, and marketing ethics are covered, too. Through blending theory with practice, students are able to execute brand promotion and visibility campaigns to meet organisational objectives in the digital economy through 250 hours of hands-on experience (250 Hours).

Learning Outcomes:

Competences:

At the end of the module/unit the learner will have acquired the responsibility and autonomy to: 

  • Collaborate with professionals within the marketing department at the place of work in the tourism and hospitality industry.
  • Monitor the changes in the competitive environment and digital market to effectively identify digital marketing opportunities.
  • Create and evaluate social media marketing campaigns and plan in collaboration with the marketing department.
  • Ensure compliance with moral principles and values of marketing.

Knowledge:

After completing the module/unit the learner will have been exposed to the following: 

  • Understand the basic principles and concepts which underpin and govern digital marketing and their importance in relation to the tourism and hospitality sector.
  • Examine the importance of assessing the digital environment, both on a micro and on a macro level.
  • Have knowledge of the use of segmentation and the 4P’s in marketing as well as their applicability to digital marketing.
  • Critically reflect on the importance of designing and developing a digital marketing strategy.
  • Have knowledge on the importance of assessing relationship marketing.
  • Have knowledge on how to manage overall customer experience digitally with special reference to tourism and hospitality.
  • Critically analyse the use of creating marketing campaigns specifically for tourism and hospitality.
  • Critically reflect on the importance of evaluating and improving digital performance.
  • Have knowledge of various trends and challenges in digital media marketing.

Skills:

At the end of the module/unit the learner will have acquired the following skills: 

  • Website and content optimisation through SEO and Google Ads advertising.
  • Mailchimp and HubSpot email marketing platforms: design, automation, and marketing workflows.
  • Interpretation of data to analyse the market, identify trends, audience, perform segmentation, and analyse the campaign.
  • Management of online brand reputation services, responding to online customers, and digital business communication services.

Core Topics and Subtopics :

Growth of Digital Marketing

  • Know the story of the evolution of online marketing, its basic principles, and how it has shaped tourism and hotel brands in contemporary times.

Defining the Market Segment and Audience Analytics

  • Classify the travelers and design relative personas, and monitor their digital interactions before and after booking.

SEO and Website Effectiveness

  • Receive detailed information on Search Engine Optimization, improve loading times on your site, and implement minor user experience (UX) adjustments which significantly improve your conversion rates.

Social Media and Content Strategy

  • The story’s most broadly appealing elements should be underscored and showcased.
  • Tailor your promotion to the specific platform, partner with influencers, and spark user-generated content through innovative guest engagement.

Paid Digital Advertising

  • Spend and make changes on Google and with major social media platforms.
  • Stay within the budget, and measure the actual profit of each dollar spent.

Data Analytics & Performance Tracking

  • Manage Google Analytics and other comparable programmes, keep tracking misses on vital KPAs, and change strategies when the results demand.

Email and Relationship Marketing

  • Augment loyalty with automation while personalising and tailoring messages to specific segments so each group receives the correct ‘note.’

Managing Online Reputation

  • List and track reviews as they come in, respond to them in a timely manner, manage the online perception of the brands, and apply service recoveries that transform the critics into admirers.

Mobile and Smart Technologies

  • Leverage smartphones as the primary technological instruments, dispatch promotional materials as per the geolocation of the user, and explore the possibilities of astonishing and entertaining users through AR, VR, and the use of chatbots.

Ethics, Privacy and Sustainability

  • Analyse the primary dos and don’ts of promoting online fairly, key laws of privacy like GDPR, and eco-friendly methods that respect humanity and the environment in advertising travel.

Weekly Breakdown / Session Plan 

Week 1: Course Kick-off & Digital Marketing

  • Learning Goals: Understand what online marketing is and its importance in tourism.
  • Class Activities: Brief lecture, trend chat, light group mingle.
  • Suggested Readings: Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick, Ch. 1; UNWTO digital notes.

Week 2: Understanding Online Travelers

  • Learning Goals: Explore the habits of online customers and practise sketching clear target profiles.
  • Class Activities: Build personas in teams, then review a real case.
  • Suggested Readings: Ryan & Jones, Ch. 2.

