Marketing of Resorts & Homestays to Ecotourists through Websites in Coastal Karnataka:A Content Analysis

Abstract

The development of IT and a remarkable growth in internet based services has resulted in an increasing number of tourists using travel based websites for their travel decisions. Internet with multimedia features enables destination marketers to target prospective tourists. Hospitality and tourism research studies have established the fact marketing characteristics and design of websites influence the traffic and level of business. For successful e-marketing, web usability is one of the important factors and developing an effective content and a well designed technology based website is essential. This article examines the websites of tourism operators to know how they utilize internet technology to market their businesses. The study focuses on the website evaluation of Coastal Karnataka resorts and home stays. Subjects investigated are the websites of resorts and hotels that are nature based or offer nature based activities to their guests in coastal Karnataka. The study used qualitative research approach conducting content analysis of the websites using Internet Site Evaluation Form to measure their usability and marketing effectiveness. The study shows that the resort and home stays in Coastal Karnataka are not effectively using their websites and internet technology to market themselves. In India there has been a revolutionary growth in smart phone sales resulting in a greater usage of internet. This growth would be benefiting tourism marketers and operators who could use internet with its multimedia features to reach out to potential travelers.