Influence of Promotional Marketing Practices on Performance of Domestic Tourism in Kenya: A Case of County Government of Nakuru

Abstract International tourism in Kenya has become increasingly vulnerable to international shocks, giving rise to interest in domestic tourism as an attempt to sustain the tourism market. The County Government of Nakuru has accordingly put in place various measures to market the sector domestically. This study aimed to assess the effect of these measures on performance of domestic tourism of the County Government of Nakuru, Kenya. The basic communication theory as developed by Schramm was used to guide the study. The study employed the proportionate stratified sampling design with three strata namely tourist hotels, tourist attractions and the Ministry of Trade, Industrialisation, Tourism and Wildlife Management at the County Government of Nakuru. Simple random sampling by raffle was further used inside each stratum in order to give each subject an equal chance of being selected. Data was collected through structured questionnaires comprising of closed-ended questions. Data was analysed using SPSS and Excel spreadsheets. Findings indicated a strong relationship of all the independent variables to the dependent variable This led to the conclusion that promotional marketing activities do influence performance of domestic tourism. Consequently, it was recommended that adequate resources should be allocated for promotional activities, especially financial resources and human resources. For better effectiveness, it was recommended that the promotional activities should be integrated rather than applied separately, and that all stakeholders should be engaged.