Revitalizing Tourism in Free State Province, South Africa: Digital Marketing Strategies for Domestic Tourism Post-COVID-19 Recovery

Owing to the impacts of COVID-19, many contemporary nations have taken steps to develop the tourism industry within their borders. However, the advancements in digital technologies opened new operational channels for existing marketers, resulting in a highly competitive market where various marketing strategies are employed. As a result of situational challenges such as reduced tourism demand, faced by destination marketers due to COVID-19 and the need to rejuvenate tourism, the chapter aims to uncover the most common digital marketing strategies used in the South African domestic tourism industry, focusing on the Free State Province amidst and beyond the disruptive COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews with seasoned tourism marketers, the findings show that social media marketing, website optimization marketing, digital collaborative marketing alliances, online geotargeting, and app-based travel marketing are the most common digital strategies for tourism recovery. The chapter contributes to the literature and offers valuable insights for tourism stakeholders, policymakers, and researchers who want to promote sustainable domestic tourism growth in this complex and ever-changing landscape. The development of new technologies has encouraged tourism marketers to adapt their marketing strategies to the new form of marketing in the twenty-first century, aligned with trending digital tools and platforms. Suggestions for future research are provided.