ISHRM School System i

PROS AND CONS OF THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM IN

THE PROMOTION OF TOURISM INDUSTRY: BASIS FOR POLICY
FORMULATION

An Undergraduate Thesis
Presented to
the Faculty of the
College of Tourism Management
ISHRM School System – Habay, Bacoor,Cavite

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Course Requirements for the Degree
Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management

EMIE LOU G. PAGALA

HAZEL HEART E. DOMINGUEZ

CAMILLE E. LUMBACA

RHEALYN B. MALIMBAN

GIL JOHN D. PALOMIQUE

PENNEVIE B. SAGUN

GWYNETH ELYZE YAP

MAY 2021
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE •••••••••••••••••••••

TABLE OF CONTENTS •••••••••••••••••••••

ACKNOWLEDGMENT •••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER 1

 THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction ••••••••••••••••••••• 1

Background of the Study ••••••••••••••••••••• 2

Theoretical Framework ••••••••••••••••••••• 6

Conceptual Framework ••••••••••••••••••••• 8

Statement of the Problem ••••••••••••••••••••• 8

Scope and Limitation ••••••••••••••••••••• 10

Significance of the Study ••••••••••••••••••••• 11

Definition of Terms ••••••••••••••••••••• 12

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CHAPTER 2

 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Foreign Literature ••••••••••••••••••••• 15

Local Literature ••••••••••••••••••••• 29

Synthesis ••••••••••••••••••••• 36

CHAPTER 3

 METHODOLOGY

Research Method/Design ••••••••••••••••••••• 41

Population and Sampling Design ••••••••••••••••••••• 43

Respondents of the Study ••••••••••••••••••••• 43

Research Instrument ••••••••••••••••••••• 44

Validity and Reliability ••••••••••••••••••••• 45

Data Gathering Procedure ••••••••••••••••••••• 45

Statistical Tools ••••••••••••••••••••• 46

Survey Questionnaire ••••••••••••••••••••• 48

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
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CHAPTER 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Social media has changed every single aspect of our lives, including the

way we consume. These developments have significantly affected businesses

mainly through enabling new marketing strategies. Tourism, being one of the most

vibrant sectors of the global economy, is undoubtedly a part of all these. Merging

social media and tourism marketing will lead to excellent results for your business

(Digital Travel Summit APAC, 2022).

Tourism marketing is the collective name given to the various marketing

strategies used by businesses within the tourism industry. This includes, for

example, hotels and other forms of accommodation, along with airlines, car rental

services, restaurants, entertainment venues, travel agents and tour operators. The

purpose behind tourism marketing is to promote the business, make it stand out

from rivals, attract customers, and generate brand awareness. Many modern

tourism marketing strategies make use of the internet, with websites, online

adverts, email and social media platforms often playing a key role (REVFINE,

2022).

Therefore, social media allows us to bypass the feeling and jump straight to

the point of being a trusted resource for adventure and excitement or rest and

relaxation. Therefore, social media allows people to share written testaments to

your brand’s
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most amazing qualities, share pictures and videos of their experiences, and

capture the heart and imaginations of their networks unlike any advertisement ever

could.

Social media allows us to connect with our audience on a much deeper

level. You create not just brand awareness with your audience, but also an

awareness and a real empathy between the user and the product: a strong bond

that brings us loyal clients and creates new business opportunities thanks to

mouth-to-mouth, which adds a great value. For companies, social media is an

instrument to monitor the brand, the competency and related industries; interact

with users on topics related to the company and their community; publicize offers

and answer complaints, suggestions, or user ideas in a direct way (Gingles,

2021). Furthermore, Social media impact on tourism is seen in the ways people

research before going on a trip. Now people are encouraged to share their travel

experiences. Thus, social media has transformed the way people make decisions.

People build their trust in a tourism agency based on the reviews of the others

(Digital Travel Summit APAC, 2022).

Social media or Social Networking site is one of the vital tools in this era of

internet, which can play an exceptional part in the growing of the tourism industry if

used extensively and efficiently. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram,

YouTube, personal blogs have an immense influence on the minds of the

consumers who are willing to travel to a certain place to spend some leisure time.
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These platforms have enabled the public to understand and know about the places

deeply and know what special things they can enjoy there. The tourist places and

hotels are also getting massive exposure through these sites and having the

opportunity to increase their business furthermore.

The prime aim of this research paper is to explore the opportunities of social

media platforms in the tourism industry and how the social networking sites, in

turn, would affect the customer’s decision making if promotions are strategically

done. The goal is to explore the used of social networking sites as a promotional

channel. The paper will subsequently discuss about the aspects of the tourism

industry that required to be included in the social media advertisements to develop

the sector as a whole.

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Background of the Study

Social media is a powerful medium of advertising good things about people and

places. Therefore, it is now being used to promote the tourism industry through

networking sites where people mostly communicate and meet new ventures

(Borlio, Cuyos, Padillos and Pataganao, 2020)

For the tourism industry, the age of brochures and billboards are over. The key

to business success is to collect social shares, positive user reviews and customer

satisfaction on social media. Digitalization is bringing unprecedented opportunities

for tourism small and mid-size enterprise (SME) to access new markets, develop

new tourism products and services, adopt new business models and processes,

upgrade their position in global tourism value chains and integrate into digital

ecosystems. Digitalization brings significant potential benefits to small and mid-

size enterprise (SME) - it can help them to become more efficient, free up time and

resources to focus on strategic tasks, and increase their capacity to develop new

business models, enter new markets, or internationalize operations (Digital Travel

Summit APAC, 2022)

In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to manage tourist

destinations to allow the recovery of tourism on the one hand and reduce its

negative impact on the environment and the local community on the other.

Information provided via social media by both residents and tourists can help

restart tourism (Hysa, Zdonekm, and Karasek, 2022).

