Assessing the Role of Promotion Mix in the Development of Tourism Centers in Tanzania: A Case Study of Hotel Industry in Dar es Salaam Region.
Development of Tourism hotels in Tanzania as one of the diversification strategies of country's income sources is given more attention by program makers and politicians' of the country. Expansion of hotel industry is facing challenges of less tourists/ visitors per hotel. Bed occupancy rate as proxy of number of hotel visitors in Tanzania is said to be 34.6 percent, according to survey conducted in June 2012 by NBS and 34.3 percent in May 2013 survey. This implies, there are more than 50 percent extra supply of beds, compare to number of beds occupied. Thus, the purpose of the study was to assess the role of promotion mix in the development of tourism hotels in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The survey was cross sectional and sample size included 40 tourist residing in tourist hotels in Dar es salaam at the time of data collection, 30 hotel marketers/managers and 10 respondents from tourist bodies/associations. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze relationship between number of tourists as a dependent variable and promotion mix (advertisements, sales promotions, publicity and direct marketing). Findings indicated that, advertisement was positive correlated with increase in tourism at 0.59 percent (insignificant). Sales promotion is significance to increase in tourism at 0.001 percent. Publicity is significance to increase in tourism at 0.031 percent and direct marketing is significance to increase in tourism at 0.037 percent. From the findings, the study concluded that, promotion mix has a role in promoting tourist hotels industry in Tanzania, particularly Dar es Salaam. Therefore, government has to strengthen existing tourist bodies and associations and established hotel promotion monitoring organ, which oversee and evaluate application of efficient promotion mix practices.
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