An Assessment of the Contribution of Public Relations in Building Corporate Image in the Tourism Industry

Abstract

The main focus of the study was to assess the contribution of PR in building corporate image in the tourism industry. For which reason the study set specific objectives to aid in achieving the general objective which were to assess the current image of the tourism industry in Ghana, to determine whether PR can be used to build corporate image of the tourism industry and how, as well as probing how to identify PR functions that can be used to build corporate image of the tourism industry. To pursue this course, the study proposed to adopt the quantitative approach to research where questionnaire were the data collection tool employed. The study, which was based on desktop research, observed that while the PR industry keeps growing and its contribution to the success of organizations and even individuals Naveed (2013), the Ghanaian tourism industry appears not to have taken advantage of this to build its corporate image. The literature suggests (eg. Amegbe, Owino and Kerubo, 2017; Johnston and Sheehan, 2020 etc.) time and again making it resound that PR could be used to improve corporate image of organizations and individuals alike. Also, PR functions that were identified to be able to build the corporate image of the industry included media relation, social media management, environmental scanning and boundary spanning among others (Proverbs, 2020). The study then made recommendations that the supervising Ministry, Ghana Tourism Authority as well as key stakeholders in the industry probe and champion the role of PR by recognizing and equipping the function with the necessary needs so that it can equally harness the good fruits of PR. For policy makers as well, the study recommends policies which drive at sensitizing agencies, stakeholders and the general public as a whole so that tourism will be patronized the more.