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Tourism, being one of the most vibrant sectors of the global economy, is

undoubtedly a part of all these. Social sharing might be the most significant factor

that affected the tourism industry. Social media enables especially young people to

share the most significant memories from their travels with a vast audience.

Tourism companies should know that this is a more powerful way of attracting new

travelers than simple advertisements and encourage people to share their real

experiences online. As seen above, the rise of social media led to the

development of two-way communication between agencies and customers and

customers to customers. To benefit from this impact of social media on the tourism

industry, turning to social media is vital for a tourism agency (Digital Travel Summit

APAC, 2022).

The importance of social media is growing in the realm of the tourism industry.

More and more researchers are undertaking studies in the areas of the impact of

social media on the tourism industry. The aim of this study is to be able to provide

helpful and legitimate actions and plans for the betterment of promoting the

tourism industry. Especially with the current problems that the tourism industry’s

facing right now due to pandemic.

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Theoretical Framework
The impact of social media on marketing communication cannot be

overemphasized. Social media has proven to have a significant role both on the

demand and supply aspects of marketing communication within the tourism and

hospitality industry.

According to Bhattacharya (2022), In order to maintain a competitive pace,

businesses are bound to leverage popular social media platforms. Social platforms

help you connect with your customers, boost brand awareness, and increase your

leads and sales. Social media has greatly transformed the business landscape. It

is one of the most important aspects of digital marketing, which provides incredible

benefits that help reach millions of customers worldwide.

According to Wutzke (2021), Social media marketing requires both strategy and

creativity. It’s important that around 92% of marketers use social media as part of

their marketing efforts. In addition to that, 78% of salespeople engaged in social

media are outselling their peers who aren’t. Plus, its benefits extend far beyond

increasing sales.

According to Carey (2021), social media absolutely plays a role in the tourism

industry whether you offer experiences, lodging or tours. Make social platforms

work for you by honing in on the kind of guests you want to attract and what they

are looking for as they plan their next adventure. Create visually engaging content

that’s inspiring and relevant to your followers. Social media’s impact on tourism
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connects the dots for travelers longing to experience something new and exciting.

Curating an active social media presence will have a positive impact on your

tourism business, especially if you focus on sharing content that is both

emotionally and visually appealing.

However, not all businesses are aware of the benefits of social media

marketing. In fact, nearly 40% of small businesses don't use social media. Even

more concerning is that an additional 16% are unlikely to use social media for

business at all (Wutzke, 2021).

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Conceptual Framework

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

Respondent’s profile 1. Data collection of

of college students student’s profiles. Pros and Cons of the Use
from ISHRM School of Social Media Platform
System according to: 2. Descriptive survey. in the Promotion of
a. Age: Tourism Industry: Basis
b. Gender: 3.Collection of data. for Policy Formulation
c. Year Level:
d. Current Curriculum 4.Statistical analysis
and interpretation.

Statement of the Problem

This study attempts to know the Pros and Cons of the Use of Social Media

Platform in the Promotion of Tourism Industry: Basis for Policy Formulation.

1. What is the demographic profile of respondents in terms of:

1.1. Age

• 21-30

• 31-40

1.2. Location

1.3. Gender
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1.4. Marital Status

1.5. Year Level?

2. What are the contribution of various online marketing in helping us to promote

the

Tourism Industry, just as follows:

2.1. Affiliate Marketing

2.2. Email Marketing

2.3. Online Advertising

2.4. Search Engine Optimization (SEP)

2.5. Social Media Marketing

2.6. Viral Marketing?

3. What are the basis on why social media is the most effective way to promote

tourism industry?

4. Is there significant relationship between the effectivity of social media promotion

and traditional promotion?

5. What possible marketing plan will be effective to help us to promote Tourism

Industry?
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Scope and Limitation

This study focused on the Pros and Cons of the Use of Social Media Platform

in the Promotion of Tourism Industry during the Academic Year of 2022-2023.

The respondents of the study were composed of 100 randomly selected

college students in the ISHRM-Bacoor Cavite Campus with the age ranging twenty-

one to forty (21-40) years old.

The researchers considered working on this study to find out what would be

the best and suitable social media platform to promote our tourism industry on the

randomly selected students of ISHRM-Bacoor Cavite Campus, and also to provide

legitimate actions and plans for the betterment of promoting our tourism industry.

The researchers will resort an online survey using google form and non-random

sampling as their way of collecting data to answer the research problems. The

researchers used the descriptive method under the quantitative approaches in

research. The research was conducted on March and April 2022.

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Significance of the Study

This study will be beneficial to the following:

ISHRM College Students. This study will provide useful information that can

contribute to a student's current knowledge about promoting tourism through an

effective marketing plan. In which they can apply in the near future.

Owners of Online Travel Agency. This research will be beneficial for the

owners, especially of an Online Travel Agency as this will serve as a guide and a

basis for their marketing plans. With the current situation of the tourism and

hospitality industry, this study will help the owners to reach a wide range of

audience and exposure.

Local community. Through this research, the residents/local community of

any tourist destination will benefit from the promotion of tourism. As with the bloom

of tourism this will help to open more job opportunities and employment that can

provide them revenue and growth.

Online consumers and/or travellers. With the purpose of this study to

develop an effective marketing plan, it will then produce quality products and

services offered to the tourists. In which, it will benefit them towards satisfaction.

And through decision-making.

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Future researchers. This will serve as a basis and as a reference for the

future researchers. In which, this study will serve as a supporting detail and a

strong background to their research. And a guide to executing an effective

marketing plan in promoting tourism.

Definition of Terms

Actions - is doing something for a particular purpose

(https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/action).

Authentic - conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features

(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/authentic).

Competitors - someone who is trying to win or do better than all others especially

in business or sports: someone who is competing

(https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/competitor).

Credible - offering reasonable grounds for being believed

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/credible).

Descriptive Method - a powerful research tool that permits a researcher to collect

data and describe the demographics of the same with the help of
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statistical analysis (Purcell, 2022).

