Digital marketing strategies and their role in enhancing the competitive advantage of tourism services

Abstract:

The research aimed to investigate the role of digital marketing strategies in enhancing the competitive advantage of Al-Shiraa for Travel and Tourism Services in Tripoli. It further sought to identify the company's capability to leverage digital transformation in navigating the intense competition within the Libyan tourism sector. The study adopted a descriptive-analytical approach, utilizing a questionnaire distributed to a purposive sample of (27) employees from the company’s administrative and leadership staff. The results concluded that the company possesses a robust digital infrastructure. There was a high level of consensus among the sample regarding the impact of digitalization on improving competitive advantage dimensions. Specifically, digital marketing contributed to familiarizing customers with service specifications by (81.5%). Moreover, it achieved a cost leadership advantage by reducing communication expenses and administrative transaction costs. The findings also highlighted that the company website and speed of customer communication are the primary drivers for boosting the company’s market share. The study recommended the necessity of continuously developing digital platforms to transition from mere display tools into integrated booking and payment systems, while emphasizing the importance of adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) in customer service to ensure immediate response. Furthermore, it suggested conducting future research on the impact of cybersecurity on the e-trust of Libyan tourists and exploring ways to activate digital marketing to support domestic tourism.

Keywords: Strategies, Digital Marketing, Competitive Advantage, Tourism Services.