International Tourism Market Research Articles

Collective memory and identity of a rebranded ‘Chinatown’

ABSTRACT This study explores the collective memory and identity of a Chinese neighbourhood at the old city centre of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Since the 1990s, this old neighbourhood, which has a famous Cantonese name – ‘Chee Chong Kai’ (CCK) – has been contentiously rebranded by the state as ‘Chinatown’. The purpose of the present study is twofold. First, by drawing on observational data, interviews, questionnaires and photographic data, this paper uncovers the collective memory of the neighbourhood. Second, this study offers a critical insight into the renaming and rebranding of the CCK, identifying the ways in which the renaming/rebranding has affected the neighbourhood’s collective identity. The findings reveal concerns over the changing landscapes in the neighbourhood that have affected or erased its character and heritage and the potential contention between the official and the ‘vernacular’ collective memory/identity. More importantly, the renaming/rebranding of the place itself reflects, paradoxically, the pressure to forego the neighbourhood’s Chineseness. Drawing on the wider international tourism market and other power-related concerns, this study argues the need to reposition the CCK and an absence of major efforts to sustain the urban space and urban heritage in a way that would represent and proclaim a truly integrated (and inclusive) Malaysian society.

AZƏRBAYCAN RESPUBLİKASININ MAKROİQTİSADİ İNİKŞAFINDA TURİZMİN ROLUNUN TƏHLİLİ

In the article, the current situation in the international tourism market, its development dynamics, and general economic effects are presented. The changes in international tourism and the impact of the post-pandemic period on the tourism sector were studied, and growth forecasting was researched. The article investigates the effects of the tourism industry on the macroeconomic development of Azerbaijan, its share in the GDP, the changes that occurred during the global pandemic, the state's policy in this field, and the development trends in the post-pandemic period. At the same time, the changes occurring in the tourism industry were analyzed using the main statistical figures and international experience was studied. The article mentions that in the post-pandemic period, the increase in domestic tourism in the country ensures the profitability of tourism enterprises in the regions. The development of international tourism in the country includes the presentation of products by destinations, the advertising of attractive places, and the presentation of services aimed at target countries.

The Transformation of Coastal Governance, from Human Ecology to Local State, in the Jimei Peninsula, Xiamen, China

The coastal zone, situated at the sensitive interface between land and sea, serves as a pivotal area of human economic activities. As one of China’s economic special zones, Xiamen exemplifies the comprehensive trajectory of coastal governance in China. However, there are still research gaps in the human ecological transitions in coastal governance. This study adopts the research approach of scale politics and the local state, with the purpose of explaining the governance model of the coastal zone transformation. Sources include interviews with fishers, direct observation, participant observation, and content analysis. The study demonstrates how local governments strive to maximize the profits of scenic tourism, by (1) appropriating the international scale, absorbing international aid and technical assistance; (2) confiscating the access rights of the coastal zone; and (3) vertically integrating all relationships from local to international organizations to create new governance patterns. Xiamen’s coastal landscape not only presents the meltdown of human ecology under local state governance but also demonstrates a keen adaptation to the shifting dynamics of the international tourism market. From the theoretical perspective of the local state, this paper effectively points out the political characteristics of local government and bridges the loss of cultural ecology in the transformation of governance patterns.

ANALYSIS OF TRAVEL AND TOURISM COMPETITIVENESS INDEX IN EASTERN PARTNERSHIP COUNTRIES

Over the last decade until the Covid-19 pandemic, the international tourism market has seen significant growth every year, involving more and more states and regions in the tourism and travel industry. In a number of countries, tourism has become the main sphere of employment for citizens and the most important sector of the economy. Tourism thus became the source of economic, social and economic innovations and transformations. However, the pace of tourism development in each country is different and depends on a number of factors and conditions. There is no homogeneity in tourism development worldwide. The differences are generated by distinctive features and the ability to capitalise on the opportunities these distinct features offer. At the same time, the level of success of a country or region on the international market for tourism services depends directly on its competitiveness. The article focuses on the analysis of the competitiveness of tourism in the Eastern Partnership countries using the index of competitiveness in tourism and travel published in the World Economic Forum report. The analysis is performed by comparing data from 2017 and 2019 using the Promethee model. Through the research, we performed comparative analysis of the tourism situation in Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan. The international report lacks data on Belarus. The results showed that most Eastern Partnership countries do not have a high level of competitiveness in tourism and travel. A positive effect is the upward trend of Georgia and Ukraine’s performance in the research area. At the same time, although Ukraine, Armenia and the Republic of Moldova increased in the global competitiveness ranking, this growth was not high enough to reach Georgia’s level.

