THE IMPACT OF E- MARKETING ON THE TOURISM SECTOR IN JORDAN CASE STUDY

International Journal of Mechanical and Production Engineering Research and Development (IJMPERD) ISSN (P): 2249–6890; ISSN (E): 2249–8001 Vol. 10, Issue 3, Jun 2020, 3679–3688 © TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

THE IMPACT OF E- MARKETING ON THE TOURISM SECTOR IN JORDAN CASE STUDY Dr. ATALLA FAHED ALSERHAN Al Al-Bayt University, Jordan ABSTRACT The study aimed to identify the impact of electronic marketing on the tourism sector in Jordan, where the sample consisted of (120) workers in the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Jordan. A questionnaire was distributed to them as a study instrument to collect the needed data. The descriptive analytical method was used. The study concluded that the electronic promotion, E-pricing and website have a statistically significant effect on the tourism sector in Jordan. The study recommended setting strategic plans for electronic marketing to develop the tourism sector in Jordan, in addition to paying attention to electronic marketing, by linking all tourism sectors in the public and private sectors with an electronic network by providing a comprehensive database of the Jordanian tourism product.

KEYWORDS: E-Marketing & Tourism Sector in Jordan

INTRODUCTION Marketing is an important factor in selling any good or service of various kinds. Marketing is also one of the most prominent functions within marketing institutions at the present time, whether they are productive or service

Original Article

Received: Jun 06, 2020; Accepted: Jun 26, 2020; Published: Jul 16, 2020; Paper Id.: IJMPERDJUN2020348

institutions. Marketing is one of the administrative activities that aim at facilitating the outputs of the institutions concerned and delivering them at times and conditions appropriate for the targeted consumers.

It is worth noting that tourism represents the largest industrial field at the present time, and that there is a continuous growth of the number of tourists and the returns of tourism over the years since it became easier to obtain tourist services for most of the Earth's population due to the technological revolution and electronic marketing operations (Straker at all, 2015). Accordingly, the importance of tourism has grown, and it has become an important economic figure, which makes electronic marketing a real and effective tool that affects tourism and its revenues positively (Anderson, 2017). In order for this e-marketing to affect positively, people must accept it and integrate into its fields by opening this technology to all (Decman, 2015).

Hence e-marketing, like other economic activities, must have legislation that protects investors and users, and therefore the availability of a legislative and legal structure is considered an imperative for continuity and sustainability of this sector, as well as a commitment to transparency in the application of such legislation related to e-marketing operations (Matli, 2016).

On the other hand, tourism is considered one of the most important economic sectors in Jordan, as it constitutes 13% of the gross domestic product, and its revenues amount to about 4.3 billion dollars annually. In 2017 there were about 5.3 million tourists who visited Jordan from different parts of the world, thus contributing to the development of the Jordanian economy. However, the tourism industry has a significant role in operating the local

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workforce. Therefore, the Jordanian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities establishes a Tourist Guidance program to supply the Jordanian market with tourist guides with knowledge of the scientific foundations of tourism guidance, whether at the knowledge level, related to Jordan's history, its antiquities and society throughout the ages, or at the linguistic level, taking into account the most important languages of tourists visiting Jordan (Al-Sharadqa, 2018).

Accordingly, Jordan has become an important tourist destination on the Arab tourism map, as evidenced by the indicators and digital statistics that show the increase in the number of tourists, as well as the rise in the national income that the tourism sector supplies to the state’s public treasury, which exceeds 14% of the gross domestic product. Moreover there is the competitive role which this sector is witnessing with neighboring countries and the tourist progress of the level of services provided by the professionals of the tourism sector to the country's tourists. In addition to that there is also the volume of investments, which is witnessing an ever-increasing from one period to another due to the facilities that the sector enjoys, which made Jordan a tourist attraction in the Arab world and globally. The efforts of the tourism sector are focused on developing the Jordanian tourism product through electronic marketing operations for archaeological and heritage sites in Jordan such as Petra, the historical city of Jerash, the Karak Castle, Wadi Rum, and the Dead Sea, in addition to medical tourism places (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, 2016).

