INTEGRATION OF DIGITAL MARKETING TOOLS AS A PREREQUISITE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM ENTERPRISES: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Abstract

The modern tourism industry faces sustainable development challenges every day: environmental (envi- ronmental pollution, overloading of transport and recreational infrastructure), social (impact on the well-being of local communities) and economic (dependence on geopolitical and economic risks, exchange rate fluctuations, seasonal na- ture of business). All this generates a strong demand for the integration of digital marketing tools and technologies into the strategies of tourism enterprises in such a way that they not only increase profit indicators from the provision of services, but also contribute to the sustainable development of destinations and local businesses in the context of the environmental, social and economic components of this sustainability. The purpose of writing the article was to provide a theoretical, methodological and empirical substantiation for the need to integrate digital marketing tools into the strategies of tourism enterprises in the context of ensuring their sustainable development. A set of the most relevant digital marketing tools was identified to achieve the goals of sustainable development of tourism enterprises, as well as the existing barriers and incentives for the integration of digital technologies in the tourism industry were analyzed, taking into account foreign and domestic experience. A cost calculation method is proposed to assess the effectiveness of digitalization of marketing activities of a tourism enterprise. A conceptual model for integrating digital marketing tools into the sustainable development strategy of a tourism enterprise has been developed. It was concluded that the integration of digital marketing tools into the sustainable development strategy of a tourism enterprise requires a sys- temic approach: making scientifically based strategic decisions at the level of destinations and local communities, op- erational technological improvements at the enterprise as well as preliminary planning of tactical measures to most effectively serve target segments. Despite the challenges and problems, digital technologies and the marketing strate- gies implemented on their basis open up new opportunities to increase the profitability of the tourism business, mini- mize the environmental footprint, and achieve transition to more responsible forms of tourism.