The purpose of this paper is to present specific tour services that influence international tourist satisfaction (ITS) and behavioural intentions (BIs) utilising…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present specific tour services that influence international tourist satisfaction (ITS) and behavioural intentions (BIs) utilising transaction-specific customer satisfaction theory in a developing country. Identified factors will help stakeholders to plan, market and brand Elmina, Ghana, as a viable tourism destination to attract more tourists.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed conceptual model of seven hypotheses based on validated survey data gathered from 432 international tourists in Elmina, Ghana.
Findings
Empirical results revealed that food services, transportation, tour guide performance and community interactions had positive effects, whereas accommodation had a negative effect on ITS. However, tourist satisfaction had a positive effect on BIs.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are limited to this sample and cannot be projected to other destinations. Future studies can examine other tour services like tourism information centres and retail travel agents in Elmina.
Practical implications
International tourists’ stay in Elmina could be improved by providing competitive, insightful and memorable tours. Management of Elmina should constantly investigate the quality of tour services available to meet emerging needs of tourists.
Originality/value
To date, research into tour services, satisfaction and intentions of international tourists within city tourism as a foundation for future tourism development in Ghana has been overlooked. The findings provide an improved understanding of tour services, which will help Elmina’s tourism management to design and offer innovative and quality tour services to tourists.
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Wisdom Apedo Deku, Jiuhe Wang and Alexander Kofi Preko
This study aims to investigate the comprehensive conceptualization how digital marketing and its adoption increase the productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the comprehensive conceptualization how digital marketing and its adoption increase the productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as the impact of technological orientation, customer relationship management and digital marketing on SMEs’ business performance in emerging markets (EMs).
Design/methodology/approach
Anchored by social network theory, 178 SMEs were conveniently drawn from the National Board for Small Scale Industries now Ghana enterprise agencies in Ghana. The hypotheses were analysed using the SPSS package tool, and structural equation modelling was used, as well.
Findings
This study reveals that the conceptualization and adoption of digital marketing positively affect the performance of SMEs’ business management in EMs. In addition, a positive moderating effect of dynamism is observed in the relationship between digital marketing and SMEs’ business performance.
Research limitations/implications
This study focuses only on SMEs from the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions of Ghana as an EM, and it proposes priorities for future research streams in both developed and emerging countries.
Practical implications
The findings encourage SMEs to develop quality digital marketing technologies, good customer relationships and technological orientation and customer relationship management competencies in EMs to maximise profit.
Originality/value
This paper fills considerable knowledge, evidence and contextual gaps in the literature on SMEs, entrepreneurship and marketing in EMs by presenting a comprehensive overview of how SMEs can use digital marketing in an EM context to achieve the following: customer acquisitions, satisfaction and retention; increased profitability; quality service delivery; value creation; and cost reductions.
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Michael Boadi Nyamekye, Edward Markwei Martey, George Cudjoe Agbemabiese, Alexander Kofi Preko, Theophilus Gyepi-Garbrah and Emmanuel Appah
This paper aimed to test a proposed framework highlighting strategic green marketing initiatives and how they drive new technology implementation towards green corporate…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aimed to test a proposed framework highlighting strategic green marketing initiatives and how they drive new technology implementation towards green corporate performance, underpinned by institutional isomorphism.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a quantitative method and convenience sampling approach in gathering data using adapted questionnaires to solicit first-hand information from 225 employees of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism and hospitality sector underpinned by the theory of institutional isomorphism.
Findings
The study shows that green communication and green strategy alignment have significant predictive effects on new technology implementation. Cultural isomorphism significantly moderated the effects of implementing new technology (i.e. green communication and strategy alignment). In addition, “new technology implementation had a significant predictive effect on green corporate performance”. Meanwhile, the moderation effect of “green creative behaviour on the new technology-green corporate performance dyad was positive but insignificant.”
Originality/value
The study’s novel framework confirms how green communication strategy and green strategy alignment complement cultural isomorphism to explain the impact of new technology implementation on green corporate performance, underpinned by institutional isomorphism.
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Anthony Nkrumah Agyabeng, Alexander Preko, Kofi Hilla Avusuglo, Anthony Sumnaya Kumasey, Akwasi Sarfo Kantanka and Mawuli Feglo
This study investigate urban migrant dwellers’ gender and age differences in response to the specific phobia of COVID-19 and hesitancy toward vaccines in the slum settlements.
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigate urban migrant dwellers’ gender and age differences in response to the specific phobia of COVID-19 and hesitancy toward vaccines in the slum settlements.
Design/methodology/approach
The study anchored on the two-factor model proposed by Mowrer (1939) and used a quantitative design approach with a convenience sampling method for data gathering among 362 urban migrants residing and working in the cities of Ghana. The study used the Mann–Whitney U test and the regression analysis for the analysis.
Findings
The result showed that there is a significant difference between males and females in their understanding of economic phobia, thoughts on social phobia and perception level of vaccine hesitancy. Additionally, there is a significant difference between age groups in their level of thoughts of psychological phobia, economic phobia and thoughts of vaccine hesitancy. Finally, the specific of phobias of COVID-19 are significant predictors of vaccine hesitancy.
Research limitations/implications
This research is slum-specific, which implies that the outcome cannot be generalized to other geographical settings.
