Marketing Promotional Tools and Customer Acquisition in Selected Tourism Centres in South-West, Nigeria

Abstract

Tourism centers play a crucial role in the global travel industry, serving as vital points of contact for travelers seeking information, services, and memorable experiences. These hubs serve as central locations for various purposes as well as fostering economic development. As a result, the expansion of tourist centers has been a critical focus for policymakers, stakeholders, and investors. Various countries have implemented reforms, policies, and guidelines in the tourism sector to spur its growth. Despite these efforts, there are still challenges in acquiring customers for the tourism industry, and effective marketing promotional tools are seen as essential in addressing these issues and implementing strategies to advance the tourism sector. This study investigated the effect of Marketing Promotional Tools on Customer Acquisition in Selected Tourism Centers in South-West, Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted. The population was 431 marketing employees of 10 tourism centers at the top, middle and lower levels within the selected tourism centers in South-West, Nigeria. The total enumeration method was adopted. A structured and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients of constructs ranged from 0.70 to 0.92. A validated questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential (multiple linear regression analysis) with the aid of SPSS statistical software version 27. A total of 431 copies of questionnaire were administered to employees of the selected tourism centers in South-West, Nigeria, 424 were correctly filled and returned. This represents a response rate of 98.4%, which is deemed satisfactory for data analysis and interpretation. The findings revealed that marketing promotional tools had significant effect on customer acquisition of selected tourism centers in South-West, Nigeria (Adj. R2 = 0.436; F (4,420) = 66.287, p < 0.05). The study concluded that marketing promotional tools enhanced the customer acquisition of selected tourism centers in South-West, Nigeria. The study recommended that management of tourist centers should engage in identifying new geographic markets, exploring international partnerships, or diversifying the tourism centers' offerings to include complementary services to enhance customer acquisition.