Title: Challenges in digital marketing: views of small travel entrepreneurs

Authors: Swati Sharma; Ankita Sharma

Addresses: Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, A-10, Sector-62, Noida-201309, Uttar Pradesh, India ' Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, A-10, Sector-62, Noida-201309, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract: Small travel entrepreneurs play a pivotal role in the tourism sector but are facing an existential crisis due to the slow adoption of digital marketing. Previous research works present models of technology adoption but studies on resistance to technology adoption by small enterprises are scarce. Grounded in this rationale, this study explores the subjective experiences of small travel entrepreneurs regarding resistance to adopt digital marketing and draws insights following an interpretivist epistemology. The study is unique as it focuses on the underexplored domain of small travel enterprises. It builds on innovation resistance theory and identifies five main themes that reflect the challenges perceived by small travel entrepreneurs in adopting digital marketing. The findings provide practical insights and guidelines for practitioners and government policy-makers to create secured applications and to build an ecosystem for quick adoption of digital marketing.

Keywords: digital marketing; small travel enterprises; innovation resistance theory; qualitative study; barriers; entrepreneurs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTP.2023.130804

International Journal of Tourism Policy, 2023 Vol.13 No.3, pp.203 - 218

Received: 01 Nov 2021
Accepted: 04 Mar 2022
Published online: 08 May 2023 *

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