Analysing Effects of Online Distribution for Marketing of Accommodation Sector in Kolkata, India

Abstract

Accommodation sector primarily deals with the accommodation products, i.e., hotel rooms, which may vary to a great extent according to the type of the establishment and market demand. Demand oriented marketing activities are essential to sustain and grow in competitive environment. Appropriate marketing strategies are required to maintain expected occupancy level and to earn revenue for accommodation business. The distribution channel is concerned with the transfer or delivery of the goods or services to the end user or consumer of the product. A well-run distribution system is necessary to extend markets for any product or service. Distribution channels generally have multiple stages, comprising of producer, wholesaler, retailer and consumer. The hospitality industry especially the accommodation sector faces complications in the distribution process due to the intangibility of its product.

The study will also provide an insight of the online distribution system in regards to accommodation products This paper aims to find out the effect of Online Distribution for Marketing of Accommodation sector in Kolkata, India. It is important to know the impact of using e-marketing especially the online distribution system for increasing occupancy in accommodation sector. This paper will analyse the effect of Online Distribution in the study area.