CU -SEM-VI - E- TOURISM

["technologies but who are instead interested in simply using IT as a tool to get their work done efficiently. System and network security issues are a primary concern for many business executives, as any security incident can potentially damage a company's reputation and cost large sums of money. Computer Networking and Information Technology Because networks play a central role in the operation of many companies, business computer networking topics tend to be closely associated with Information Technology. Networking trends that play a key role in IT include: Network capacity and performance: The popularity of online video has greatly increased the demand for network bandwidth both on the Internet and on IT networks. New types of software applications that support richer graphics and deeper interaction with computers also tend to generate larger amounts of data and hence network traffic. Information technology teams must plan appropriately not just for their company's current needs but also this future growth. Mobile and wireless usages: IT network administrators must now support a wide array of smartphones and tablets in addition to traditional PCs and workstations. IT environments tend to require high-performance wireless hotspots with roaming capability. In larger office buildings, deployments are carefully planned and tested to eliminate dead spots and signal interference. Cloud services: Whereas IT shops in the past maintained their own server farms for hosting email and business databases, some have migrated to cloud computing environments where third-party hosting providers maintain the data. This change in computing model dramatically changes the patterns of traffic on a company network, but it also requires significant effort in training employees on this new breed of applications. 3.2 MEANING AND SCOPE OF IT Information technology (IT) is the use of any computers, storage, networking and other physical devices, infrastructure and processes to create, process, store, secure and exchange all forms of electronic data. Typically, IT is used in the context of business operations, as opposed to technology used for personal or entertainment purposes. The commercial use of IT encompasses both computer technology and telecommunications. The Harvard Business Review coined the term information technology to make a distinction between purpose-built machines designed to perform a limited scope of functions, and 51 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","general-purpose computing machines that could be programmed for various tasks. As the IT industry evolved from the mid-20th century, computing capability increased, while device cost and energy consumption decreased, a cycle that continues today when new technologies emerge. Scope of Information Technology Information Technology is, \u201cthe study or use of electronic equipment, especially computers, for storing, accessing, analyzing and sending information\u201d according to Oxford Learner Dictionary. With the initialization of \u201cDigital India\u201d, demand of Information Technology has increased tremendously. To meet the growing demands of societal needs Information Technology has played a crucial role and retained its supremacy in the industry. IT has transformed many aspects of business, social interaction, healthcare, education and many more. An IT professional is responsible for selecting, installing and maintaining hardware and software products to meet organizational needs. Some of the impact of Information Technology: Cloud Computing: IBM defines Cloud Computing as \u201ccomputing as a service over the Internet that allows storing of great volumes of data, sans the possibility of losing the same\u201d. Cloud computing with the help of Information Technology capitalizes its ability to provide improved agility and time and resource management for businesses. Automation of Business Processes: Automation of Business Processes is the processes that allow businesses to cut costs and increase productivity. Automated processes for businesses are developed with the help of Information technology. Processes like tracking metrics, billing, monitoring certain processes, collecting customer data, etc. can be automated easily using Information Technology Working Remotely: With the implementation of information technology, one has the ability to remotely access the company\u2019s network. This equips employees with the ability to get the work done even if they are not physically present at the workplaceand improve the work efficiency. 52 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","Mobile Technology: Mobile technology convenience, efficiency and speed had made great impact in the business industry. Mobile Technology gained popularity with the rise of information technology, Business communication has reached new level with the Mobile technology takes business communication to a whole new level. Open Source Software Any computer software with its source available for modification is Open-source software (OSS). The programmers can change the software in any way they choose and can improve functions fix bugs or adapt the software to suit their own needs. Information Technology has led many organization free usage of various open source software Scope of Information Technology in different fields: Cyber police officer (inspects information and financial theft) Virtual reality engineer (creates computer worlds) Consultant on the security of a personal profile (responsible for the security of personal data of the client and his positive image on the network) Web Developer and Designer (responsible for the design, layout and coding of a website Database Manager (Maintains database performance by troubleshooting problems) Software Developer Software Analyst Information Security Analyst Certainly, IT industry is one of the fast growing fields and great choice for those searching professional development, new skills or for self-employments. 