Peers - are the people who are the same age as you, or who have the

same type of job, social class etc.

(https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/peer).

Platforms - any hardware or software used to host an application or service

(Bigelow, 2021)

Promotions - any communication that attempts to influence people to buy

products or services (Ward, 2020).

Quantitative Approach - the process of collecting and analyzing numerical data

(Bhandari, 2020).

Randomly - in a way that happens, is done, or is chosen by chance rather

than according to a plan

(https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/randomly).

Respondents - a person who answers a question, letter, email message, survey,

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or anything else that requires a response

(https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/respondent).

Social Media - a collective term for websites and applications that focus on

communication

(https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/social-media).
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CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter represents the reviews of related literature of both foreign

and local, created by author whose writings/articles have direct bearing in the

foundation of the study.

Foreign Literature

Social media is therefore to be known as one of the fastest growing

communication technologies in the internet environment. Social media marketing

refers to Internet-based online media in which individuals with the same interests,

goals, and practices engage in social interactions constructing personal profiles

and sharing information and experiences. In which, social media represents a

variety of forms such as social networks (e.g., Facebook), photo sharing sites

(e.g., Flickr, Photobucket), video creating and sharing sites (e.g., YouTube,

Upstream), online communities, microblogging tools (e.g., Twitter), social tagging

(e.g., Digg), newsreaders (Google Reader), public Internet boards and forums,

review/rating websites (e.g., TripAdvisor), blogs/moblogs, tagging sites,

podcasting, wikis, and individual websites. Social media itself is a catch-all term

for sites that may provide completely different social actions. For example,

Twitter is a social site designed to let people share short messages, a status or
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"updates" with others. Facebook, on the other hand, is a fully-developed social

networking site that allows a wide range of activities such as sharing and posting

updates, photos, joining events and/or groups. The approach of modern

technologies was able to develop a faster way for the travelers/tourists to interact

with their travel experiences. In which, it creates a big influence in travel decision

making for future travelers (Švajdová, L. (2019).

1. Social media as an effective communication channel

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, most enterprises and

organizations used the Internet for one-way communication, which is comparable

to traditional promotion tools, such as advertising. Nowadays, thanks to social

media, the use of the Internet in marketing communication is changing

significantly. User-generated content on various social networks largely

determines the image of an organization, even influencing its revenues and, as a

result, survival. New opportunities for communication with users are also

available to organizations in the tourism industry, where they are used in the

marketing of a new tourism product. To be able with the return of the tourism

industry while maintaining sustainability (Hysa, Karasek, Zdonel (2021).

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According to Sushchenko & Ekouaghe (2019), to be able to determine the

effectiveness of advertising a particular tourism product is to determine if it was

able to persuade the intention of the consumers, its decision in purchasing the

product or services. In a recent study, it is said that the basic form of the test to

determine persuasiveness is by simply asking the consumer what they are likely

to buy, followed up by showing them an advertisement to see how they would

react. This will be able to analyze if their decision to buy has increased as a

result of watching and/or viewing the advertisement that was shown.

According to Samanta and Mukunda (2017), that social media is one of the

most powerful online networking tools, and has been integrated into a part of

social and economic life in the real world. Wikipedia defines social media as the

means of interactions among people in which they create share, exchange, and

comment on content among themselves in virtual communities and networks. It

includes social networking sites, blogs, microblogs, consumer review sites,

content community sites, wikis, internet forums, and location-based social media.

Social media has emerged as the new way in which people connect socially, by

integrating information and communication technology (such as mobile and web-

based technologies), social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures,

videos, and audio. It is actually more than a new way to communicate, but refers
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to an entirely online environment built on people’s contributions and interactions.

The importance of social media is growing in the realm of the tourism industry.

More and more researchers are undertaking studies in the areas of the impact of

social media on the tourism industry. Social media proved to be a major

communication vehicle that spread across the region like wildfire. The tourism

industry is one of the sectors that have beneficiated the most from the internet

and as a result, social media has become an integral part of any central or state

tourism promotion and planning.

According to Gulati (2021), the relevance of social media advertising in

tourism has been previously noted due to the “information-intensive” nature of

the industry, and thus can be said social media promotion helps in information

dissemination to tourists. Furthermore, social media has created social groups on

digital platforms, to which users seek alignment and reciprocity too, and end up

making social connects online. Thus, social media has become a common tool

for tourism stakeholders to achieve their objectives because of the features it

provides starting from attracting tourists to newer destinations to transforming the

scope of the industry to sustainable tourism. The most prominent uses of social

media in tourism are information exchange, publicity and promotion, trip planning

and decision-making, and social sharing. Social media also allows tourists to not
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only stay in touch with their friends and family but also transform relationships

and create “collective intelligence”. It helps and allows users to create a

community where they can build social interactions with fellow travelers, along

with a bond built on trust and verification.

According to Tasnim (2020), social networking sites have created a vast

opportunity for the progress of any business or social initiative. Social media is

an efficient and financially savvy method of improving tourist choices, observing

services, and refining customers' gratification. Tourism service is intangible and

heterogeneous. Thus, the satisfaction of the customer remains the main

objective in this sense. And social networking sites are providing that opportunity

to the potential consumers and the experienced consumers to know more and

create further enthusiasm.

According to Henderson (2020), social media has become the most

influential and important virtual space where the platform is not only used for

social networking but is also a great way of digitally advertising your brand and

your products. These social media channels help you attract the right customers

with the right information at the right time and help you showcase your product or

brand to potential customers at the right times.

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According to Davis (2022), social media marketing is when a brand makes

use of social media platforms to connect with its audience. Social media can help

to grow sales, drive traffic to websites, build your brand and create lasting

relationships between you and your customers. It can become quite a complex

marketing strategy, with social media listening, content creation, data analysis

and follower engagement. In 202 the most important social media platforms are

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest and LinkedIn.

On the other hand, Davis pointed out the advantages of social media marketing.

