DIGITAL COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN ENSURING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF TOURISM AND HOTEL ENTERPRISES

Abstract

Introduction. Against the backdrop of rapid digitalization in the tourism and hospitality sectors, digital communication tools are becoming increasingly important for ensuring the competitiveness of businesses in the hotel and tourism industries. Increased competition in the tourism and hotel services market, changes in consumer behavior, the growing role of digital platforms, and the active use of online communications necessitate the implementation of modern digital technologies in the system of interaction between businesses and consumers. The effective use of digital communications contributes to improving the customer experience, building a positive corporate reputation, increasing customer loyalty, developing direct booking systems, and strengthening the competitive positions of enterprises in the tourism and hospitality sectors.

Purpose. The objective of this article is to examine modern digital communication tools and justify their role in ensuring the competitiveness of enterprises in the hotel and tourism industries. To achieve this objective, the main groups of digital communication tools have been systematized, the specific ways in which they influence the competitiveness of tourism and hospitality enterprises in the context of digitalization have been examined, and practical approaches to developing an effective digital communication strategy focused on the quality of the customer experience have been substantiated.

Materials and methods. The theoretical and methodological foundation of this study was based on scientific works by domestic and foreign scholars on the digitalization of the hotel industry and tourism business, digital marketing communications, online reputation management, and the development of electronic platforms in the tourism and hospitality sectors. The research employed methods of scientific generalization, systematization, comparative analysis, structural-logical analysis, and graphical modeling. The information base for the study consisted of analytical materials from UN Tourism, the Digital 2025 Global Overview Report, TripAdvisor, Phocuswright, and other contemporary digital and statistical sources.

Results. The study systematized the main groups of digital communication tools used by enterprises in the hotel and tourism sectors, including social media and SMM, content marketing and search engine optimization, email marketing and CRM systems, mobile applications, online reputation management, as well as chatbots and automated digital services. It was determined that the comprehensive use of digital communication tools ensures an increase in the digital presence of enterprises, strengthens consumer trust, improves the customer experience, builds a positive reputation, and enhances competitive advantages in the digital environment. The study demonstrates the feasibility of integrating digital communications into a unified system for interacting with consumers and systematizes the key performance indicators of digital communication tools. A practical outcome of the research was the development of an algorithm for formulating a digital communication strategy for tourism and hospitality enterprises.

Discussion. Prospects for further research are linked to studying the impact of artificial intelligence technologies, big data, automated digital services, and personalized digital communications on the transformation of the tourism and hospitality industries, as well as the development of methodological approaches to quantitatively assessing the impact of digital communications on the competitiveness of enterprises in the tourism and hospitality sectors.