School of Tourism and Hospitality Management (JA)
http://repository.mut.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/44
2024-03-29T15:10:28ZContemporary Trends and Issues in The Hospitality and Tourism Industry
http://repository.mut.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/6371
Contemporary Trends and Issues in The Hospitality and Tourism Industry
Kariru, Antoneta N.
Contemporary trends and issues in the hospitality and tourism industry often generate opportunities and challenges. The hospitality and tourism environments are constantly changing. Customers’ needs and preferences dictate consumption and business success in the service-driven and experiential industry. This review paper explores contemporary trends and issues in Hospitality and Tourism. The review adopted a qualitative approach with a focus on the collection of secondary data and subsequent thematic analysis. The paper looks at hospitality and tourism products, services, experiences, markets and environments. It also reviews the existing opportunities and challenges in the industry. The paper lastly recommends that hospitality and tourism firms understand, embrace and take advantage of modern trends and opportunities that emerge in the environment. They should also devise strategies for managing inherent challenges in the industry.
2023-05-13T00:00:00ZStakeholders’ Role in the Adoption of Green Practices among Star Rated Hotels along Coastal Kenya: Partnerships and Collaborations
http://repository.mut.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/6366
Stakeholders’ Role in the Adoption of Green Practices among Star Rated Hotels along Coastal Kenya: Partnerships and Collaborations
Irungu, Robert W.; Amwata, Dorothy A.; Njoroge, Joseph M.
The hospitality and tourism industry is one of the key economic sectors expected to take a leadership role in transforming the emerging green economy. Climate change impacts on ecological sustainability alongside considerable growth in the industry have raised critical concerns through increased emission of greenhouse gases, water, and energy consumption, and vast volumes of food waste. A rapid move from carbon and material-intensive ways of delivering visitor experiences with an emphasis on stakeholder involvement and ecosystem wellbeing makes tourism a leader in transforming the emerging green economy. This paper aims to determine the role of stakeholder engagement in the adoption of green practices by star-rated hotels along the Kenyan Coast. A cross-sectional survey design was applied in this study. Sample hotels for the study were identified using stratified random selection. Stratification of management tiers for selecting general managers and heads of sections was applied. Data from heads of sections were obtained using a semi-structured questionnaire while semi-structured interview schedule was used for general managers. Analysis of data included descriptive statistics in determining the frequencies, means, standard deviations, and percentages for each survey item. One sample t-test was used to test the statistical significance of Likert scale responses. Hypothesis testing was conducted using a multiple linear regression model. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicated that stakeholders’ engagement contributes significantly to the adoption of green practices (p=≤0.000≤0.05). Stakeholder’ engagement was also revealed as a key predictor of adoption of green practices in star rated hotels (β= .760, P - value<0.05). The study concluded that stakeholders’ engagement provide new ideas, define performance indicators for monitoring, auditing, comparison, and reporting green practices adopted by the star-rated hotels. The study recommended that hotel managers, hotel associations, and government agencies need to enhance green practices by strengthening the capacity of existing institutions to partner and collaborate with key stakeholders, mobilize green climate funds, develop and review curricula, training resources, and short courses in hospitality, tourism, and environmental studies.
2022-12-01T00:00:00ZDigital Marketing in The Hospitality Industry: Adoption, Use, Firm Performance and National Development
http://repository.mut.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/6140
Digital Marketing in The Hospitality Industry: Adoption, Use, Firm Performance and National Development
Kariru, Antoneta N.
Digital marketing integrates electronic technology with traditional marketing concepts and covers strategies such as social media, video, content, affiliate, mobile and internet marketing. Embracing digital marketing can contribute to firm performance and national development. This review paper explores digital marketing in the hospitality industry. The objectives of the review are to establish how the facilities can adopt and use digital marketing, determine how digital marketing can affect the performance of the firms and highlight how digital marketing can contribute to Kenya Vision 2030 and sustainable development goals. The paper builds on the author’s knowledge, observations and experiences on digital marketing in the hospitality industry and explores secondary data from books, journal articles, newspapers and conference papers. The paper highlights the digital tools that the firms can adopt including the internet, mobile, video and social media and shows how the tools can be used to convince, educate and inspire stakeholders. The review also reveals that digital marketing can affect the non-financial and financial performance of hospitality firms. Digital marketing can contribute to customer satisfaction, competitive advantage, profits and costs. This study finds that digital marketing can contribute to Kenya Vision 2030 through selling and marketing hospitality products. Digital marketing also promotes sustainable development goals of climate action and economic growth. The paper concludes that hospitality firms should embrace digital marketing for enhanced performance and national development.
2022-09-01T00:00:00ZAnalysis of domestic tourists’ demographic and travel characteristics in Kenya
http://repository.mut.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/6139
Analysis of domestic tourists’ demographic and travel characteristics in Kenya
Wang'ombe, Lawrence; Njoroge, Joseph M.; Agufana, Peace Byrne
Demographic and travel characteristics are significant in forming the basis for market segmentation, positioning, and branding initiatives for a destination. This study sought to examine demographic and travel characteristics exhibited by domestic tourists and their effects on purchase decisions and travel choices. The study adopted both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. A simple random sampling technique was used to select domestic tourists, while data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and Chi-square techniques. Four hundred questionnaires were distributed, out of which 371 were returned, representing a 73.3% rate. The findings indicated that the duration of the current visit is dependent on annual income (𝟀 2 = 23.055, p = 0.027), the number of times visited is dependent on age (𝟀 2 = 30.579, p = 0.015), while travel arrangement is dependent on age (𝟀 2 = 9.986, p = 0.041). The mode of transport depends on age (𝟀 2 = 52.645, p = 0.012), and on education (𝟀 2 = 44.734, p = 0.006). The study recommends focusing on identifying and prioritizing preferred local destinations and attractions for the domestic tourist market depending on demographic and travel characteristics to increase travel propensity for the sustainability of the industry.
2022-09-01T00:00:00Z