THE IMPACT OF INTERNAL MARKETING ON THE PERFORMANCE LEVEL OF EMPLOYEES A CASE STUDY OF THE DAR TLEEL TOURIST COMPLEX

Abstract

This study investigates the empirical impact of internal marketing dimensions on the performance level of employees within the tourism sector, focusing on the Dar Tleel Tourist Complex in Libya as an empirical case study. To achieve the research objectives, internal marketing was conceptualized as a multi-dimensional construct comprising four core strategic dimensions: training, empowerment, motivation, and internal communication, while employee performance served as the dependent variable. Utilizing a descriptive-analytical approach, primary data were collected via a structured, bilingual 5-point Likert scale questionnaire distributed to a random sample of operating employees within the complex. Data processing and structural hypothesis testing were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The empirical findings reveal that internal marketing dimensions collectively exert a statistically significant positive impact on employee performance, accounting for 59.0% (R² = 0.590\) of the total variance in workforce outputs. Among the tested predictors, training emerged as the most dominant factor influencing performance standards (β= 0.368, p = 0.000), followed sequentially by empowerment, motivation, and internal communication. Descriptive profiling indicated high performance levels and robust communication practices, alongside moderate execution scores in employee empowerment and reward frameworks. The study concludes that building an optimized internal market by treating employees as strategic internal customers is an essential prerequisite for driving external customer satisfaction and service quality. Based on these insights, the paper provides practical recommendations for hospitality managers to leverage resource allocation toward structured incentive designs and decentralized authority.