THE EFFECT OF DIGITAL MARKETING TOOLS ON PROMOTING ETHIOPIAN TOURISM SECTOR: A CASE OF BALE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, BALE ZONE

Tourism industry is globally becoming an increasingly expanding area and is the most important economic catalyst in many countries. The rapid growth of tourists uses of digital marketing tools are initiating tourism organizations to implement latest digital strategies Ethiopia in general and Bale Zone in particular are rich in natural resources. There are problems mainly related to the lack of infrastructural development, marketing and promotion. In order to make tourism development more sustainable, it is important to look promotion and marketing problems of the tourist destinations and promote the tourist area through digital tools. Hence the purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of digital marketing tools in promoting Ethiopian tourism in case of bale zone tourism destination specifically on BMNP. The study used both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Statistical tables based on respondents and descriptive analyses were used to explain the data collected. Interview and questionnaire were the main data gathering tools. And the target population of the study was the tourists (both foreign and domestic) and 165 respondents were selected with convenience sampling methods. From the mean score value of the tourists information source , Search engines became the most used information source to come to Ethiopia followed by Social Media. Mobile advertising were found out to be the last preference of the tourists to serve as tourist information source. Bale mountain national park Digital marketing may succeed more if it considers user needs as a top priority by identifying its target group. This research found out that the major tourist generating regions to Ethiopia are Europe, Asia and North America and the age group the tourists are middle and old ages. The destinations must also focus on the demographic differences of the tourists so as to arrange digital promotions that fit to the needs and requirements of these different segments of international tourists. Finally Digital marketing has no boundaries. Bale mountain national park can use any devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, televisions, games, digital billboards, and media such as social media, SEO (search engine optimization), videos, content, e-mail and lot more to promote the park as a tourist destination.4