1.1 Better Customer Satisfaction. When marketing for social media, you’re

marketing specifically for your customers. That means the advertising will speak

more directly to your target audience. You can let people know that you

genuinely care about them and their experiences. This will create a positive

experience and your brand will grow in popularity.

1.2 Brand Awareness is Improved. Once people start talking about you on

social media, liking your posts and sharing them, you’re getting free exposure.

With this exposure, your brand will reach more awareness than you could have

gotten with old school marketing. On top of that, it happens a lot quicker because

the social media world is a fast-paced one.

1.3 Gain Better Market Insights. With market insight, a company knows the
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interests, opinions and needs of their customers. That kind of knowledge helps to

build social media marketing strategies that really work. It is much easier to gain

market insight thanks to the many tools available on social media.

1.4 Cost-Effective. Once you have enough knowledge about what works on

which platforms, you will find that it’s not as expensive to use. You can expect to

pay for advertisements but with the high return on investment (ROI) rate social

media marketing offers, it’s much more cost-effective than traditional marketing.

According to Senouci (2019), Facebook and Twitter allow you to be on social

platforms where there is a lot potential client. Furthermore, it is very easy to use

them and you can create an account very quickly. Through these two social

media, hotels can easily provide relevant and consistent information and they

can also answer to the users’ requests. Facebook and Twitter are great tools to

interact with users who are looking for a hotel and they consider your hotel as an

option. Social media can also be used as a customer service through which

guests ask questions and give their opinion whether it is good or not and you, as

a marketer, answer directly through your account. Never forget that their

feedback is essential since it will help you figure out what works and what you

have to improve. Ultimately you can retain customers and attract new ones.
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According to Uswitch (2019), UK adults spend close to two hours on

socials every day. GWI found similar or even higher daily averages in other

countries. Looking at those numbers, it’s hardly a surprise that social media has

a strong impact on day-to-day decision making, including our travel choices.

Social media reviews are another key element that can help you better promote

your business. Good reviews, be it ratings or comments, play a major role in

building trust among people researching a future trip. TripAdvisor, one of the

world’s most widely-used review sites, found that 96% of its users ‘consider

reading reviews important when planning trips and booking hotels.’ 83% of them

will ‘usually’ or ‘always’ check reviews before deciding to book a hotel while over

50% would not want to book a hotel without any guest feedback.

According to Hahn (2019), social media has become a part of every

aspect of our daily lives. From catching up with (or showing off to) friends to

shopping and entertainment, social media has likely changed, or at least

impacted, how you go about many activities. Travel and travel planning are no

exception. This is why many marketers tout social media as a great way for

hotels to reach their target audience and drive business. But finding the best way

to leverage social channels for your hotel can be tricky. And if you haven’t had a

lot of success with it so far, you may wonder if it’s even worth it.
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2. Social media in terms of promoting Tourism Industry

In recent times, the impact of social media on marketing communication

cannot be overemphasized. Social media has proven to have a significant role

both on the demand and supply aspects of marketing communication within the

tourism and hospitality industry. This has directly facilitated the interaction and

reaction with visitors via various internet platforms as well as provide a platform

for the evaluations of services and satisfaction rates. This review study analyses

the research publications that focus on the changes in marketing

communications after the introduction of social media in tourism. It recapitulates

the main characteristics of social media and its implication on marketing

communication strategies. Since there is no collection of data, this conceptual

paper is based solely on a review and analysis of previous research done and

data from the literature. The findings of this paper suggest that research on social

media in the tourism and hospitality sector is still in its embryonic stage.

Additionally, it infers that as part of tourism management and marketing strategy,

the need to encourage more in-depth research into the influence and impacts of

social media on several facets of the tourism and hospitality industry, becomes

highly necessary in this domain (Cizrelioğullari, Uwajeh, & Babayi̇ ği̇ t (2019).
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According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), travel and

tourism grew by 3.9 percent in 2018; generated $8.8 trillion in revenue; and

created 319 million jobs. Along with this, social media has been one of the most

effective marketing channels for the tourism industry. And currently, video

marketing is booming when it comes to marketing tourism products and services.

As it shows that the travelers are most likely to find everything on the internet,

searching for videos and different information they need to know before they

conduct a trip. Live streaming videos are also in high demand and are getting a

lot of attention. The research shows that 82 % of people now prefer to watch live

videos over photos and/or pre-recorded contents posted online. With this, social

media has been really helpful in promoting the tourism industry.

According to Zion Market Research, the online travel booking market was

worth 765 billion USD in 2017 and is expected to generate 1,955 billion USD by

2026. In addition to that, over 57 percent of all travel reservations (including

accommodation, tours and activities, flights, etc.) are made online. The travelers

are now more hands on when it comes to looking for online resources and tools

to research about their trip such as reviews from other people's experiences.

Now, the travelers get their travel decision making influenced the most through

different advertisements they see online. Or by simply searching on Google.

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Such as different destinations, accommodation, transportations, activities, tours,

packages, etc. (Kamel, M. (2019).

The tourists now use new technologies more often to obtain and gather

different information about the destination. With the main aim of marketing

activities to encourage potential tourists. In 2019, the costs of digital advertising

in the travel industry reached USD 5.5 trillion, representing 4.2% of total digital

spending. In which, it indicates a high value of expenses on conducting

marketing activities, in which expenses on activities in the digital area are

important. In the world, according to the Digital 2020 survey, globally, over 4.5

billion people use the Internet and the number of social media users has already

exceeded 3.8 billion. Almost 60% of the world’s population is online, and the

latest trends suggest that - soon - more than half of the world’s population will be

using social media (Hysa, Karasek, & Zdonek (2021)).