53 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","3.3 TACTICAL AND OPERATIONAL USE OF IT IN TOURISM Technology has changed the way people are living their life. It has become a part of everyone\u2019s life as a necessity to live. Technology brings a huge change in our travelling pattern too. In this blog, we are going to talk about the use of technology in Travel and tourism. \u201cTechnology has dependably helped us in our day by day lives. It has transformed us into\u2019 each field. In the field of transport, planes can enable us to reach those parts which considered as dangerous to walk. Various things like mobile, computer and more have changed the way we sell, buy, work and essentially change each part of our lives. It has ended up being an assistant for our lives. Its impact on the travel part is immense. \u201c Travel & Technology Travel Technology which is also known as tourism technology is an application of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) or IT (Information Technology) in the sector of hospitality, tourism, and travel. It simply implies Locomotion, thus the travel method was initially connected with the computer reservation system of the airline business, however, at this point, it is generally utilized, in which the travel industry alongside its hospitality industry is furthermore utilized. While the computer reservation system is implemented in travel technology, it shows an exceptionally wide range of utilization, in actuality, it is quicker. Travel Technology incorporates virtually the travel industry as virtual tour technology. As far as \u201celectronic tourism\u201d or \u201celectronic travel\u201d, travel technology can further be known as e-tourism \/ e- tourism or e-travel\/e-travel (e-Tourism) We need to include the fact that the establishment of a vacation can be a pain not just for the traveller, in a case that he wants to arrange booking process by himself, but for the travel specialist, in a case that he does not have the right facilities for the passengers\u2019 requests. And here\u2019s the place where another important step was made in travel technology. There was a need to come with an ever-increasing number of innovative solutions that could settle the bust of a travel plan with access to 24\/7 and quick reaction. These days, couple- travellers wants a private tour with carefree experience and comfortable experience. At the point when travel experts do this, they build customer loyalty. Global Distribution System is one of the major developments in the travel sector, where a single contact point is used for hotel, car or airlines booking. 54 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","Apart from this, the improvement of mobile technology in the travel industry has helped various individuals, and the advancement of online business has affected the travel industry and tourism as clients can see different travel alternatives by surfing the web through their mobile. Components of travel technology Applications: Dynamic packages are one of the processes of travel technology, which used to provide a new option. Internet: Hospitality and Tourism are among those, who are most affected. For some organizations and spots, the experience starts before a traveller arrives \u2013 it begins with the main visit to the site when an individual sees a photo of the area and understands what\u2019s in store. In tourism and the hospitality industry, productive utilization of the Internet can improve income. Social media, Websites, online ordering, blogs, and online advertising, all used to attract and support customer for choosing his place and business. Computer Systems: Since numerous travel industry organizations are scattered and large, they use PC frameworks to remain connected. PC frameworks allow communication among locations and branches which makes it simple to simplify the booking and cross-organization policies. They are utilized internally to keep every one of the employees on the similar web-page and access to information that can improve the visitor experience: housekeeping information, guest preferences, and the details of reservation are kept on a similar framework. Mobile Communication: Mobile communication has become an essential part of a traveller\u2019s life. People are using google maps for GPS and other valuable information about the places they want to visit. Most of the communication used to happen with the help of mobile communication only. How Technology impact travel and tourism department? As we know technology makes our life very comfortable and easy. We can get anything by one click. These changes occur in the travel field too. Now, you do not think much before going somewhere, just pack your bag and ready to go. Here, we listed some benefits which we get because of technology: Save paper 55 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","In a case that you go, with the extremely valuable help of innovation, travel can turn into a lot eco-companion. Those days are gone, when there was a need to print boarding passes, airline tickets or hotel reservations. On account of mobile check-ins, online reservations, and e- tickets, we don\u2019t need to travel with the documents now and can save a lot of paper. Aside from this, online reservations and appointments are helping to consider that there is no line to get tickets. Saving a lot of time These days, innovation is attempting to crush all most of the jobs and functions into a tiny gadget. We never again need an iPod to tune in to music, we simply need an iTunes or Spotify account and we can stream music on the go. Furthermore, is also applies for books, as fitting them inside the bag was an extra load over our shoulders. Cobo (e-Reader) or Amazon Kindle save a huge amount of space in our backpacks. Surpassing the barriers of luggage In the recent past, there was a need to carry a converter or a phrasebook to the location where we are going to. In today\u2019s technological world, all that you need is a cell phone and with the help of applications like Translate or Google Translate. Google\u2019s Translate application gives you a chance to translate menus or signals progressively utilizing your cell phone\u2019s camera. Also, applications like Duolingo enable you to become familiar with another language or to improve an individual you definitely know, without burning through cash. Numerous flights and hotels groups offer the option of sending messages to their clients ahead of time, either enabling them to text through their own application or to set up informing channels like WhatsApp, Messenger or Facebook. However, chatbots are a revolution \u2013 they are getting to be huge resources for this industry. Apart from it, it reduces the burden to carry cash while travelling. Also, fewer chances of risk \u2013 particularly when travelling abroad is valid, where money loss or theft can be a huge cause of the problem. Once completely integrated, you don\u2019t need to worry about CC frauds. How can we neglect the disadvantages of uses of technology in travel? The continued development of information technology has greatly affected the travel agency industry. The broad public utilization of the Internet has made many situations of a game- changer \u2013 both harmful and beneficial ways \u2013 for the modern travel organization. Therefore, in the 21st century, many travel organizations have needed to make an incredible adaptation to stay relevant and solvent The flood of development and industrialization has contaminated our environment. Let\u2019s take a case where the exhaust of machines and vehicles affect air quality and damage the ozone layer. 56 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","Furthermore, technologies additionally result in financial issues in families since most of the technologies are costly similar to computers. The individuals who cannot afford to purchase this kind of innovation will live in stressful lives. As I would see it, the significance of innovation in the movement and the travel industry is to get data through research, to help increment the organization\u2019s incomes, to get data from its clients and other important organizations, gives incredible speed, reaching the viewers who have physically isolated from the sender and increase availability and receptiveness in an organization. And the bad part about innovation is that it can cause conflict and stress, can be utilized effectively, Often ailing insecurity and can genuinely end business profitability. Main Role of Technology An important role is played by technology in the field of travel and tourism since last decade. Introduction of technology in tourism has directly helped in decreasing the cost, improve services, enhance operational efficiency and customer experience. It can be said that both businessmen and travellers are getting benefit from technology, there are some of the examples to support this: enhanced guest service systems, reservations, and improved communication. Technology has assisted the travel industry and friendliness ventures with transforming costly human work with specialized work. It helps in decreasing work costs, yet besides, maintains a strategic distance from client administration issues. The utilization of technology in tourism and the hospitality industry has quickened the activity and made the travel process efficient and pleasant. Technology helps in big-chain hotels and be valuable for B and B and other little small travel agency and hotels in the business. Believe it or not, the technology used to touch almost every aspect of the travel and tourism industry. In a case that we are intelligent enough to utilize the advantages of innovation, for example, accuracy, speed, and convenience, user-friendly and avoid loss, lack of human contact and lettering size, at that point innovation, can be an extraordinary time and cost saver. In a case that, if the travel industry forgets the significance of human component and travel industry is about building experience, at that point, this is a major mistake. 57 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","Information technologies (ITs) prevail in all functions of strategic and operational management. As information is the lifeblood of tourism, ITs provide both opportunities and challenges for the industry. Despite the uncertainty experienced in the development of ITs in tourism, the \u2018only constant will be change\u2019. Increasingly, organizations and destinations, which need to compete will be forced to compute. Unless the current tourism industry improves its competitiveness, by utilizing the emerging ITs and innovative management methods, there is a danger for exogenous players to enter the marketplace, jeopardizing the position of the existing ones. Only creative and innovative suppliers will be able to survive the competition in the new millennium. This paper provides a framework for the utilization of technology in tourism by adopting a strategic perspective. A continuous business process re- engineering is proposed in order to ensure that a wide range of prerequisites such as vision, rational organization, commitment and training are in place, so they can enable destinations and principals to capitalize on the unprecedented opportunities emerging through ITs. 3.4 SUMMARY \uf06c Information technology (IT) has become a strategic weapon on tourism products\u2019 identification, presentation, dissemination and getting a sustainable competitive advantage. \uf06c Tourism management is the most important candidate for using IT