A Study on Social Media Marketing and Customer Engagement in Sabah Tourism

Tourism is a key driver of Sabah’s economy, contributing to job creation and regional development. This study examines the relationship between social media marketing (SMM) activities and customer engagement within Sabah’s tourism sector. The four SMM dimensions, posting frequency, content quality, level of interaction, and influencer collaboration, were investigated to determine their influence on customer engagement in Sabah’s tourism sector. Data were collected using a structured online questionnaire distributed to 114 respondents and analyzed with SPSS Version 26, employing descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple regression. The results indicate that interaction level and influencer collaboration are the strongest predictors of customer engagement, whereas posting frequency and content quality are insignificant predictors. These findings suggest that tourism marketers should prioritize creating interactive experiences and leveraging influencer partnerships to strengthen engagement and enhance brand connection. This study contributes to tourism marketing literature by providing empirical evidence from Sabah and offers actionable insights for destination management organizations and tourism operators aiming to improve engagement strategies. Future research could incorporate longitudinal methods or diverse demographics.