Abstract:
In the current competitive business environment, the use of advertisement as a marketing
strategy cannot be out looked in order to remain competitive in the tourism industry.
Advertising has been embraced by many as a result of increased technological advancement,
where by social media, broadcasting channels and other technologies have been embraced to
market and create awareness about the existence of a product and services in a destination.
This study therefore, sought to evaluate the influence/effectiveness of destination advertising
on tourism performance in Thomsons Falls, Laikipia County. The specific objectives of this
study were to examine the various methods of advertising used in Thomsons Falls, to
determine the perception of tourists on the effectiveness of the methods used for advertising,
to determine the impacts of the different forms of advertising on tourism performance and
also to determine the challenges of advertising. Descriptive research design was used in this
study. The study employed purposive sampling method in selecting the sample elements.
Primary data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedules. Secondary data was
collected from documented information to supplement the primary data. The respondents
were the employees in Thomsons Falls, TRA officers Laikipia County and the visitors. The
target population was 160 respondents, where 50 respondents were accessed as the sample
size. Data was processed and analyzed quantitatively. The analysis was done with the help of
Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and Excel. Measures of central tendency were
used to analyze the quantitative data. The data was presented in form of graphs, tables and
charts indicating the frequencies, mean and percentages. The key findings were that:
Advertising results to increased profits by 23% to the tourism organizations. This is as a
result 15% increase in visitor numbers, the study also concurred that advertising helps in
retaining a firms competitiveness in the market and enables a firm to compete favorably as
provided by 21% of the respondents. The research found out from 42% of the respondents
population that the use of social media, personal selling and media broadcasting are the most
embraced marketing tools which are effective to both the organization and the clients. The
study findings and recommendations are useful to the travel and tourism industry
stakeholders, the government, all other linked industries and the entire society, and it
emphasizes on the importance of advertising and how it affects tourism performance.
Key terms: Destination Marketing, Tourism Performance