Role of Innovative Marketing Strategies on Sustainability of Eco-Tourism Projects Under Rwanda Development Board in Rwanda

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of innovative marketing strategies on the sustainability of eco-tourism in Rwanda, with a particular focus on the Rwanda Development Board (RDB). It was guided by four key objectives such as to assess the impact of social media marketing, examine the role of event hosting, evaluate the effectiveness of live video marketing, and analyze the influence of government policy and regulations on the sustainability of eco-tourism initiatives. The population of 145 individuals involved in RDB’s eco-tourism marketing efforts. A stratified and purposive sampling method yielded a sample size of 106 participants. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and interviews and analyzed using SPSS Version 23.0. Social media marketing exhibited the strongest correlation with sustainability (r = 0.910, p < 0.01), suggesting it is a critical driver of success in eco-tourism initiatives. Event hosting marketing also showed a strong positive correlation (r = 0.838, p < 0.01), indicating that organizing promotional events enhances awareness, public engagement, and the long-term viability of eco-tourism. Live video marketing presented a moderate yet significant correlation (r = 0.632, p < 0.01), while government policy and regulations demonstrated a moderate positive relationship (r = 0.552, p < 0.01), affirming their role in supporting strategic implementation. Further, the correlation matrix revealed strong interconnections among the marketing components themselves such as between social media and events hosting (r = 0.891), events hosting and live video marketing (r = 0.786), and between government policy and live video marketing (r = 0.782). This implies these strategies often work in tandem, enhancing their collective effectiveness in promoting sustainability. The regression model confirmed the predictive strength of these strategies. The model’s R-squared value was 0.851, indicating that 85.1% of the variance in eco-tourism sustainability is explained by the combined effects of the four independent variables. Among them, social media marketing had the highest unstandardized coefficient (B = 2.885) and a standardized beta of 0.830 (t = 9.726, p < 0.000), confirming it as the most impactful predictor. Event hosting marketing followed with a significant effect (B = 0.930, beta = 0.262, p = 0.007), while government policy also contributed meaningfully (B = 0.611, beta = 0.189, p = 0.004). Although live video marketing was statistically significant (p = 0.004), it had a low coefficient (B = 0.114, t = 0.436), indicating a comparatively weaker practical influence. Multicollinearity tests showed acceptable values (VIF < 10, Tolerance > 0.1), indicating no multicollinearity issues among the predictors.