NATIONAL TOURISM ADMINISTRATIONS AND OTHER TOURISM POLICY INSTITUTIONS IN OECD COUNTRIES AND PARTNER ECONOMICS

This article is mainly informative and contains the most important data on organisations responsible for the creation and implementation of tourism policy in the structures of government administration in 57 countries from different parts of the world, including 38 countries belonging to the OECD and partner economies (countries) of this organisation. Most of the information (concerning 50 countries) comes from the OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2022 [OECD 2022] report1, which was released on November 30, 2022, and was prepared on the basis of data sent by relevant institutions from individual countries2. These circumstances make the information provided in the article probably the most up-to-date regarding the functioning of organisations acting as National Tourism Administrations (NTAs) in countries that play a key role on the international (global) tourism market. It is estimated that they, in total, account for about 70% of the entire potential of world tourism, regardless of the metrics used to measure this potential, i.e. whether it be analysed through the prism of arrivals or departures, domestic or foreign tourism, income or expenses, number of tourist and tourism-related companies, employment, etc., the majority of tourism-related activities are concentrated in OECD countries. The aforementioned report, in which the objectives and priorities of tourism policy were analysed, and examples of specific activities and practices from individual countries were provided, is a study that not only allows to confirm opinions about the high tourism recovery challenges and the outlook ahead, but in it, the need for co-ordinated, forward-looking policy approaches to set tourism on a path to a more resilient, sustainable and inclusive future is also highlighted [https://www.oecd. org/cfe/ tourism/oecd-tourism-trends-and-policies-20767773.htm]. Due to the above, in this article, only a narrow range of issues raised in the report is presented, focusing on the issues of organisations, briefly referred to as NTAs, as responsible for the creation and implementation of tourism policy in individual countries. The role of the OECD itself is also better understood, its presentation preceded by a short description of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development itself and the impact of its activities on the development of tourism in the world, as well as the main goals and tasks that are set for organisations performing NTA functions in their countries.

Циклические процессы на рынке туризма: общие закономерности и специфика проявления

History has proved that the progressive movement of any economic system is not lin-early. The periods of intensive growth are replaced by deep crisis phenomena. It was the severe global crises of the XXI century that forced us once again to pay attention to the subject of cyclicality and to consider the specificity of this issue in various in-dustries, in particular – on the example of the sphere of tourism. In modern science, especially in the economy, there are different theoretical justifications of cyclosis, the systems of cycles are proposed depending on the temporary length. There is a hy-pothesis about the interaction of cycles with each other. Of particular interest is the consideration of the spatio-temporal manifestations of cyclic vibrations. In tourism, there are a number of approaches to the allocation of groups of countries. So at the moment, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) divides the countries of the world into 5 macro-regions. Also widely known in world tourism studies are the center-periphery structure in which the center can be distinguished (economically highly developed countries with a mature international tourism system and integrated tourist specialization), a semi-periphery (medium-developed, often rel-atively new on the country's tourist map with intensively forming with the support of the state The polyfunctional system of international tourism) and the periphery (eco-nomically backward countries with an underdeveloped international tourism market, the enclave nature of development and mainly natural-oriented types of international tourism). The purpose of this work is to investigate the mathematically sound mani-festations of cyclicity in the field of tourism on the example of a number of countries of the world, as well as establish possible patterns that manifest in the development cycles of the distinguished groups of regions. To conduct empirical studies, as well as to increase the objectivity of the diagnosis of cyclic vibrations, it is proposed to use a modern mathematical apparatus. In this work, autocorrelation analysis and spectral (Fourier) analysis were used.

Prospects of using the tourism potential of the liberated territories from the point of view of ecotourism


 
 
