Media publicity and tourism development at a destination: A case of Kasese District

Abstract

This study aimed at determining the relationship between media publicity and tourism development at a destination, with the case study area of selected areas in Kasese district. The study was exploratory in nature considering that it did not a test an existing theory or hypothesis. The study adopted a descriptive research design involving both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study focused on local community leaders, and was basically undertaken with three main objectives namely, to determine the relationship between media publicity and tourism, to determine the elements of media publicity in the area, and to determine the factors that influence tourism development at a destination. The study sample size was 63 respondents as established by the Krajcie and Morgan table for sample size determination. The study found out that, 81% of the respondents replied that YES, there is a relationship between media publicity and tourism development, whereas 19% said there is NO relationship between media publicity and tourism development. And, a total of 47.6% agreed that media publicity plays a role on tourism development at a destination. The study found out that a big number of respondents agreed that they rely on information from other media houses outside of their home area, and these include among others, Voice of Tooro Fm, TV West, Capital Fm, NBS TV, and NTV Uganda.