Abstract

Small-medium sized enterprises have acquired increasing importance in recent years within the Middle Eastern states of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain where they are regarded as a significant component of the economy and creator of jobs. However, their marketing has often been deficient and this paper examines factors which are critical to success within the context of the countries’ tourism industries. Particular attention is devoted to the contributions of customer orientation, market planning, and internet use and personal/social networks. A survey of businesses was conducted and the results indicated that customer orientation was considered to be the single most important factor in successful marketing. Marketing planning was also found to be essential while Internet use and personal/social networks were deemed to have little or no effect.

Key words: Marketing, small-medium sized enterprises, tourism industry, Saudi Arabia