 The article analyzes the current situation and dynamics of ecotourism in Azerbaijan, the role of national parks in the development of this sector, and the possibilities of using natural and cultural heritage resources for ecotourism. The growing demand for ecotourism on the international tourism market is based on the joint use of the existing potential of natural and cultural heritage, which implies its implementation on the liberated territories. The article shows the importance of ecotourism products offered by Azerbaijan on the international tourism market, especially using the potential of national parks. The potential of natural heritage prevails in the organization of ecotourism corridors. Offering tourists new ecotourism routes increases their attractive- ness. The dynamic growth in the number of people using these ecotourism corridors has led to the proliferation of picnic and camping areas in natural areas. The authors have considered the possibilities of using the tourism potential of the vacated lands for ecotourism, eco-cultural heritage tourism, examined the peculiarities of the areas where this type of tourism is spreading and classified them. Ec-otourism routes are offered in the region with guidelines for the joint use of natural and cultural heritage. It has been proven that the strategy of transforming occupied territories into green energy zones and planning smart settlements in harmony with nature contribute to the development of ecotourism. At the same time, it was noted that this encourages the development of alternative types of tourism in recreation areas for the joint use of natural, cultural and ethno-cultural heritage in terms of sustainable tourism. The authors have demonstrated the possibilities of opening new ecotourism corridors in the region, the prospects for their marketing, identifying new destinations and reducing the impact of negative factors on the environment in order to support the development of sustainable tourism.
 
 

An Assessment of Cultural Places of Interest in Tshwane to Inform a Tourism Shift From Colonial to Indigenous Towards Decolonisation

This paper continues from the premise that the built form of the South African post-apartheid city continues to perpetuate the paradigm that only the colonial culture is available for tourist consumption. South Africa is a culturally diverse country that provides tourism to an international tourist market that seeks diverse cultural experiences. However, with most African cultural artefacts found encased in colonial architecture museums, questions arise regarding the authenticity of the cultural experience and the appropriate cultural representation in built form. This paper provides recommendations towards the transformation of the post-apartheid city following an assessment of the current tourist attractions that host cultural artefacts and serve as tourist attractions. Most of this data exists, and this paper investigates, collates and assesses the data based on these criteria: colonial and indigenous, restricted, and accessible, and static or transformative. The collated data is presented in urban mapping and architectural illustrations. The study is focused on the City of Tshwane in South Africa. Selected case studies are presented. The findings indicate a substantial under-representation in the City of Tshwane of what this paper argues to be culturally appropriate tourist attractions. This paper argues that there is a market for the consumption of culture as an experience away from colonial towards indigenous.

The Сurrent Global Tourism Market Crisis and Overcoming Opportunities

The article deals with the current world tourism market crisis and the opportunities to overcome it. The relevance of the topic and the significance of the study are due to tourism being among the sustainable economic development and social stability factors in any region of the world. This industry has suffered from the pandemic compared to any other one(s). The purpose of the study is to identify trends and patterns of the current international tourism market crisis and to analyze problems and opportunities to solve these. The scientific literature analysis on the modern international tourism market crisis issue has demonstrated that researchers agree on the global significance of the tourism business entities’ current losses. At the same time, scientists consider it impossible to reliably predict COVID’s final impact on the international tourism industry. The article presents an analysis of the dynamics of the development of the international tourism market over the past ten years and a generalization of the consequences inflicted on the tourism economy in the 2020 crisis year and the first half of 2021. The international organizations-based statistical analysis data made it possible to substantiate the current tourism development directions in the context of the negative factors’ influence associated with the spread of new coronavirus infection. On the basis of a survey of the tourists, the travel companies’ possibilities to improve their development strategies and to use competitive advantages in new conditions are concretized. The 5P marketing model is, therefore, recommended.

IS TOURISM CONVERGENCE VALID IN TURKEY? EVIDENCE FROM FURUOKA UNIT ROOT TEST

The positive effects of tourism on the economy are gradually increasing. These positive effects force countries to seek new policies to develop the tourism sector further. Turkey has a critical position in the tourism sector, and its main policy in this area is to increase its income. This study purpose of testing the validity of the convergence hypothesis for the countries located in different continents of the world in Turkey's international tourism market. The study covering the years 2000-2020 analyzed eight groups (Africa, America, Asia, Europe, Independent States, OECD, Oceania and non-national) with the data created by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). The unit root test developed by Furuoka (2017) is used to test the validity of the convergence hypothesis. As a result of this study found model D to be the most appropriate method among the four proposed alternatives. Accordingly, it is seen that the convergence is not valid for Asia, Europe and Oceania. It is also concluded that convergence is valid for America, OECD, Non-National, Independent States and Africa.

A Patient-Dentist Treatment Bridge Between Switzerland and Ukraine Despite the Turbulent Times

Dental and medical tourism in a peaceful time is highly popular in the current century of globalization. The share of dental tourism is 32 percent of the total number of the international medical tourism market. COVID-19 pandemic made its impact on such type of “treatment travels” requiring safety measures and appropriate travel health insurance. Nevertheless, dental tourism in a wartime is completely unusual and needs to be analyzed. That is why we present a case of such treatment.

