LOVE LOCAL: ASSESSING THE PUBLIC AWARENESS

ON THE PROMOTIONAL STRATEGIES

OF MIDSAYAP TOURISM

PRINCE REYNOR D. CATAHUM

NESTELLE GRACE O. OLIVAR
ERICA JANE A. DEMETILLO
JOENIL L. SILVERIO
JASPER M. KASO

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT

JUNE 2025
 CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

The local tourism is known for exploring and engaging with the attractions,

activities, and culture of your own local area or region. Despite of engaging, some local

people might not be familiar with them due to lack of accessible and extensive information.

Public awareness is the key to educate local communities about the economic, social, and

cultural benefits of tourism. Raises awareness about potential negative impacts, and

promotes cultural prevention and environmental conservation. Effective promotional

strategies are essential for increasing public awareness and attracting tourist.

Public awareness on promotional strategies plays a crucial role in attracting visitors

and boosting local economies. One major advantage is that increased awareness can lead

to higher tourist engagement, fostering cultural exchange and economic growth. Effective

promotional strategy can also enhance a destination’s reputation and create long term

tourism sustainability. However poor promotional strategies may result in fewer visitors,

underused resources, and neglected cultural sites. A lack of awareness may result in low

engagement from residents and stakeholders, reducing their involvement in local

attractions. Therefore, effective promotional strategies is crucial to boost public awareness.

Furthermore, effective promotional strategies ensure that more people become

aware of and interested in visiting the local attraction. Tourism office utilizes different

promotional strategies such as television, radio, brochures and organizing events. To make
people public aware the tourist destination (Mayangsari & Firdaus, 2023). Moreover, social

media sites, such as tiktok, facebook and instagram, play an important role in promoting

public awareness about tourism destination ( Voucherify, 2022).

In addition, public awareness is intrinsically linked to community support and

participation in tourism activities. Community involvement is very important because local

residents act as representatives of their area, sharing their stories and experience with

visitors. When residents take pride in what Midsayap has to offer, it helps create more

genuine and enjoyable experience for tourist. Additionally, love local tourist attractions

means appreciating the beauty and culture within the community. Local attractions offer

unique experiences that reflect the history, and creativity of the area. By choosing local

destination, tourists can support and contribute to the local economy.

Despite the increasing efforts of tourism office to promote local destinations, there

is a limited area that are reached of their advertisement that affects the level of public

awareness. The research of Astuti (2021), tourism office utilizes different promotional

tools such as social media and print media to strengthen the tourism destination. Moreover,

the researcher focuses largely on promotional strategies but lacks a thorough analysis of

their effectiveness in increasing public awareness. With this the purpose of study is to

assessing the public to measure the level of awareness among the residents of Midsayap

regarding the local attractions advertised by the tourism office.

 Conceptual Framework

Promotional strategies include social media, brochures, events, and expos, which

are expected to increase public awareness. Public awareness is measured through survey

responses, social media metrics, and increased tourist arrivals. However, demographic

factors such as age, gender, marital status, and educational level may affect how these

promotional strategies influence public awareness. This framework suggests that the

effectiveness of promotional efforts may vary depending on the demographic

characteristics of the audience.

Independent Variable
Promotional Strategies
a Social Media
Intervening Variable (IV)
b Brochure
 Demographic
c Events Factors (age,
d Expo gender, marital
status, educational
level)

Dependent Variable
Public Awareness
a. survey responses
b. social media metrics
c. increase in tourist arrival

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework

 Statement of the Problem

This study aims to assess the public awareness of promotional strategies utilized by

Midsayap tourism office. Specifically, this study seeks to answers the following questions;

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 age

1.2 gender,

1.3 marital status

1.4 educational level.

2. What is the extent of the promotional strategies utilized by the Midsayap Tourism

Office, in terms of:

2.1 social media

2.2 brochure

2.3 events

2.4 expo

3. The public awareness on the promotional strategies utilized by the Midsayap

Tourism Office in terms of:

3.1 survey responses

3.2 social media metrics

3.3 increase in tourist arrival

4. What are the recommendation to strengthen public awareness that will lead the

residents to love local tourist destinations?

 Scope and Limitations

The study aims to assess public awareness on the promotional strategies utilized by

the Midsayap Tourism office. The respondents involved in this study are the people who

live in Midsayap. The study was limited to the area of Midsayap only and did not attempt

to measure or analyze data from other environments.

