ADVERTISEMENT AS A STRATEGIC MARKETING TOOL FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF ENUGU STATE

This study examined the strategic role of advertising as a marketing template in the development of tourism in Enugu state. The study raised four specific objectives: To find out how strategic advertising has stimulating economic development through dissemination of products and sendees information to the target audience and to identify the major challenges that lead to gradual reduction ofthe activities of Enugu state tourism board. Following this, four researcher questions were asked to guide the study. Survey research design/method was used, to carry out the study and a sample of400 respondents were selected through Taro Yamani sampling formula and probability sampling technique was adopted while multi-stage sampling was use via clustering and simple random sampling. The study found that: strategic advertising role has not been felt to have significantly contributed to the dissemination of products and services information to the target audience; that strategic advertising could significantly stimulated demands to the Enugu tourism board since only few customers has patronize the firm in the absence of advertising; that Enugu State Tourism Board is faced with significant challenges that lead to gradual reduction of the activities such as total neglect ofthe sector among others and that advertising has not significantly stimulated economic development through tourism in Enugu state. Thus, the study recommended that Enugu tourism board should use strategic advertising as a means of disseminating products and services information to the target audience among others.