This study examines the relationship between digital marketing strategies and customer engagement in Baghdad's luxury hotel sector, acknowledging the hospitality industry as a crucial element in Iraq's economic diversification and a significant alternative to oil-based income. Given its status as the second-largest potential investment area following oil, the hospitality sector in Baghdad is a key driver for attracting foreign currency, fostering local business activity, and mitigating national unemployment. However, many premier institutions continue to face a strategy-execution gap that hinders the transition from passive advertising to authentic guest commitment. Utilizing a quantitative approach, primary data were collected from 200 managers and supervisors at premier four- and five-star establishments. The demographic analysis indicates a highly educated managerial class, with the majority of participants possessing university degrees and considerable professional experience. Structural equation modeling reveals a strong direct relationship between digital marketing strategies and customer engagement. Consequently, the findings support that brand promotion serves as the critical partial mediating factor in translating digital marketing strategies into enduring customer engagement within Baghdad's competitive hospitality industry. This underscores the basis for a prestige-focused luxury management model in Iraq; wherein digital instruments are utilized to cultivate e-trust and secure a lasting competitive edge.
Agag, G., & El?Masry, A. (2016). Why Do Consumers Trust Online Travel Websites? Drivers and Outcomes of Consumer Trust toward Online Travel Websites. Journal of Travel Research, 56(3), 347. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287516643185
Ahmad, M. A.-A., & Jais, J. (2024). The mediating effect of service quality on the relationship between logistics resources and sustainable competitive advantage in Iraqi Kurdistan hotels. Cogent Business & Management, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2360597
Alam, M. Z. (2023). An investigation on the use of digital marketing towards the customer satisfaction and brand loyalty of hotels/ restaurants sector in Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 7(4), 1493. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2023.8.013
Ali, F. (2025). Hotel service quality and its impact on achieving competitive advantage: An exploratory study in first-class hotels in Baghdad. International Journal of Tourism and Hotel Management, 7(1), 337. https://doi.org/10.22271/27069583.2025.v7.i1d.164
Al-jaf, W., Ahmed, Y. A., & Faeq, D. K. (2020). Impact of Hotel Service Quality on Attracting Tourist and Achieving their Loyalty: A Case Study of Hotel Industry in Kurdistan Region. ?????? ??????? ???????, 40(4), 323. https://doi.org/10.21608/aja.2020.131064
Alrwashdeh, M., Almatarneh, N., Al-Mu’ani, L., & Hindieh, A. (2025). In the digital landscape: Can social media marketing activities boost brand loyalty in the Jordanian hospitality sector? Innovative Marketing, 21(3), 92. https://doi.org/10.21511/im.21(3).2025.07
Al-Saffar, M. (2016). Toward an Integrated Sustainable Urban Design Framework in the Historic Center of Baghdad. The International Journal of Environmental Sustainability, 13(1), 31. https://doi.org/10.18848/2325-1077/cgp/v13i01/31-52
Alshammare, G. I., Halim, M. S. B. A., & Alsheikh, G. A. A. (2022). Online Booking Services Assisted by Technology to Improve Customer Loyalty in Jordanian Five-Star Hotels. International Journal of Professional Business Review, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.26668/businessreview/2022.v7i3.0551
Alsheyab, M. A., & Omar, A. C. (2025). Linking Digital Content Marketing on Social Media to Intention to Visit: A Conceptual Framework with Customer Engagement as Mediator and E-Trust as Moderator. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 15(7). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v15-i7/25858
Balsiger, P., Jammet, T., Cianferoni, N., & Surdez, M. (2022). Coping with digital market re-organization: How the hotel industry strategically responds to digital platform power. Competition & Change, 27(1), 163. https://doi.org/10.1177/10245294211055612
Bhandari, R., & Sin, M. V. A. (2023). Optimizing Digital Marketing in Hospitality Industries. Startupreneur Business Digital (SABDA Journal), 2(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.33050/sabda.v2i1.263
Boiko, M., Kulyk, M., Bondar, S., Romanchuk, L., & Lositska, T. (2023). Consumer engagement in the conditions of business digitization: A case study of the hotel industry in Ukraine. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 21(3), 113. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.21(3).2023.09
ERDO?AN, Y., & ÖZDEM?R, E. G. (2021). SALES EFFECT OF DIGITAL MARKETING IN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ACCOMMODATION ENTERPRISES IN CORE CAPPADOCIA. Karadeniz Uluslararas? Bilimsel Dergi, 1(51), 1. https://doi.org/10.17498/kdeniz.944276
Fatima, Z., Rajan, P. T., Banu, B., & Dawoud, N. (2024). Study of Digital Marketing in Tourism and Hospitality Industry: A Literature Search Using the Keyword Co-Occurrence Mapping Network. Scholars Bulletin, 10(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.36348/sb.2024.v10i01.003
Fuchs, M., Tuta, M., & Höpken, W. (2008). Adoption of E-mail Marketing in the Hotel Sector (p. 279). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-77280-5_25
Garbani-Nerini, E., Marchiori, E., Reale, R., & Cantoni, L. (2022). Understanding Preferences in Tourism Email Marketing (p. 382). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94751-4_34
Garg, A., & Kumar, J. (2021). Social media marketing influence on Boutique Hotel customers’ purchase intention in Malaysia. Tourism & Management Studies, 17(3), 51. https://doi.org/10.18089/tms.2021.170304
