Digital marketing impact on rural Homestay booking and role of destination image

The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of various internet marketing methods like Online Travel Agents (OTA), Online Reviews (ORV), social media (SM), and Web GIS (WG) and examine the mediating role of Destination Image (DI) on tourist Homestay Booking (HB) located in the Himalayan region of India. Primary data was collected by using a structured questionnaire from 340 tourist respondents. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data using SPSS and AMOS 21. The study validates the considerable role of OTA, ORV, SM, and WG on Homestay booking. The result emphasizes OTA roles, the importance of utilizing positive reviews, leveraging the power of social media, the significance of superior destination image, and implementing Web GIS in Homestay marketing.