Significance of the Study

The study is significant to the Midsayap Tourism Office to assess the public's

awareness of their promotional strategies. In particular, this study aims to provide benefits

to different groups of individuals.

Academe. The findings of this study will help increase awareness among students

about local tourism attractions. This can encourage greater participation in tourism-related

activities and foster deeper understanding of local tourism efforts.

Local Government Unit. The findings of this study helps LGU to understand how

to effectively promote local tourist attractions. To increased public awareness can lead to

greater community and stronger local identity.

Tourism Office. The findings of this study will provide valuable insights for the

tourism office to evaluate the effectiveness of their current strategies and identify areas for

improvement. Moreover, the results will enable the tourism office to develop more targeted

and effective promotional strategies that resonate with the local community, ultimately

contributing to the growth and development of the local tourism industry.

 Residents. The findings of this study will also benefit the residents by highlighting

the importance of their role in promoting local tourism and encouraging them to take an

active part in supporting the local tourism industry.

Future Researchers. The study provides valuable insights and recommendations

and may be used as baseline information for future researcher.

Definition of Terms

The following terms used in the study are emphasized to give readers clarity. The

terms are defined both conceptually and functionally.

Love Local. Refers to supporting local tourist destinations and appreciating the

local culture. It promotes tourist to choose locally owned tourist destination. This approach

fosters sustainable tourism by investing in the local economy, protecting cultural heritage

and fostering meaningful connections between visitors and the community.

Public Awareness. Refers to the level of awareness, understanding and recognition

within the community and broader public regarding the efforts and initiatives undertaken

by the tourism office to promote local attractions. This encompasses various

communication channels, events, campaigns and advertisement.

Promotional Strategy. Refers to the method use to advertise and highlight a

destination in order to attract more visitors. Such as social media, brochure, events and

expo.
 Tourism Office. An office responsible for marketing and encouraging tourism in

a particular area. it gives tourists information on local services. An important duty of a

tourism office is to market local attractions, including cultural sites, and natural sites, and

special events, to bring in tourist and make their experience better.

 CHAPTER 2

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research design, research respondents and research

instrument. The data gathering procedure, data analysis and ethical consideration.

Research Design

The study utilized a quantitative method through a survey to assess the level of

awareness on promotional strategies of Midsayap tourism office.

Research Respondent

The respondent of the study are the residents of Midsayap who play a vital role

regarding the promotional strategies implemented by the local tourism office. Their

insights and perception provide valuable data to the study.

Research Instrument

The researcher used survey questionnaire for data gathering. It will consist of

multiple sections: the first section will collect demographic information such as gender,

marital status, and educational level to establish respondent profiles. The second section

will contain the promotional strategies of tourism office such as social media, brochure,

events and expo. And also the public awareness on the promotional strategies utilized by
the Midsayap tourism office, and lastly the recommendation of respondent to strengthen

public awareness. The survey questionnaire will undergo expert validation to ensure

clarity, reliability, and relevance to the study’s objectives.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researcher followed proper procedures before gathering information from the

respondents. Primary data will be collected through survey questionnaires, targeting a

group of local residents. These questionnaires will focus on demographic information,

awareness levels, and perceptions of promotional efforts, utilizing close-ended questions

like multiple-choice and Likert-scale items to ensure measurable results. Before

distribution, the questionnaire will be reviewed by experts to ensure its clarity, relevance,

and reliability.

Data Analysis

For data analysis, quantitative responses will be processed using statistical tools to

compute descriptive statistics, such as means, medians, and frequencies, as well as to

identify patterns and correlations among variables. The results will be presented visually

through graphs, charts, and tables, providing a concise and systematic evaluation of the

promotional strategies’ effectiveness.

 Ethical Consideration

The research considered ethical consideration, before the study conducted, the

respondents will receive a detail briefing and key information about the purpose of the

study. Through informed consent, respondent must willingly decide to take part in the

study. Their privacy is protected, and their involvement is entirely voluntary and to

minimize potential risks and ensuring the security of data collected. Furthermore, handling

sensitive information shall maintain confidentiality throughout the research process. To

ensure the findings accurately reflect public awareness without any undue influence from

own perspectives. By disclosing the names and identities of the respondents according to

RA 10173, also known as the Data Privacy Act.