Digitalization of Rural Tourism Products: Evaluating Stages and Managerial Readiness

Abstract

This study examines the critical phases involved in the digitalization of tourist village
products, encompassing planning, packaging, and marketing. These stages are foundational to the
effective mapping of tourist village products, ultimately leading to their digital representation. To
ensure the successful implementation of digitalization, the optimal preparation of human resources
is imperative, as inadequate readiness risks perpetuating a lack of awareness within rural
communities. The study aims to evaluate the readiness of tourist villages to adopt digital approaches
in planning, packaging, and marketing their products.
The primary data collection employed a consultative methodology, integrating focus group
discussions (FGDs) with workshop-based sessions. Four distinct rounds of data collection were
conducted, each addressing specific themes: digital marketing, the Godevi digital platform, tour
package development for tourist villages, and governance frameworks for these villages. Godevi,
the partner organization driving the market localization initiative for tourist villages, served as the
principal unit of analysis. A manager from one of the tourist villages in the 25th round of evaluation
was selected as a key informant for this study.
The findings reveal that 25 tourist villages required assistance in the planning phase. Nevertheless,
these communities demonstrated the capacity to design trip packages aligned with prior product
mapping initiatives, albeit requiring continued guidance in product packaging. Conversely, in the
domain of digital marketing, tourist villages were found to exhibit limited proficiency in leveraging
the requisite digital systems effectively.