Use of Marketing Communication Tools in Tourism in Accommodation Facilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The spread of the infectious disease COVID-19 throughout the world in 2020 caused a global pandemic, which, with subsequent measures, seriously affected the global tourism industry. The main purpose of the research study was to identify and analyse the use of marketing communication tools in tourism in accommodation facilities in the Czech Republic during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper adds to the existing literature by offering a better understanding of the link between the effectiveness of marketing communication tools within the marketing strategy and the financial losses of the hotel sector. As part of the research, a total of 140 controlled, structured interviews were conducted with managers of selected accommodation facilities, in which the scope and primary forms of use of marketing communication tools during the COVID-19 pandemic were investigated. Research objectives were verified through research questions and hypotheses. The main findings of the research revealed that more than half of the monitored accommodation establishments in the Czech Republic did not change their promotion strategy during the pandemic. In contrast, almost 13% of the accommodation establishments surveyed did not use any tools to communicate with the customer. The research also showed that marketing communication of accommodation facilities takes place mainly in the form of websites and social media, while the most effective communication is via social networks. Therefore, the authors recommend professional associations operating in tourism and hospitality focus their educational activities on the possibilities of using innovative marketing communication tools to communicate with customers. The research was carried out for the requirements and needs of society and practice in connection with the effects of the pandemic crisis so that it was possible to communicate more effectively with the customer segment in the tourism sector.