Application of the Technology Acceptance Model and the Technology–Organisation–Environment Model to examine social media marketing use in the South African tourism industry

TLDR

Social media marketing research in tourism is expanding worldwide, yet most studies focus on large enterprises, leaving small businesses such as travel agencies and tour operators underexamined. The study seeks to determine which factors shape the attitudes of South African travel agencies and tour operators toward adopting social media marketing. A quantitative survey of 150 South African travel agencies and tour operators was administered, and the responses were analyzed with multiple regression and one‑way ANOVA. Managerial support and managers’ education level emerged as the primary internal drivers of attitude, while competitor pressure, perceived benefits, and perceived ease of use were the key external drivers; technical knowledge moderated the attitude‑usage link, prompting recommendations for training and workshops.

Abstract

Background: In tourism, globally there is a growing interest in social media marketing research. However, most previous research on social media marketing has focused on large tourism enterprises such as chain hotels, leaving out small tourism businesses such as travel agencies and tour operators. Objective: The aim of this research was to establish factors that influence attitude towards the use of social media marketing by travel agencies and tour operators in South Africa. Method: The study adopteda quantitative approach through the use of questionnaires. Data used in the analysis were collected from 150 travel agencies and tour operators by means of a structured questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis and one-way ANOVA were used for data analysis. Results: The results showed that managerial support and managers’ level of education are the two main internal factors which influence attitude towards the use of social media marketing. Pressure from competitors, perceived benefits and perceived ease of use were found to be the most prominent external factors which influence the use of social media marketing. The results also revealed that technical knowledge moderates the relationship between attitude towards social media marketing and the level of social media marketing usage. Conclusion: The study concludes with these recommendations: Management of travel agencies, tour operating businesses and the South African government should support the use of social media marketing by small tourism businesses through providing training and workshops on social media marketing for the employees to acquire the required skills.