According to Tarannum Tasnim, social networking sites have created a

vast opportunity for the progress of any business or social initiative. The tourism

industry has transformed radically with the baffling appearance of online media

platforms making innovative chances to improve and pull in the customers with

the means of enabled and encouraged correspondence and authorized

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engagement of visitors in many countries of the world. Social media is an

efficient and financially savvy method of improving tourist choices, observing

services, and refining customers' gratification. Tourism service is intangible and

heterogeneous. Thus, the satisfaction of the customer remains the main

objective in this sense. And social networking sites are providing that opportunity

to the potential consumers and the experienced consumers to know more and

create further enthusiasm.

According to Carnoy (2017), social media has fundamentally changed the

way that many companies communicate with and market to their target

demographics. For the travel and hospitality sector, in particular, the rise of the

Internet and the increased popularity of social channels has altered travel

marketing. From the way that travelers research potential destinations to the

activities that they participate in once they arrive, the new ways that consumers

use social media to make purchasing decisions has influenced tourism marketing

from start to finish.

In addition, here are the 5 ways tourism has been impacted:

2.1 Travel research transformed. From social sharing sites such as Instagram

to crowd-sourced review sites such as TripAdvisor, people are browsing the

Internet for travel inspiration and validation from their peers. There, they can
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easily find other travelers’ photos, check-ins, ratings and more. This easy-to-

attain, real guest feedback serves to preview the in-person experience that the

destination has to offer from a viewpoint other than that of the brand.

2.2 Rise in social sharing. People have always loved sharing photos and

videos taken of their travels. What social media has done is to facilitate and

expand people’s ability to share travel experiences with a wider audience than

ever before. Over 97% of millennials share photos and videos of their travels

online, building an influential web of peer-to-peer content that serves to inspire

potential guests.

2.3 Enhanced customer service. Customer service and satisfaction have also

been transformed as a result of social media. The vast majority of brands have a

social media presence that is being used to become aware of and, when

necessary, to provide help to unsatisfied or confused customers. The companies

that respond to complaints in a sincere and genuine manner develop a strong

reputation among current and potential customers.

2.4 Reshaping travel agencies. Social media has also had a major impact on

the travel agency model. The availability of information and ease of self-service

booking have forced travel agencies to adapt from a brick-and-mortar model to a

more digital one. Travel agencies are not obsolete -- they are still responsible for
 ISHRM School System 28

55% of all airline bookings, 77% of cruise bookings, and 73% of package

bookings. But many agencies have shifted their focus from in-person to online

experiences as they adapt to new technology and market trends.

2.5 Changing loyalty programs. Loyalty programs have become a core piece of

the travel business model, and social media has had a massive impact on how

hotel loyalty programs are constructed. Many customers understand that the

opinions that they share with their individual networks have tremendous

influence. As a result, these guests feel entitled to compensation for the positive

word-of-mouth marketing that they are doing for a brand. More than 25% of

millennials that participate in loyalty programs are very likely to post about a

brand in exchange for loyalty points.

 ISHRM School System 29

Local Literature

Social media as a powerful tool

According to CustomerThink, in the past few years, social media has

grown from being a medium where people socialize to one of the most powerful

avenues for marketing and promotion of businesses. Social media marketing

describes any marketing effort which is carried out via any social media platform;

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn etc. The sharp rise in social media

marketing is occasioned by the tremendous advantages that this marketing effort

offers. More and more businesses are including social media marketing as part

of their advertising plan, while those that already have a social media marketing

campaign are doubling their budgets in this regard.

But there are two sides to everything; including social media marketing.

Social media marketing will only prove successful if done properly and

effectively. Just like everything on earth, there are rules, failure to abide by the

rules of social media marketing will cause it to have a detrimental effect on your

brand or business. Do not follow the bandwagon and jump unprepared into social

media marketing; you may get burnt. It is important you carry out proper research

and be well informed about all aspect of this marketing effort before you

subscribe to it. Below are 10 pros and cons of social media marketing in mobile

app development;
 ISHRM School System 30

According to Borlio (2020), social media is a powerful medium of advertising

good things about people and places. Therefore, it is now being used to promote

the tourism industry through networking sites where people mostly communicate

and meet new ventures. Social media pages served as an avenue to faster

disseminate the information, especially for the tourism establishments with lesser

cost.

According to Kemp (2020), More than 4.5 billion people are using the internet

at the start of 2020, while social media users have passed the 3.8 billion marks.

Nearly 60 percent of the world’s population is already online, and the latest

trends suggest that more than half of the world’s total population will use social

media by the middle of this year.

Without a doubt, social media is still increasing its numbers of users and still

useful because people already have an access through different social media

platform. Facebook is one of the leading applications who have the most users in

the world. It is easy to use and has a lot of access to different business, products

and even gaining profits. Promoting is one of the best features of Facebook and

this is the reason why many Filipinos is influenced to use this application

(Statista,2020).
 ISHRM School System 31

According to Syntactics (2021), social media has indeed made the world

interestingly smaller in the last decade alone. It made human interaction easier,

faster, and more convenient. Combined with the newest technological

innovations in communication, various social media platforms have become more

powerful. These platforms have also proved helpful for their users, especially

business owners implementing their digital marketing campaigns. As such, in this

article, let us discover some of the common advantages and disadvantages of

using social media advertising.

As of January 2021, there are already 4.2 billion active social media users

in the world. Some of the most popular social media platforms worldwide ranked

according to their number of active users include Facebook (2.7 million),

YouTube (2.3 million), WhatsApp (2.0 million), Facebook Messenger (1.3

million), and Instagram (1.2 million).

Let us take Facebook, for example. You have a potential market of 2.7

million people. Imagine how wide this marketing platform is going to be for

business owners and social media marketing consultants to promote their

brands. For this reason, social media marketing (SMM) bombed its way through

to this globally renowned mediated world. Although this social media strategy has

been around even before Facebook came into the picture, the technological
evolution in digital marketing was able to bring it forward to this day.