Approach to formation of enogastronomic tourism based on the geographical indication system


 
 
 Changes in the tourism sector are the reasons for the development and implementation of adequate approaches to formation of unique enogastronomic tourist routes, related to the use of geographical indication system as a means of individualizing subjects of tourism. Currently, there are counterfeit tourism products labeled with well-known names of geographical regional objects. The significance of the geographical indications in enogastronomic tourism becomes increasingly apparent in terms of intense competition between the regions in the country and on the international tourism market. The objective of the research was to develop theoretical and methodological foundations, scientific and practical recommendations for creating a formation approach to enogastronomic tourist routes based on the geographical indication system. In the research, we used the comprehensive method- ological approach, based on the application of the following research methods: generalization and systematization (to determine the essentials of geographical indications); calculation and analytical (to analyze the conditions of geographical indications registration); process approach (for development of new enogastronomic tourist routes); program-targeted approach (for the algorithm of formation of enogastronomic tourist routes); tabular methods (for presentation of the material). We analyzed the definition of «ethnographic tourism», identified the key problems of registration of geographical indications in Ukraine, proposing a formation approach to enogas- tronomic tourist routes based on the system of geographical indications. In our study, we considered using the European experience in the effective implementation of geographical indications in the Ukrainian regions. The formation approach to enogastronomic tourist routes based on the geographical indications system is proposed, which allows combining national history and culture, traditions of preparing local dishes and drinks, presenting them as a complex tourist product of a certain region.
 
 

Business Excellence of Eco-Friendly Hotels in the Region of the Western Balkans: Case Study of Eco-Friendly Hotels in Serbia

Hotel industry, as a very dynamic activity within the tourism industry, applies innovations in business and develops voluntary eco-business standards for developing sustainable tourism. The paper aims to assess business excellence of hotels that are holders of the international eco-certificate Green Key in Serbia, a country in the Western Balkan region, by using the BEX model. The study reviews and presents the current situation when it comes to implementation and valorisation of eco-principles and standards in hotel business in Serbia, while examining their business excellence, as well as the opportunities for better positioning in the international tourism market. The research results show that the examined companies do not have poor ranks of business excellence. It is recommended for these hotels to continue with the current business while implementing innovations in sustainable business in order to improve business results. By monitoring the value of the BEX index, it is possible to avoid business risks, while expanding eco-awareness and implementing sustainable business policies, which would help hotel companies improve their business.

СУЧАСНИЙ СТАН ТУРИСТИЧНОЇ ІНДУСТРІЇ УКРАЇНИ ТА ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ ПОВОЄННОГО РОЗВИТКУ

The article examines the current state of the tourism industry under martial law. The indicators of the tourism industry have been deteriorating since the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, but a significant drop occurred after the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into the territory of Ukraine. As a result of military operations, many cultural, architectural and religious monuments were destroyed, access to some objects was lost as a result of the occupation. An analysis of the main enterprises of the tourism industry of Ukraine was carried out, including travel agencies, tour operators, entities providing other reservation services and related activities, and temporary tourist accommodation facilities. The dynamics of their number over the past five years, the dynamics of their income from sales and the dynamics of the number of employees have been determined. According to all indicators, there is a significant drop, the number of enterprises in the tourism industry is decreasing, people are losing their jobs. In 2023, the tourism industry gradually began to recover, as evidenced by the increase in tax revenues for 9 months of 2023, the largest amount of revenues falls on the Western regions and the city of Kyiv. Among Ukrainians, in 2023 domestic tourism is gradually starting to recover, people are choosing to rest in the West of the country. The most common are sanatorium tours, tours to the Carpathians and ski holidays. The tourist industry of Ukraine had a number of problems even before the start of hostilities, among which the main ones were the imperfect state policy in the field of tourism, poorly developed infrastructure and the level of service provision, and the neglected state of natural resources. Based on the definition of the main problem areas of the tourism industry, the main directions of its recovery and development in post-war times are proposed. It is proposed to develop new tourist products, improve and develop the tourist infrastructure, form special programs for the promotion of the tourist product on the international market, and create tourist clusters in the regions. Special attention should be paid by the state to the formation of new tourist products, promotion of Ukraine on the international tourist market.