Practical implications
The study demonstrates how a pandemic manifests itself to dwellers in slums. The outcome of the study sheds light on how policymakers appreciate the dynamics of the pandemic in a developing country, which may guide future responses to pandemics.
Originality/value
The outcome of the study sheds light on how policymakers appreciate the dynamics of the pandemic in a developing country, which may guide future responses to pandemics.
Alexander Preko, George Kofi Amoako, Robert Kwame Dzogbenuku and John Kosiba
Digital tourism has drawn the attention of researchers around the globe. This study aims to assess the digital tourism experience for tourist site revisit from an emerging market…
Abstract
Purpose
Digital tourism has drawn the attention of researchers around the globe. This study aims to assess the digital tourism experience for tourist site revisit from an emerging market perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
Anchored on the social cognitive theory, the study employed a quantitative method, using the convenience sampling to select 328 participants who responded to tourism and technology sharing items through an online questionnaire. The study's hypotheses were tested utilizing structural equation modelling.
Findings
The results suggest a significant influence of technology-based service innovativeness on service value, tourist site revisits and experience sharing through technology. Further, the findings also revealed the significant influence of service value on tourist site revisit and experience-sharing through technology.
Research limitations/implications
This study was conducted with only clients or tourists, and this limits generalization of the study's findings.
Practical implications
The study offers the understanding of how tourist site operators and all stakeholders have to deploy new ways of technology-based service innovation to get maximum return on their investment in the hospitality industry.
Originality/value
The outcome of this research advanced the linkage between technology and tourism in context, which is important to policymakers and practitioners in the sector.
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Iddrisu Mohammed, Alexander Preko, Azizbek Allaberganov and Tachie-Eyiah Yaw Thomas
The literature has acknowledged the importance of diaspora studies because of the influx of funds into the local economy, including the tourism and hospitality sector. However…
Abstract
Purpose
The literature has acknowledged the importance of diaspora studies because of the influx of funds into the local economy, including the tourism and hospitality sector. However, little empirical research appears to be known about the subject matter, principally within the developing country perspective. This study aims to respond to research calls by investigating the impact of diasporic cultural heritage, family heritage on travel preference of West African Indian migrant visitors to their homeland.
Design/methodology/approach
This research is guided by the theory of acculturation. A quantitative data were gathered from a sample of 312 diasporas, and the regression analysis was used to analyze the data.
Findings
The study finds that cultural heritage and family heritage have positive and significant impact on travel preference of migrant visitors to their homeland. Further analysis of the independent sample t-test reveals a significant difference between Indian Ghanaians and Ghanaian Indians in their thought of cultural heritage. However, no significant differences were found in the Indian Ghanaian and Ghanaian Indian’s family heritage and travel preference to their homeland.
Research limitations/implications
This study is destination-specific of Indian migrant visitors. The application of the study’s outcome to other diaspora would demand a larger sample size for generalization to be made. The study offers compelling insights on cultural heritage, family heritage and travel preference to marketing a diaspora tourism site.
Originality/value
The study expands the application of the theory of acculturation within the diaspora literature and establishes that integration and separation strategies of the theory explain the positive interests of the migrant visitors’ traveling preference to their homeland.
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George Kofi Amoako, Theresa Obuobisa-Darko and Sylvia Ohene Marfo
The paper examines the role of stakeholders in tourism and hospitality industry to ensure sustainability. This study focuses on investigating how stakeholders view can influence…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper examines the role of stakeholders in tourism and hospitality industry to ensure sustainability. This study focuses on investigating how stakeholders view can influence business sustainability in the tourism industry in Ghana and Africa. The study also looks at the future of sustainable tourism activities in Ghana and Africa.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative approach was adopted and interviewees were purposively selected. Using the semi-structured interview 12 people were interviewed and NVivo used to analyse the data. The study was carried out in Accra the capital city of Ghana. Using the stakeholder based theory and resource based theory (RBT) the study addresses how sustainable competitive advantage can be developed.
Findings
Results shows how stakeholders involved such employees, government, community/society, private sector and individual shop owners perceive factors that enhance or limit progress in tourism. Some challenges they encounter include high level of illiteracy, lack of education for upcoming youth, low funding and publicity, lack of the enforcement of laws in the sector. The findings also indicated that to ensure sustainability in the industry the products should be unique, valuable, rare, non-substitutable and non-imitable and has to be advertised.
Research limitations/implications
Researchers encountered difficulties in eliciting answers from stakeholders who are experts and managers in the industry because of their busy schedules. The researcher admits that this research work which is carried out only in Ghana cannot be used to generalise an assumption for the entire industry sectors in Africa and beyond. The sample size could be improved and the study could be conducted in other African countries for the purposes of comparison.
Practical implications
This study reveals how stakeholders view developments in the tourism sector and this can be used as a guide in developing policies and marketing strategies in the tourism industry. Both theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
Originality/value
Very little literature has been written on stakeholders' view on business sustainability in the tourism industry in Ghana. Moreover the use of stakeholder and resource based view theories application in developing competitive advantage in the developing country perspective is unique. The findings in no small way will somehow benefit the government and industry stakeholders by providing the latest views and perspectives in Ghana.