ISHRM School System 32

Based on Thrive Agency (2021), most entrepreneurs and marketers have

found social media marketing to be an effective solution for promoting their

products or services. Some have driven visitors to their eCommerce site through

Instagram Stories, a series of multimedia content that vanishes within 24 hours,

or boosted sales of a new product through promotional YouTube content. Others

have hopped on hashtag trends on Twitter.

In 2020 alone, more than half of the world (3.96 billion) was on some form

of social media. Industry experts believe that number will continue to rise

because social platforms have not captured all 4.57 billion internet users (Smart

Insights, 2020). With so many users yet to join social media, it is entirely possible

that the popularity of any one social media platform for marketing has not even

peaked yet. Evidently, there’s still much more to be gained by those who add

social media to their marketing mix in 2021.

Since social networks have expanded from simply connecting people to

bringing businesses closer to consumers, all social media channels have

experienced a large increase in usage. Brands continue to benefit from the

advantages of social media marketing, which will continue to grow as the

platforms evolve and technology develops. For instance, Instagram’s move in

November 2020 to make captions searchable without the need for hashtags

allows for less clunky messaging, and Facebook has introduced Shops to enable
small businesses to sell directly to their audience on the platform.

ISHRM School System 33

Leverage the pros of social media as you prepare your marketing strategy

for 2021. But don’t forget to consider the cons of social media, like trolls and

reputation issues, to develop a balanced and realistic game plan.

With an enlarging community of users of social media and the opportunity in

terms of marketing, the Department of Tourism see this as a tool to promote the

tourism in the country and tapping into social media influencers to promote their

tourist attractions in their hometowns. They have also called on the Filipinos to

be “Ambassadors of Fun” and promote their hometown’s tourist attractions using

various social media platforms.

According to Maureen Atienza (2019) in her research journal entitled

“Social Media Marketing (SMM): Measuring Its Effects to Resorts in Batangas

Province, Philippines” that one of the best ways of promoting products and

services is the use of social media. These days, people are so much engaged in

the use of social media like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Blogs, and

Websites. These social networking sites are also frequently used by the

individual in the industry to reach a number of people in promoting products and

services. A growing number of resort and spa destinations are spreading their

wings and reaching a wider customer base via social media.

 ISHRM School System 34

Based on Eight Media, Filipinos are known for their hospitality, camaraderie,

and—well— active use of the internet and social media. Even during the

pandemic, the Philippines remains at the top of the list in terms of time spent

using social media.

According to a report by Hootsuite and We Are Social (2021), Filipinos have

a recorded average of 10 hours and 56 minutes of internet use per day (4 hours

and 15 minutes of which are spent on social media). That’s four hours more than

the global average of 6 hours and 54 minutes. What do these numbers mean?

These statistics suggest that there are more sales opportunities for Filipino

businesses, especially those that leverage the digital marketing landscape in the

Philippines. They also suggest that as long as Filipinos remain active on social

media, Filipino consumers will remain open to marketing communication—

targeted messages, advertisements, and personalized content. This leaves the

doors open for Philippine businesses to capture potential customers in the online

marketplace and drive sales revenue. So as a business, how can you take

advantage of this opportunity? What are things that you should be mindful of

when bringing your business online?

 ISHRM School System 35

The constant need for social interaction, especially in a country divided by

over seven thousand islands and with an increasing number of overseas

workers, were among the leading factors that contributed to the rising number of

social network users in the Philippines. As a result of high penetration rates,

marketing strategies on social media such as influencer marketing and social

commerce are increasingly becoming important among local and international

brands looking forward to connect to the millions of Filipino online users (Statista,

2021).

According to Macaraeg & Tayo (2021), Evolving in this new normal, the

internet and smart phones became the household necessity that has a great

impact to one’s everyday routine. Since Tourism is a discipline where media

plays an essential role, most people are fascinated to visit a destination of their

choice. Mass media became the primary source of information as it can reach a

wide variety of audiences through the internet, radio, television, and social media

platforms. It encourages tourism in various ways in attracting tourist, inform and

persuade them to patronize and support all activities related to it. Tourists decide

which airlines to fly, what hotel to book, visit the nearby attractions and shopping

centers. By utilizing mass media as a form of promotion and advertisement of a

specific destination, it could lead to the recovery of the tourism sector.

 ISHRM School System 36

The online travel market includes companies such as online travel agencies

(OTAs) – which allow tourists to book travel services autonomously online – and

travel review websites. For the time being, consumers are also looking for more

digital experiences when traveling. Social media websites play an important role

within the travel industry, as tourists use these platforms to share online content

related to their trips, while companies and influencers use them as a marketing

tool (Statista,2022).

Synthesis

The results of all the literature that the researchers have gathered proves

that social media does contribute a big factor to marketing and communicating

with tourists around the world. In one specific article, they were able to identify

the differences between traditional marketing and modern marketing. It was

mentioned that social media is one of the most effective marketing channels for

the tourism industry. Despite some disadvantages of it, we can’t deny the fact

that we can’t live and/or the fact that we are so attached to these new

developments brought by our modern technology. On the other hand, there has

been a contradiction when it comes to the traditional way of marketing. The

traditional marketing interacts with people personally which is much better than
virtually. But with the recent happenings in our world, the pandemic has brought

a lot and different challenges that the tourism industry faces until now. Modern

ISHRM School System 37

ways of marketing in social media can triple the amount of revenue that they

make in a pre-traditional way. The current generations are fully exposed to the

media and internet, which contribute one to big factors as to why promoting on

social media is now more effective rather than doing it face to face. Because if

we were to compare everything before social media and other technologies were

developed, everything is so troublesome especially for the elderlies. For

example, booking a trip without the online booking systems, the tourist has to go

to a travel agency physical office to be able to book a tour. But what if there is no

travel agency near the area? That is just one to so many “what if’s” of the people,

if the modern way of living that we have right now did not exist. The people are

now so hooked to have a hassle-free and stress-free process. With a lot of

benefits that social media marketing can provide to tourists, the companies under

the tourism industry are also blooming. Just to simply say that you can now reach

millions of users with just one click to a post, likes, shares, and comments. Wide

range of audience, and exposures to different people, brands, other markets.