УСАМІТНЕНИЙ ВІДПОЧИНОК ЯК ТРЕНД ТУРИСТИЧНОГО РИНКУ

The article examines the tendency of the traveler to seek solitude with himself and his thoughts. Solitude has received a new wave of popularity on the international and domestic tourist market. There is an increasing rejection of mass group tours and trips (based on statistical data). According to a study by the World Travel and Tourism Council, about half of travelers worldwide traveled within their own country. In Ukraine, solo travel has doubled. According to the results of a survey conducted by the European Tourist Commission, the majority of Europeans in 2022 preferred short-term trips to less crowded, unfamiliar places, natural sites, national parks, rural settlements, protected areas. The issue of security is important. Travel insurance is always a good idea. The understanding of the role of a healthy lifestyle is growing. The importance of a healthy ecology is growing for solitary rest. This promotes interest in tourism in forest and rural regions, in particular, on weekends. There is an increase in demand for places where there is a balanced interaction of local residents and nature, hospitality and respect for privacy. Accordingly, the use of houses or separate apartments, tents is increasingly popular. All this affects the demand and supply of services in the tourist market. Secluded rest provides self-development and a unique experience of self-discovery, restoration of a person's physical and psychological health. It provides ample opportunities for self-reflection and growth with the joy of unlimited freedom. Unique design projects of houses, chalets or small hotels for comfortable seclusion in the forest or mountains, near water bodies or in the valley. Ukraine, thanks to its natural wealth, offers a choice of many ideal locations for seclusion from negative information and instability of the outside world to deepen your inner world. The importance of a healthy ecology of the country is growing for secluded recreation. Solo travel is becoming increasingly popular thanks to the internet, mobile apps and social media. They are used to obtain information or purchase any tourist services. Thus, the established trend will contribute to the construction of quality tourist products with selected customer segments.

МАКРОЕКОНОМІЧНИЙ АНАЛІЗ ТУРИСТИЧНОГО ПОТЕНЦІАЛУ УКРАЇНИ В МІЖНАРОДНОМУ СПІВРОБІТНИЦТВІ

The study conducts a detailed analysis of the development of the tourism industry in Ukraine, determining the scale of tourist flows in the pre-war and wartime periods. The current volume of tourist tax and the growth (decline) rates of tourist tax in Ukraine are analyzed, the share of tourist revenues to the state budget is determined, the volume of taxes of tourism entities is analyzed, the dynamics of the total cost of tourist trips sold by tour operators and travel agencies is presented, and the rate of decline in services provided by the tourism industry entities of Ukraine in the international market is calculated. Research results. The article presents a structural model of development of the international market of services under the influence of the level of liberalization and introduction of franchising transfer technologies in the international cooperation of tourism industry entities. flows in the macro-regional systems of Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Australia are analyzed. Conclusion. The development of franchising in the tourism market of Ukraine can become one of the most effective forms of support for small businesses in regional tourist destinations. Taking into account the peculiarities of the territorial organization of the potential for international cooperation in Ukraine and different levels of development of tourist destinations, a generalized multicultural form of functioning of the tourism industry in the geo-economic space of the international tourism market is proposed. For each tourist macro-region, the corresponding integration core is defined, which is a state or a group of countries that are socio-economically united in tourist products at the intersection of local-regional and macro-regional systems. The creation of strategic management in the local-regional systems of Ukraine, focused on the rational use of attracted foreign direct investment from partners of macro-regional systems in Europe, may be key to increasing labor productivity, strengthening economic growth and expanding international cooperation in the tourism industry.

EDUCATIONAL TOURISM IN ISLAMIC EDUCATION TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ CHARACTER

Educational tourism is essential to the international tourism market, including in Indonesia. The educational tourism destinations are generally only in the regional tourism sector, cultural and natural tourism. However, the sector into tertiary institutions based on pesantren still needs to be significantly more attractive. With the existence of educational tours, it becomes a bridge between students and the general public in knowing universities-based pesantren. This includes supporting the government in developing educational tours to higher education institutions based on pesantren. This research is focused on university-based pesantren at the University of Darussalam Gontor, which implements pondok pesantren in building students with akhlaq and character.
 The quantitative approach is one of the approach techniques for hypotheses and data analysis relevant to the topic of writing based on the field. Therefore, sampling using simple random sampling and data collection using a student psychology scale as a simple regression model data analysis technique.
 The results of this study are the distribution of the percentage of educational tourism to university-based pesantren, which still needs to be developed. It is improving the information on university-based pesantren with activities that support students towards students with akhlaq and character following the education base of pondok pesantren and access to adequate information for easy access to information from the University of Darussalam Gontor with University-based pondok pesantren.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Factors Influencing the Destination Choice of International Visitors to Vietnam