Hence, the use of electronic marketing in the tourism sector leads to achieving the desired economic integration of the state and the marketing of the tourism product in an effective way and raises its value stimulating the spirit of competition (Ibrahim, 2015). To achieve this, the Jordanian state must accelerate the establishment of the infrastructure for e-tourism, by setting up a special body for e-marketing within the Ministry of Tourism, whose tasks will be to build networks and link cities and tourist sites with a tourist weight to market the tourism product, and adopt comprehensive quality standards to reach a competitive ability in the tourism sector in Jordan (Mahasis, 2011).

PROBLEM OF THE STUDY It is necessary to point out the importance of tourism in general and in Jordan in particular, as it contributes greatly to the country's development, whether directly or indirectly. Tourism supports all sectors of the country, whether industrial, commercial or agricultural.Tourism thus contributes by introducing foreign currencies into the country, and this is what has made tourism of a major role in supporting and encouraging the state's urban sector since tourism has provided ample cash for the urban movement, to increase development, and we find that in a concrete way, especially in the desert areas that have been reclaimed and reconstructed in a significant and remarkable way.

Tourism is also considered in the state as a real natural wealth, for there is a common saying describing tourism as (the oil of these who do not have oil), so we find most of the countries that do not have internal wealth, depend on its tourism wealth in a large way.It remains here to point out the importance of the role of electronic marketing for the Tourism sector and its spread in the entire world. Based on that, tourism increases the importance of upgrading the name of the country that supports it through e-marketing, as we find that e-marketing is based on the promotion, pricing, training, expenditure and highlighting tourist places. Accordingly, the nature of the study problem is related to the definition of tourism resources in Jordan, as it is linked to a statement of the importance of the role of Electronic marketing of tourism and its link to economic development, as the problem of the study is also to clarify the ways and mechanisms of using electronic marketing and technology and its techniques in developing the tourism sector, hence the problem of the study is summarized by the following main question:

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What is the impact of electronic marketing on the tourism sector in Jordan?

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY •

Highlighting the vital role of electronic marketing in the process of marketing Jordanian tourism resources.

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Identifying the tourist information to be presented through electronic marketing operations.

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Studying the concept of electronic tourism and make it one of the options, whether for domestic or foreign tourism.

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Propose solutions to address the problem of electronic marketing in the tourism sector in Jordan.

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Accessing tourist services sites and searching for the best prices in the field of tourism service.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY •

To shed light on the tourism product in Jordan by deepening the concept of electronic marketing and its impact on the tourism sector.

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Disclosure of the linking of tourism resources to e-marketing, whereby through marketing the optimal tourist image of Jordan is conveyed to the outside world.

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Highlighting the role of electronic marketing in developing the tourism product, as the tourism sector is currently subject to fundamental changes, because of the important role that information technology plays.

STUDY HYPOTHESES The study seeks to test the validity of the following research hypotheses: •

E-Promotion has a statistically significant effect on the tourism sector in Jordan.

•

Electronic pricing has a statistically significant effect on the tourism sector in Jordan.

•

The website of the tourism service has a statistically significant effect on the tourism sector in Jordan.

TERMS OF THE STUDY E-Marketing E-marketing is defined as a strategy applied to regulate modern technological communication methods, by replacing the traditional market with the virtual market changing it into a tangible practical reality using electronic media (Marjolein at all, 2018) The concept of e-marketing is also determined by developing better relationships with customers and continuous interaction with privacy taken in account.E-marketing Business encourages organizations to win new customers, maintain old ones, exceed boundaries, open marketing spaces for both the individual and the company, or reduce costs (Shamykambojet al, 2018).

On the other hand, the quality of the electronic product, the promotional budget, the experience, the skill and the continuous development constitute the most important methods of success for the e-marketing and it has many types such as websites, blogs, videos, forums and pages, postal campaigns and total applications (Schultz & Peltier, 2013). www.tjprc.org

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Online marketing has many advantages, the most important of which are high profits, low cost, ease, information protection, openness, identifying strengths, and serving individuals, groups and companies alike (Wang & Zhang, 2012).

