The value of cluster association for digital marketing in tourism regional development

Abstract

This paper analyses the advantages of membership in a cluster in the effective use of digital marketing tools and in a general way, in the performance, especially for the small and medium firms in underdeveloped regions. For this purpose, a case method research was conducted in the tourism sector, specifically in the hotels in the La Guajira Department, Colombia, where there is a regional tourism cluster. The tourism sector especially depends on digital marketing and the proper use of available digital marketing tools play an essential role in the performance. To conduct the study, 40 hotels in La Guajira were analyzed, whether or not they were members in the cluster. The obtained data were assessed by means of fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to check the hypotheses. The results reveal the most effective combinations of digital marketing tools and the activities in which especially small and medium firms must engage in the cluster to obtain better results.