The Role of New Media in Travel and Tourism Industry in Morocco: Customers’ Attitudes

Pr. Hanae AIT HATTANI, Khawla KHOUMSSI


Abstract:

The overwhelming emergence of new media, Web 2.0, and cyberspace have dramatically altered the travel and tourism business and have increasingly taken on an essential role in this industry. The growth of new and digital media has created new opportunities for business leaders and service providers to expand and enhance their marketing activities by using different online platforms to reach out to their target consumers. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the embrace and enhancement of digital marketing are at the heart of this industry’s development. Customers are actively using online content to look for information and share experiences, which have strongly influenced and transformed the travel decision-making process. Therefore, this study comes as an attempt to explore the relationship between new media and the travel and tourism industry, focusing on Moroccan media users’ practices, attitudes, and opinions. For this purpose, surveys were conducted with a sample of 78 Moroccans aged between 20 and 60 years old. The survey findings confirmed that online communities are increasingly encouraging Moroccan consumers’ engagement in the travel and tourism sector, which plays a significant role in business promotion.

Keywords: New media; Online communities; Technology; Digital marketing; Travel and tourism business

DOI: 10.24193/jmr.37.7

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