Employer Branding and Organizational Positioning: Roles of Talent Attraction and Digital Recruitment in Tourism and Hospitality

Abstract

In the highly competitive tourism and hotel management sector, organisations must position themselves not only as service brands but also as preferred employers. This study examines employer branding as a strategic marketing instrument and evaluates its impact on organisational positioning, with talent attraction acting as a mediator and digital recruitment presence as a moderator. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was adopted using primary data from 600 final-year postgraduates, early-career professionals, and mid-level employees aspiring to or working in tourism and hospitality. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analysed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with mediation and moderated-mediation analysis. The findings reveal that employer branding significantly enhances talent attraction and organisational positioning. Talent attraction partially mediates this relationship, while a strong digital recruitment presence amplifies the indirect effect. The study highlights the importance of aligning employer value propositions with digitally enabled recruitment strategies to strengthen competitive positioning in tourism and hotel organisations.