Gündo?an, H., & AKME?E, H. (2020). The Role of Internal Control in Hotel Business: A Research on Five-Star. Ömer Halisdemir Üniversitesi ?ktisadi ve ?dari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 227. https://doi.org/10.25287/ohuiibf.589519
Halkiopoulos, C., Igoumenakis, G., & Theodoropoulou, A. (2024). Evaluation of Hotel Services Utilizing Digital Marketing Strategies in Less Developed Countries Within the Hospitality Industry. In Springer proceedings in business and economics (p. 323). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54338-8_18
Husain, R. (2025). East meets middle east: Unpacking cultural drivers of masstige brand experience in the hospitality sector. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 131, 104296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104296
Kamyabi, M., Özgit, H., & Nuhu, J. A. (2025). Sustaining Digital Marketing Strategies to Enhance Customer Engagement and Brand Promotion: Position as a Moderator. Sustainability, 17(7), 3270. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17073270
Khalayleh, M. A., & Al-Hawary, S. I. S. (2022). The impact of digital content of marketing mix on marketing performance: An experimental study at five-star hotels in Jordan. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 6(4), 1023. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2022.8.008
Khaleefah, Q. Q. (2020). IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CAPABILITIES OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC MANAGERS? A CASE STUDY AT FIVE AND FOUR STAR HOTELS IN AQABA - JORDAN. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 30, 861. https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.302spl11-515
Kumar, S. (2024). The Role of Digital Marketing on Customer Engagement in the Hospitality Industry. In Advances in business information systems and analytics book series (p. 177). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-0815-8.ch010
Lakha, R., & Vaid, P. A. C. (2021). Role of Social Media Networks in Promoting Hotel Industry. International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology, 40. https://doi.org/10.32628/ijsrst218312
Lim, Wendy. (2020). The Effects of social media networks in the hospitality industry. Digital Scholarship - UNLV (University of Nevada Reno). https://doi.org/10.34917/1918079
Manullang, Y. P. (2025). Digital Marketing Strategies for Hotels in Medan: Facing the Economic Challenges of 2025. Asian Journal of Applied Business and Management, 4(3), 803. https://doi.org/10.55927/ajabm.v4i3.433
Masa’deh, R., Nasseef, M. A., Suliman, M., & Albawab, M. (2017). The Effect of Hotel Development on Sustainable Tourism Development. International Journal of Business Administration, 8(4), 16. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijba.v8n4p16
Nuseir, M. T., Refae, G. A. E., Aljumah, A. I., Alshurideh, M. T., Urabi, S., & Kurdi, B. A. (2023). Digital Marketing Strategies and the Impact on Customer Experience: A Systematic Review. Studies in Computational Intelligence, 21. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12382-5_2
Puspita, F. C., Prayudi, P., & Sosiawan, E. A. (2024). Digital marketing model on Hospitality business’s social media. COMMICAST, 5(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.12928/commicast.v5i1.9492
Reklitis, D. P., Terzi, M. C., ?????, ?. ?., & Reklitis, P. (2025). Harnessing Digital Marketing Analytics for Knowledge-Driven Digital Transformation in the Hospitality Industry. Information, 16(10), 868. https://doi.org/10.3390/info16100868
Roumeliotis, K. I., Tselikas, N. D., & Tryfonopoulos, C. (2022). Greek Hotels’ Web Traffic: A Comparative Study Based on Search Engine Optimization Techniques and Technologies. Digital, 2(3), 379. https://doi.org/10.3390/digital2030021
Samad, R. S. D. (2024). The Digital Marketing and its Role in Enhancing the Reputation of Organization: An Analytical Study of the Hotel Sector in Erbil. Twejer, 7(3), 1622. https://doi.org/10.31918/twejer.2473.58
Suwitri, S. A. N., Gede, I. G. K., & Wajdi, M. (2025). Enhancing hospitality business visibility through strategic search engine optimization (SEO) implementation in digital marketing platforms. Journal of Commerce Management and Tourism Studies, 4(2), 272. https://doi.org/10.58881/jcmts.v4i2.370
Tokhtiyeva, Z., & Esenye, I. (2025). Digital Marketing Strategies for Enhancing Customer Engagement: Unpacking the Mediating Effect of Service Quality. https://doi.org/10.33168/JSMS.2025.0302
Top, M., & Kaya, R. (2024). Digital transformation of marketing: The case of Düzce province hotel businesses. Nev?ehir Hac? Bekta? Veli Üniversitesi SBE Dergisi. https://doi.org/10.30783/nevsosbilen.1474450
Wan, Y. (2023). Investigating the Impact and Effectiveness of Digital Marketing on Brand Awareness, Sales and Customer Engagement. Advances in Economics Management and Political Sciences, 51(1), 146. https://doi.org/10.54254/2754-1169/51/20230651
?????, ?. ?., Reklitis, D. P., Terzi, M. C., & Vassilakis, C. (2022). Multichannel Digital Marketing Optimizations through Big Data Analytics in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 17(4), 1383. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer17040070
?????, ?. ?. ?. ?., ???, ?. ?. ?., & ????, ?. ?. ?. ?. (2018). Information and communication technology and its impact on the quality of service of the tourism sector and hotel An analytical study in selected hotels in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. Journal of Accounting and Financial Studies, 13(45). https://www.iasj.net/iasj/article/157815
(2025). PASOS Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural, 23(3). https://doi.org/10.25145/j.pasos.2025.23
Alani, E. (2026). The Relationship between Digital Marketing Strategies and Customer Engagement: The Mediating Effect of Brand Promotion. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(4), 526-548.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
