Effect of Digital Marketing Strategies on Destination Choice of Domestic Travelers during Post COVID 19 Waves Special Reference to Ella, Sri Lanka

Abstract

COVID 19 has halted the world‟s operations physically and has made the world virtual and penetrating. Including the tourism industry, all most all the industries in the world have collapsed. Digital Media came onto the stage becoming a decisive factor in deciding the survival of businesses. Digital Marketing strategies, being the causal factor in Post COVID 19 waves has created a massive need for all industries operating in the world. In consideration of the above, this study primarily aims, to investigate the effect of digital marketing strategies on the destination choice of domestic travelers during post-COVID 19 waves with special reference to Ella, Sri Lanka. A sample of 100 domestic travelers who visit Ella was taken as the sample employing a purposive sampling technique. A self-administered questionnaire was the data collection tool and respondents were contacted through an online survey, while multiple linear regression was used to generate the results. It revealed that digital marketing strategies: SMM, e-mail marketing, SEO, website design, and paid advertising, have a significant effect on the destination choice of domestic travelers during post-COVID 19 waves in Sri Lanka. Moreover, email marketing is the most influential variable, and website design is the least Influential variable to the destination choice of domestic travelers during post-COVID 19 waves. This study emphasizes that digital marketing strategies are acting as a rescuer in pandemic situations due to the uninterrupted services offered. Further studies on social media on destination rebranding can be conducted in the future.