Digital Marketing Tools and Hotel Patronage in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

The study explored the effects of digital marketing tools on hotel visits in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, emphasizing social media and affiliate marketing as independent variables, and hotel patronage as the dependent outcome. The research targeted a population of 1122 employees with access to customer reservation details across forty-one hotels registered with the Akwa Ibom State Hotels Management and Tourism Board. Data was collected via a structured questionnaire given to hotel employees. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 25 for demographic data, utilizing simple percentages and charts. Univariate analyses employed means and standard deviations to examine data central tendencies and variability. Lastly, to test the study hypotheses, the study employed Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), facilitated by the SmartPLS version 3.2.9 computer software. Findings of the study showed that social media (β = 0.803, t-value = 13.113, p-value = 0.000 < 0.05) had significant effect on hotel patronage in Akwa Ibom State and affiliate marketing (β = 0.701, t-value = 10.002, p-value = 0.021 < 0.05), had a statistical significant effect on hotel patronage. The empirical results revealed that social media has a significant effect on hotel patronage. From this result, we concluded that social media platforms offer hotels a direct channel to engage with potential and existing customers, build brand loyalty, and influence travel decisions. Also, affiliate marketing has a statistical significant effect on the patronage of hotels in Akwa Ibom State. Affiliates, such as travel bloggers, online travel agencies, and other related service providers, promote the hotel to their audience, thereby driving traffic and increasing bookings. Based on the empirical findings, we recommended that management of hotels in Akwa Ibom State should maintain their strong social media presence while exploring other social media platforms in order to engage with their target audience. They should also actively explore and implement affiliate marketing strategies to drive increased customer patronage. By leveraging the synergies between these different components, hotels can maximize the effect of their digital marketing efforts and drive increased customer patronage.