Connecting around the globe through social media. This modern way is a

blessing to many under the tourism industry. They can now easily connect and

interact with other people. Providing their products and services even for people

from far away. Social media has contributed a lot in promoting the tourism
industry all over the world which is one of the factors that helped the tourism

industry to bounce back on track after the pandemic.

ISHRM School System 38

The results of all related studies sees that the social media is already part

of our lives, as can be seen and write in the article of Uswitch and Hahn (author),

it says that adults spend close to two hours on socials every day. Looking at

those numbers, it’s hardly a surprise that social media has a strong impact on

day-to-day decision making, including our travel choices. Social media reviews

are another key element that can help you better promote your business.

Furthermore, social media has become a part of every aspect of our daily lives.

From catching up with (or showing off to) friends to shopping and entertainment,

social media has likely changed, or at least impacted, how you go about many

activities. In terms of the importance of social media, some authors define it as:

social media has created social groups on digital platforms, to which users seek

alignment and reciprocity too, and end up making social connects online.

Furthermore, social media channels help you attract the right customers with the

right information at the right time and help you showcase your product or brand

to potential customers at the right times. And lastly, For the travel and hospitality

sector, in particular, the rise of the Internet and the increased popularity of social

channels has altered travel marketing. From the way that travelers research

potential destinations to the activities that they participate in once they arrive, the

new ways that consumers use social media to make purchasing decisions has
influenced tourism marketing from start to finish. Last but not least, its

effectiveness, According to Sushchenko & Ekouaghe (2019), In a recent study, it

ISHRM School System 39

is said that the basic form of the test to determine persuasiveness is by simply

asking the consumer what they are likely to buy, followed up by showing them an

advertisement to see how they would react. Moreover, according to Gulati

(2021), the relevance of social media advertising in tourism has been previously

noted due to the “information-intensive” nature of the industry, and thus can be

said social media promotion helps in information dissemination to tourists.

Additionally, according to Uswitch (2019), social media has become the most

influential and important virtual space where the platform is not only used for

social networking but is also a great way of digitally advertising your brand and

your products.

With the data gathered from different studies and literature, the

researchers were able to conduct a clear and concise plan to be able to conduct

the study entitled “Pros and Cons of the Use of Social Media Platform in the

Promotion of Tourism Industry: Basis for Policy Formulation”. The information

gathered has contributed reliable sources and supporting data that will be helpful

in determining the advantages and disadvantages of promoting tourism in social

media platforms, which the researchers are trying to solve in a study that will be

conducted. These will be helpful as it will serve as a basis on the effectiveness of

social media in promoting the tourism industry that will be able to provide a useful

tool for the researchers to come up with a concrete and effective marketing plan.

ISHRM School System 40

By the use of the reliable resources and references, it will serve as a major

supporting detail for the study to be legitimate and that will be useful for future

researchers and studies.

This study is being conducted to find out what would be the best and

suitable social media platform to promote our tourism industry. In addition, to be

able to provide a marketing plan that will help promote our tourism industry. This

study will help us (researchers) and our fellow classmates who are taking a

Tourism Management course so that they also know what is the most effective

social media platform to promote our tourism industry. In this research, the gap

that we have in other researchers is that we want to know what are the “Pros and

Cons of the Use of Social Media Platform in the Promotion of Tourism Industry”,

not only in other industries (manufacture industry, food industry, transportation

equipment industry, etc.) but also in the Tourism Industry in which it can boosts

the revenue of the economy, creates thousands of jobs, develops the

infrastructures of a country, and plants a sense of cultural exchange between

foreigners and citizens.

 ISHRM School System 41

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

In this chapter, the researchers discussed the methodology of the study

that would be used to determine the Pros and Cons of the Use of Social Media

Platform in the Promotion of the Tourism Industry: Basis for Policy Formulation.

In which, this chapter presents the research procedures that were used in this

study. The research procedure is presented as follows; (a) research

method/design, (b) population and sampling, (c) respondents/participants of the

study, (d) research instrument, (e) validation of the instrument, (f) data gathering

procedures, and (g) statistical treatment analysis of data. 

Research Method/Design

The researchers utilized descriptive-survey design in this study. In which it

falls under the quantitative approach in research. The purpose of descriptive-

survey design is for the researchers to be able to understand the demographic

and population of the respondents. To identify and examine their opinion about

the Pros and Cons of the Use of Social Media Platform in the Promotion of the

Tourism Industry. Based on Formplus Blog (2020) descriptive research is a type

of research that describes a population, situation, or phenomenon that is being

studied. It focuses on answering the how, what, when, and where questions of a

ISHRM School System 42

research problem, rather than the why. And defines descriptive survey as

research that uses surveys to gather data about varying subjects. This data aims

to know the extent to which different conditions can be obtained among these

subjects. Descriptive research can involve collections of quantitative information

that can be tabulated along a continuum in numerical form, such as scores on a

test or the number of times a person chooses to use a-certain feature of a

multimedia program, or it can describe categories of information such as gender

or patterns of interaction when using technology in a group situation. Descriptive

research involves gathering data that describe events and then organizes,

tabulates, depicts, and describes the data collection (Glass & Hopkins, 1984). It

often uses visual aids such as graphs and charts to aid the reader in

understanding the data distribution. 

Quantitative research approaches emphasize objective measurements

and the statistical, mathematical, or numerical analysis of data collected through

polls, questionnaires, and surveys, or by manipulating pre-existing statistical data

using computational techniques. Quantitative research focuses on gathering

numerical data and generalizing it across groups of people or to explain a

particular phenomenon. (Creswell, J. W. 2013)

 ISHRM School System 43

Population and Sampling Design

The researchers conducted a survey of randomly one hundred (100)

students in the ISHRM-Bacoor Cavite Campus ages 21-40 years old. The

sampling technique that the researcher used to gather data from the respondents

is purposive sampling.