Tourism Tourism is defined as moving from one location to another, whether in a specific country, a specific region, or around the world; in order to reach specific needs, far from the place of permanent residence, business environment, or wars (Haoyi, 2016). There are some definitions received from international tourism bodies and organizations, so the World Tourism Organization defined tourists that they are all people who are somewhere for 24 hours; with the aim of obtaining entertainment that includes vacations, sports and recreation (Al Sharadqa, 2018).

Tourism is also defined as all the activities or behaviors that people apply while going for trips outside their homes and community, including adventure tourism: to see the oddities and monitor the residents and their customs, such as mountain climbing and surfing as well as skiing in the desert sand, in addition to recreational tourism: which is traveling to tourist destinations for the purpose of recreation and entertainment (Bazazo, 2011).

There is also religious tourism: travel with the aim of visiting holy places such as Mecca, Medina, and the Vatican, and cultural tourism: the aim is to visit cultural places and sites, museums, monuments, and historical monuments, in addition to discovering the customs and traditions of other peoples, beach tourism, adventure tourism, and meditation tourism: it is considered among the finest types of global tourism, which is a new tourism product on the international level, its first marketing began at the Arab level in Jordan, where its first activities were launched on February 14, 2014 in the Dead Sea (Al-Fayez, 2015).

DELIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The study was applied in Jordanian Hashemite Kingdom represented by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiques in 2020.

The study was applied on the workers of the Ministry of Tourism. The study was limited to identifying the impacts of emarketing on the tourism sector in Jordan and determining the major dimensions represented by pricing e-promotion and websites.

PROCEDURES OF THE STUDY Study Methodology The researcher adopted the descriptive analytical approach through investigating the opinions of the study sample to know their opinions on the role of electronic marketing in the tourism sector in Jordan.

The Study Sample The sample of the study was (120) individuals from the Jordanian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The sample size was determined based on the law for the minimum sample selection.

Instrument of the Study To achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher developed a questionnaire that included three dimensions with the aim of identifying the impact of electronic marketing in the tourism sector in Jordan.

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Validity of the Questionnaire Internal Consistency Validity To ensure the validity of the internal consistency of the questionnaire, it was distributed to a pilot sample consisting of (50) individuals in the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Jordan, after which the correlation coefficients were calculated between the total score for each dimension and the total degree of the questionnaire; The following table explains the procedures for calculating the validity of internal consistency.

Table 1: shows Pearson's Correlation Coefficients for each Dimension's Scores Correlation Coefficient Correlation Coefficient Dimensions Value of Significance Value of Significance Online promotion 0.941** 0.000 Electronic pricing 0.878** 0.000 Website 0.930** 0.000 It is clear from the previous table that correlation coefficients for each dimension of each of the three dimensions of electronic marketing operations ranged between (0.941 - 0.878) degrees, which are high correlation coefficients, as it is statistically significant at the level of significance (0.05), and this indicates that all of these dimensions have Internal consistency validity.

Reliability of the Questionnaire Cronbach's Alpha It is a method that requires calculating the correlation of the items with each other, and table (2) shows the reliability coefficients of the questionnaire and each of its dimensions using the Cronbach's Alpha equation.

Table 2: Shows Cronbach's Alpha Stability Factor Dimensions Cronbach's Alpha Online promotion 0.709 Electronic pricing 0.731 website 0.852 Total Reliability 0.891 It is clear from the previous table that the total reliability coefficient of the questionnaire reached (0.891), which is a high reliability coefficient that indicates that the questionnaire has a high degree of reliability and can be relied upon in the field application of the study.

Testing the validity of the study hypotheses The first hypothesis: e-promotion has a statistically significant effect on the tourism sector in Jordan.