Week 3: User Experience and SEO

  • Learning Goals: Explore how websites influence user experience and learn basic SEO principles.
  • Class Activities: Small team audit selected sites, then do quick keyword drills.
  • Suggested Readings: Kaushik, Chapter 4; Moz SEO.

Week 4: Tourism Content That Works

  • Learning Goals: Learn how stories and clear messages sell travel ideas.
  • Class Activities: Plan a simple calendar, then write a short blog draft.
  • Suggested Readings: Pulizzi, Chapter 3.

Week 5: Social Media That Connects

  • Learning Goals: Master platform strategies and create meaningful two-way conversations.
  • Class Activities: Develop posts in groups, share, and receive informal evaluations.
  • Suggested Readings: Tuten and Solomon, Annotated Bibliography.

Week 6: Basics of Online Advertising

  • Learning Goals: Understand how to plan, budget, and manage expenses in paid media advertising.
  • Class Activities: Explore Google Ads interface and create primary ad groups.
  • Suggested Readings: Google Skillshop; Chaffey Paid Ads materials.

Week 7: Campaign Idea Refinement

  • Learning Goals: Improve campaign proposals through feedback and revision.
  • Class Activities: Guided critique sessions; peer reviews; industry spotlight.
  • Suggested Readings: Draft campaign materials.

Week 8: Reflection Notes Only

  • Learning Goals: Understand email campaign planning and CRM segmentation.
  • Class Activities: Email template design; flowcharting automation.
  • Suggested Readings: Chaffey CRM chapters.

Week 9: Measuring Digital Success

  • Learning Goals: Learn to track campaign performance and interpret marketing data.
  • Class Activities: Practice using analytics dashboards; interpret reports.
  • Suggested Readings: Kaushik, Dashboards and Data Metrics.

Week 10: Overseeing Online Reviews and Brand Reputation

  • Learning Goals: Examine guest feedback and brand reputation management techniques.
  • Class Activities: Roleplay exercises on customer review responses.
  • Suggested Readings: Case Examples of Maylor and Blackmon.

Week 11: Investigating Contemporary Digital Transformations

  • Learning Goals: Analyse applications of VR, AR, and AI in tourism marketing.
  • Class Activities: Self-organised trend presentations and discussions.
  • Suggested Readings: Scholarly publications on recent developments in tourism and technology.

Week 12: Final Project Presentations

  • Learning Goals: Demonstrate campaign projects and incorporate feedback.
  • Class Activities: Team presentations, Q&A sessions, critiques.
  • Suggested Readings: Course Review and Reflection.

Week 13: Course Review and Reflection

  • Learning Goals: Reflect on acquired knowledge and its global application.
  • Class Activities: Individual reflection tasks and discussion on course takeaways.
  • Suggested Readings: Reflection notes only.

Reading Materials

  • Book Title / Author(s): Digital Marketing Strategies for Tourism, Hospitality and Airline Industries by José Duarte Santos & Oscar Lima Silva (Eds.)
  • Content Overview: Looks at how online marketing reshapes guest and flyer ties in travel, hotels, and airlines.
  • Book Title / Author(s): Digital Marketing and Social Media Strategies for Tourism and Hospitality Organisations by Ahmet Bulent Ozturk (Ozturk)
  • Content Overview: Looks at the apps and networks travelers use daily and explains how businesses meet them where they already spend time online.
  • Book Title / Author(s): Marketing Tourism and Hospitality: Concepts and Cases (2nd ed.) by Richard George (George R.)
  • Content Overview: Goes over classic marketing ideas then links them to today’s buzz topics like A.I., green travel, and more through short, clear stories.
  • Book Title / Author(s): Marketing for Tourism, Hospitality & Events: A Global & Digital Approach (2nd ed.) by Simon & Louise Hudson (Hudson)
  • Content Overview: Packs fresh global examples and quick reflection tasks into each chapter so readers can test new digital ideas right away.
  • Book Title / Author(s): Tourism, Hospitality and Digital Transformation: Strategic Management by Tajeddini, Ratten & Merkle (Eds.) (Tajeddini)
  • Content Overview: Gathers experts who map out what digital change means for long-term planning in hotels, destinations, and travel firms.