Purposive sampling is also known as subjective sampling, it is a non-

probability sampling technique where the researcher relies on their discretion to

choose variables for the sample population. Here, the entire sampling process

depends on the researcher's judgment and knowledge of the context. If done

right, purposive sampling helps the researcher filter out irrelevant responses that

do not fit into the context of the study. Once you spell out the criteria for the

systematic investigation based on specific aims and objectives, you can go

ahead to choose units or variables that can provide meaningful responses.

(https://www.formpl.us/blog/purposive-sampling)

Respondents of the Study

The respondents of the study were composed of randomly 100 college

students in the ISHRM-Bacoor Cavite Campus based with the age ranging

twenty-one to forty (21-40) years old. The researchers decided to choose these

respondents because they have the potential to answer the survey questionnaire
since they use all social media platform most of their time and we are confident

ISHRM School System 44

that they knew what platforms that are effective and what contribution that this

platform can do in promoting tourism industry. We are also confident that they

can help us to determine the exact data that we need for this research.

Research Instrument/Survey Questionnaire

The questionnaire was used as the main data-gathering

instrument. The instrument to be prepared focused on answering the statement

of the problem. The Pros and Cons of the Use of Social Media Platform. The

questionnaire contains of twenty (20) questions. The questionnaires will be

distributed to the respondent.

The data gathering instrument was structured as a scale

ranging from 1-5. Where in the (1) is strongly agree, (2) agree, (3) uncertain,

(4) disagree and the last one is (5) strongly disagree. This legend will help the

researchers to analysis the result of conducting data-gathering.

 ISHRM School System 45

Validity and Reliability

The researcher’s questionnaire-checklist was the key indicator of the

quality of gathered data for validation. Its main purpose is to determine whether

the predetermined statements are relevant to the objectives of the study.

Suggestions were considered in the finalization of the instrument. After the

revision of the instrument, it was submitted again to the thesis adviser for

approval and distribution to the principal respondents of the study.

Data Gathering Procedure

In gathering the data of the study through questionnaires, the following

steps were undertaken to obtain the necessary data required for this research.

Phase I. Preparation stage. After the adviser approved the

questionnaire, the researchers made a questionnaire in Google Forms to conduct

the survey.

Phase II. Collecting the data. The researchers distributed the

questionnaires through posting and sending to school groups on Facebook. The

researchers assured confidentiality of their survey sheets since identities were

ISHRM School System 46

not important. Participants were given time to respond, then the researchers can

collect the questionnaires as soon as the participants are done answering. There

were no incentives offered for participating in the research.

Phase III. Data analysis stage. After retrieving all the data, the

researchers tabulated, organized, and analyzed the data gathered. Then, the

survey was submitted to the statistician for statistical, appropriate computation

and analysis. The output was checked by a statistician and was presented to the

researchers.

Statistical Tools

The researcher will use a Descriptive Statistical tool to conduct a series

of statistical analysis to obtain a quantitative data. The purpose of descriptive

statistical is to determine the brief descriptive coefficients that summarize a given

data set, which can be either a representation of the entire population or a

sample of a population. This procedure could really help to analyze and interpret

the data properly.

 ISHRM School System 47

Frequency Percentage: The researcher used this tool to display a data that

specifies the percentage of observations that exist for each data point or

grouping of data points.

Formula:

P= f/n x 100%

P = fn x 100%

P= % (percentage) it is a way of calculated by taking the frequency in the

category divided by the total number of participants and multiplying by 100%.

F= (frequency distribution)

N= (total number of participants’)

 ISHRM School System 48

Survey Questionnaire

Dear Respondent,

We are conducting research about Pros and Cons of the Use of Social

Media Platform in the Promotion of Tourism Industry: Basis for Policy

Formulation. We would like to get some of your time and effort to answer all the

questions below. It is worth mentioning that the data collected shall be used

exclusively for academic purpose.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Respectfully,

Researchers
 ISHRM School System 49

Part 1: Demographic Profile

Instruction: Please check the appropriate blank.

 Gender

____Female ____Male

 Age

____ 21-25 ____ 31-35

____ 26-30 ____ 36-40

 Marital Status

____ Single ____ Married

 Location

____ Bacoor ____ Imus

____ Naic ____ Others

____ Kawit

 Year Level

____ First Year College ____ Third Year College

____ Second Year College ____ Fourth Year College

 ISHRM School System 50

Part 2: Brief Instrument to know the Pros and Cons of Social Media

Platform.

Please check the column that corresponds to your answer.

Scale: (5) Strongly disagree (2) Agree

(4) Disagree (1) Strongly Agree

(3) Uncertain

1 2 3 4 5

SA A U D SD

1. I think social media platforms has a big impact for the

promotion of tourism industry.
2. I think the most effective tool to advertise/promote our
tourism industry is the traditional advertising (e.g.
billboards, prints, telemarketing, etc.).
3. I think social media platforms as a tool for promotion
caters more audience/customers.
4. I think social media platforms as a common tool
nowadays can easily monitor customer feedback.
5. I think social media platforms can quickly manage
comments to answer customer questions or monitor
brand perception.
6. I think social media platforms is the best strategy of
businesses to achieve their marketing objectives.
 ISHRM School System 51

1 2 3 4 5

SA A U D SD

7. I think social media platforms allows us to connect

directly with the audience.
8. I think social media platforms creates brand loyalty by
providing consistent updates, quality content, and
exceptional customer service.
9. I think social media platforms is a time-consuming
process in terms of promoting/advertising businesses.
10. I think using social media platforms, people can easily
use your content or material to criticize you that can
damage your reputation.

Part III. To determine the most effective social media platforms in terms of

promotion.

____ Facebook

____ Instagram

____ Pinterest

____ Snapchat

____ Tiktok