To verify the hypothesis, the respondents were asked about the performance of the e-promotion, and they gave three answers which are high, medium and low. Table (3) shows these answers: Table 3: Performance of Electronic Promotion Performance of Number Percentage Electronic Promotion High 4 3.3 Medium 37 30.9 Low 79 65.8 120 100 Total www.tjprc.org

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We note from the data of table (3) that the respondents mentioned that e-promotion is low, and this result indicates that the use of electronic marketing in the tourism sector in Jordan has not yet reached the required limit, and therefore it is necessary to pay attention to e-promotion in order to contribute to the introduction of the tourism product in the circle electronic marketing which will help to quickly spread the tourism product.

The respondents were asked about their approval of the development of the tourism sector in Jordan, and they gave three answers: agree, neutral, disagree. Table (4) illustrates this.

Table 4: the Development of the Tourism Sector in Jordan Tourism sector in Jordan Number Percentage Agree 7 5.8 Neutral 55 45.8 Disagree 58 48.4 120 100 Total The results in table (4) indicate that the tourism sector has not developed in Jordan, and therefore there is an urgent need to develop the tourism product and the distribution channels, so that the tourism sector in Jordan can take its appropriate position and have a competitive ability in the tourism market. Hence, there is an imperative need to pay attention to the field of electronic tourism marketing, so that these human resources can contribute to the spread of Jordanian tourism on a large scale across the global tourism markets.

To verify the validity of the research hypothesis, which states (: e-promotion has a statistically significant effect on the tourism sector in Jordan).The first phenomenon, the performance of electronic promotion (independent variable), was divided into high, medium, and low, and the second phenomenon, which is the development of the tourism sector in Jordan (dependent variable),was divided to agree, neutral, disagree, and the two phenomena can be studied together according to this division as shown in table (5).

Table 5: E-Promotion Performance and Tourism Makers in Jordan The Development of the Tourism Sector in Jordan Sum of Rows Disagree Neutral Agree Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Number % 3.3 %0.0 %0.0 %3.3 4 0 0 4 %30.9 37 %3.3 4 %25.0 30 %2.5 3 %65.8 79 %45.0 54 %20.8 25 %0.0 0 %100

120

%48.4

58

%45.8

55

%5.8

7

E_promotion High Medium Low Sum of columns

100.337 =Chi - square 4 =Degree of freedom Significance = 0.000 Table (5) shows that the value of Chi - square = 100.337 at Degree of freedom = 4 and Significance = 0,000. The tabular value of Chi - square (critical value) at 4 degrees of freedom and the level of significance = 0,000 and the value of the square, and the tabular value of Chi - square (critical value) at 4 degrees of freedom and the level of significance 5% = 9.488 compared to 0% it becomes clear that the calculated value of Chi - square = 100.337 is greater than the tabular value of the Chi - square = 9.488.Therefore, zerohypotheses is rejected and thus we accept the alternative hypothesis of the research, and therefore there is an effect of the performance of e-promotion on the development of the tourism sector in Jordan, and this means that the impact of e-promotion on the tourism sector in Jordan is real and has statistical significance.

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The second hypothesis: Electronic pricing has a statistically significant effect on the tourism sector in Jordan.

To verify the hypothesis, the respondents were asked about electronic pricing, and they gave three answers which are high, medium and low. Table (6) shows these answers: Table 6: Electronic Pricing Electronic Pricing Number Percentage High 7 5.8 Medium 54 45.0 Low 59 49.2 Total 120 100 We notice from the data of table (6) that about half of the respondents (49.2%) mentioned that electronic pricing is low, and this result indicates that encouraging tourism has a positive quality in Jordan due to the low cost.

In order to verify the validity of the research hypothesis, which states (e-pricing has a statistically significant effect on the tourism sector in Jordan), the first phenomenon, e-pricing (independent variable), was divided into high, medium, and low, and the second phenomenon is the development of the tourism sector in Jordan (dependent variable) to agree, neutral, disagree, and the two phenomena can be studied together according to this division as shown in table (7).