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is an attractive tourist destination with diverse and unique experiences, in which Vietnam is considered one of the most famous destinations in this region. Quality evaluations and strategies for attracting international tourists are being thoroughly researched. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has had the most significant impact on the tourism industry, which has suffered greatly. Therefore, the recovery and expansion of international tourism necessitate the employment of tourism-related businesses and service sector workers. Extensive research must be conducted to identify solutions and new directions to recover the international tourist market’s growth as quickly as possible. This study identifies the factors that influence the destination of international visitors visiting Vietnam after the COVID-19 pandemic by modifying and evaluating the scales of the theoretical model. Using the convenience sampling technique, data were collected through interviews with 208 international visitors, with 29 observed variables. Using SPSS 22.0, five factors influencing international visitors’ decisions to visit Vietnam were revealed: tourist motivation, tourist attitude, destination image, social media, and environmental quality. Finally, the authors provide policy recommendations to enhance the allure and viability of Vietnam’s tourism following the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study’s outcome is intended to establish the importance of the many variables influencing the choice of destination for international visitors.

Literature profiling on tourism, impairment and disability issues: A future directional guide.

South African tourism is evolving towards accommodating disabled people. Within the same standpoint, the country receives ageing tourists as a major international tourism market from the Global North, whose access needs are similar to disabled people. The present article explored 'blind and blank spots' in the extant literature on tourism-impairment disability as a synchronised field within academic research to provide theoretical insights and gaps for the disability-tourism research community to consider the composite concept instead of individualistic concepts. The objectives were: (1) to track knowledge development from 1990 to 2018 using a narrative literature review approach and (2) to justify future research areas previously overlooked and understudied within a tourism-impairments-disability perspective in South Africa and beyond. A narrative literature review search strategy was used. Keywords and synonymous terms were used in electronic searches of Scopus, ScienceDirect, Sabinet Online, Emerald Insights Journals, African Journals and Google Scholar. The literature screening process used predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria for the data source. Content thematic analysis was adopted for the present study. The findings reflect a dearth of tourism-impairments-disability research in South Africa. Nonetheless, there is an observable pattern of slow growth in research after the 2000s. The extant literature is skewed towards the tourism supply side and sporadic on tourism demand (tourist experiences), education and skills development. It is clear that the absence of scientifically developed knowledge on disability-impairments-tourism affects inclusive tourism growth. Therefore, the research community should consider disability-inclusive (accessible) tourism management, human resources and marketing practices and knowledge for teaching material in future research. The article mapped and provided insights that sets a research agenda for tourism research community to see the gaps in literature and/or knowledge for accessible tourism (disability-inclusive) tourism to be a game changer as found by UNWTO (2020) with low-resources setting. Thereby setting a tone towards call for more research that can uncover an economic narrative that shows a relationship between skills development, labour and consumer markets for the participation of diverse disabled persons as such is shown as understudied in Low-to-Middle income earning countries like South Africa.

Search Engine Optimization, Competitive Advantage and Market Performance of Registered Tours and Travel Agencies in Nairobi City County, Kenya

COVID-19 is a devastating pandemic with widespread negative health, social, and economic consequences. Due to drastic changes in the business environment of tour and travel agencies, firms and marketing managers can now use search engine optimization to effectively position themselves. The study’s main goal is to evaluate the effect of search engine optimization on the market performance of registered tours and travel agencies in Nairobi County, Kenya. Kenya’s tourism ministry and state government work hard to improve the business climate for tour and travel companies. Despite the overall positive image, international tourist market growth rates in Kenya have been 3.5 percent slower from 2017 to 2019 compared to previous years. This was further aggregated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020, when the growth rate of tours and travel agencies fell by 65%. The study’s main goal is to evaluate the effect of search engine optimization on the market performance of registered tours and travel agencies in Nairobi County, Kenya. This study adopted a positivist philosophy. Both descriptive and explanatory research designs were used. A self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 324 registered tours and travels agencies picked from and a sample of 179 were used. Data analysis included the development and interpretation of both descriptive and inferential statistics, such as frequencies, mean, percentages, and standard deviation, and was presented using tables and numerical values. The results of regression analysis established that search engine optimization had a positive and significant effect on market performance of the registered tours and travel agencies picked from a sample of 179. The study recommends that agency management ensure that the firm’s website is easily accessible in order to improve agency performance. Using the internet to gain a large market share can assist tours and travel agencies in improving the performance and income of their websites.