ABSTRACT
The main objective of conducting this research study was to find out the influence of aspects of the Technology Acceptance Model such as perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, self-efficacy, and innovativeness on the adoption of database marketing initiatives by tour operators in Tanzania. The study employed stepwise multiple regression analysis to analyze the information obtained for the study. Data were collected from randomly obtained 255 SME tour operators in the regions of Arusha and Kilimanjaro in the Northern Tourism Circuit of the country between August and December 2018. The findings reveal that the independent variables for the study contribute up to 15% of the variance in explaining the adoption of database marketing in tourism. The findings reveal further that the remaining 85% is explained by factors other than the explanatory variables of the study. Furthermore, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness contributed significantly more to the adoption of database marketing than self-efficacy and innovativeness. Although 15% is perceived as low in social science research, a 5% level of significance across all four variables shows that these positively and significantly influence the adoption of database marketing in Tanzania. As all the factors that determine the adoption of database marketing initiatives are internal, it is recommended that managers and owners need to be at the forefront of supporting the adoption of database marketing applications if they want to perform above average. The findings add to the knowledge in the area of database marketing and customer information management.