Sum of Rows Percentage % 5.8 %45.0 %49.2

Number 7 54 59

%100

120

Table 7: E-Pricing and Tourism Industry in Jordan The Development of the Tourism Sector in Jordan Disagree Neutral Agree Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Number %0.8 1 %0.8 1 %4.1 5 %5.8 7 %37.5 45 %1.7 2 %41.8 50 %7.5 9 %0.0 0 %48.4

58

%45.8

55

%5.8

7

E-Pricing High Medium low Sum of columns

117.461 =Chi - square Degree of freedom = Significance = 0.000 Table (7) shows that the value of Chi - square = 117.461 at Degree of freedom = 4 and Significance = 0,000.

The tabular value of Chi - square (critical value) at 4 degrees of freedom and the level of significance = 0,000 and the tabular value of Chi - square (critical value) at 4 degrees of freedom and the level of significance 5% = 9.488 compared to 0% it becomes clear that the calculated value of Chi - square = 100.337 is greater than the value of the Chi - square tabular = 9.488.Therefore, zero hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted. Accordingly, there is an effect of electronic pricing on the development of the tourism sector in Jordan, and this means that the impact of electronic pricing on the tourism sector in Jordan is real and has statistical significance.

The third hypothesis: The website of the tourism service has a statistically significant effect on the tourism sector in Jordan.

To verify the hypothesis, the respondents were asked about the website, and they gave three answers, which are high, medium and low. Table (8) shows these answers:

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Table 8: Website website Number Percentage High 17 14.2 Medium 63 52.5 Low 40 33.3 120 100 Total We notice from the data of table (8) that around half of the respondents (52.5%) mentioned that the website is medium, and this result indicates that there is not enough information on distribution channels and their quality such as hotels, tourist travel agencies, car rental companies and airlines.

To verify the validity of the research hypothesis, which states that (the website has a statistically significant effect on the tourism sector in Jordan), the first phenomenon, the website (independent variable), was divided into high, medium, and low, and the second phenomenon was divided, which is the development of the tourism sector in Jordan (dependent variable) to agree, neutral, disagree, and the two phenomena can be studied together according to this division as shown in table (9).

Sum of Rows Percentage % 14.2 %52.5 %33.5

Number 17 63 40

%100

120

Table 9: Website and the Tourism Sector in Jordan The Development of the Tourism Sector in Jordan Disagree Neutral Agree Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Number %1.7 2 %6.7 8 %5.8 7 %21.7 26 %30.8 37 %0.0 0 %25.0 30 %8.3 10 %0.0 0 %48.4

58

%45.8

55

%5.8

7

Website High Medium Low Sum of columns

59.73 =Chi - square 4 =Degree of freedom Significance = 0.000 Table (6) shows that the value of Chi - square = 59.73 at Degree of freedom = 4 and Significance = 0,000. And the tabular value of Chi - square (critical value) at 4 degrees of freedom and the level of significance = 0,000 and the tabular value of Chi - square (critical value) at 4 degrees of freedom and the level of significance 5% = 9.488 compared to 0% it becomes clear that the calculated value of Chi - square = 100.337 is greater than the value of the Chi - square tabular = 9.488. Therefore we reject the zero hypothesis and accepts the alternative hypothesis. Hence, there is an effect of the website on the development of the tourism sector in Jordan, and this means that the impact of the website on the tourism sector in Jordan is real and has statistical significance.

RECOMMENDATIONS •

Supporting tourism establishments and sectors in Jordan to continue to apply modern concepts in electronic marketing.

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Setting strategic plans for electronic marketing in line with the developments in e-commerce in general.

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Working to increase the number of specialists in the fields of tourism marketing, and to employ those who have experience in the field of marketing in those establishments.

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Create a periodical for tourism marketing, and follow-up on developments in the field of electronic marketing.

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Coordination with the state's chambers of commerce to contribute to the establishment of training courses to qualify specialists in various tourism specialties.

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Adoption of new legislation that helps small and medium-sized tourism enterprises to integrate to create larger entities that can compete in the global tourism market.

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Paying attention to electronic marketing, by linking all the tourism sectors in the public and private sectors with an electronic network, in addition to providing a comprehensive database of the Jordanian tourism product.

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