Promotional Strategies and Visitor Engagement in Government-Owned Casinos in Cebu, Philippines
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69569/jip.2026.485Keywords:
Casino tourism, Promotional strategies, Tourist visitation, Tourism marketing, Visitor behaviorAbstract
Promotional strategies are important components of casino tourism marketing. However, evidence remains limited on how visitors perceive their influence across multiple behavioral and relational dimensions in Philippine government-owned casino establishments. This study examined the perceived influence of promotional strategies on visitor attraction, visit frequency, spending behavior, and customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth promotion in selected government-owned casinos in Cebu, Philippines. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action (AIDA) framework, the study employed a quantitative descriptive-correlational design involving 100 casino guests from four selected establishments in Cebu City, Mandaue City, and Lapu-Lapu City, with 25 respondents per establishment. A researcher-developed questionnaire, content-validated and pilot-tested with 20 individuals, yielded a Cronbach’s alpha of .95. Frequency, percentage, weighted mean, ranking, and chi-square tests were used to analyze the data. The findings indicated moderate perceived promotional influence on first-time visitor attraction (M = 3.14), visit frequency (M = 3.17), spending behavior (M = 3.11), and customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth promotion (M = 3.16). Discounted room and stay packages, free-play credits or gaming vouchers, loyalty and rewards programs, and complimentary food and beverages were the most frequently reported promotional offers. Significant associations were identified between gender and perceived promotional influence on spending behavior (p = .042) and between visit frequency and perceived promotional influence on customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth promotion (p = .028). These findings provide localized evidence that promotional planning should integrate tangible incentives with visitor experience, perceived value, accessibility, and relationship-building activities. The study translates these findings into a proposed TPB-informed, AIDA-structured promotional campaign model for visitor engagement and continued visitation. The results represent perceived influence and statistical associations, not demonstrated causal effects.
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