with the need for gathering information in large quantities and diffusion of tourism management. The heterogeneous nature of these businesses means that information-communication Technologies\u2019 uses change from sector to sector and from management to management in the tourism sector. \uf06c The development of IT has created new application areas for tourism industry managers especially in efficient cooperation and provided tools for real globalization, IT is unexpectedly part of tourism management because of information creation processing and transmission which are important in daily activities. Therefore, both rapid development of tourism demand and tourism supply have become a compulsory partner of IT; and for this reason, IT plays an important role in the tourism marketing, distribution, promotion, and coordination. \uf06c Due to this importance; the impact of IT on tourism sector is valued to be investigated. This chapter stresses that IT\u2019s uses play an efficient role in choosing the management on behalf of the consumer. 58 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","3.5 KEYWORDS \uf0b7 Cyber police officer: Cyber police are police departments or government agencies in charge of stopping cybercrime. \uf0b7 Virtual reality engineering: Virtual reality engineering includes the use of 3D modelling tools and visualisation techniques as part of the design process. This technology enables engineers to view their project in 3D and gain a greater understanding of how it works. \uf0b7 Web designer: A Web designer is someone who prepares content for the Web. This role is mainly related to the styling and layout of pages with content, including text and images. Web designers use many technologies but commonly rely on hypertext and hypermedia resources including HTML, CSS and additional Web design tools. \uf0b7 Operational: Ready for or in condition to undertake a destined function. \uf0b7 Tactical: Showing adroit planning; aiming at an end beyond the immediate action 3.6 LEARNING ACTIVITY 1. Explain the term Information technology __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 2. What do you mean by the term tourism? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 3.7 UNIT END QUESTIONS 59 A. Descriptive Questions Short Questions: CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","1. Explain Main Role of Technology 2. List some Components of travel technology 3. How can we neglect the disadvantages of uses of technology in travel? 4. How Technology impact travel and tourism department? 5. Explain Scope of Information Technology in different fields Long Questions: 1. Explain Some of the impact of Information Technology 2. State some Issues and Challenges in Information Technology 3. What Is Information Technology? 4. Give some tactical use of IT in Tourism 5. Give some operational uses of IT in Tourism B. Multiple Choice Questions 1. Excel sheet is also called as ______. a. table sheet b. spreadsheet c. worksheet d. grid sheet 2.Buying and selling of product and services using electronic means is called as _____ a. ecommerce b. traditional commerce c. online purchase b. computer buying 3. Competitive information includes the following information a. Industry demand and the competitive data b. Market strategy c. Comparative information d. None is true 60 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","3. Members of the guest\u2019s group are shown as_____________ a. user account b. guest account c. administrator account d. unknown account 4. For the creation of accommodation, transportation and recreational facilities at key tourist centres, separate funds were allocated under which Five Year Plan of India? a. First Five Year Plan b. Second Five Year Plan c. Third Five Year Plan d. Fourth Five Year Plan Answers 1-b, 2-a, 3-a, 4-b, 5-b 3.8 REFERENCES \uf06c TOURISM OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT Paperback \u2013 Illustrated, 25 March 2009 by Sunetra Roday (Author), Archana Biwal (Author), Vandana Joshi (Author) \uf06c A Text Book of Tourism and Hospitality Management Paperback \u2013 1 January 2016 by A Text Book Of Tourism And Hospitality Management (Author) \uf06c Introduction to Information Technology Paperback \u2013 30 March 2018 by V. Rajaraman (Author) 61 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","UNIT \u2013 4 ROLE OF ICT IN TOURISM-I STRUCTURE 4.0 Learning Objectives 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Meaning and significance 4.3 Culture of Global distribution system 4.4 Advantages of Global distribution system 4.5 Summary 4.6 Keywords 4.7 Learning Activity 4.8 Unit End Questions 4.9 References 4.0 LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this unit, you will be able to: \uf0b7 Understand the concept of global distribution system \uf0b7 Identify scope of GDS \uf0b7 State the advantages of GDS \uf0b7 List some of the cultures followed under GDS 4.1 INTRODUCTION Today world is known to the age of communication and information. Information and communication technology, the key components of every industry, plays an important role in tourism development. IT enabled tourism is also termed as \u2018e-tourism\u2019. ICT is one of the most people friendly and environment friendly industries in modern times. Tourism industry is seeking more practical and satisfied chain solution from the innovation of ICT. Information and communication technology means the use of computer system and telecommunication 62 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","equipment in information processing. ICT is a broad terminology referring to multiple communication technologies which range\u2026 It is a multi-segment industry while gauging the positive economic effect of tourism, its contribution to the generation of national income, expansion of employment opportunities, increasing of taxes, revenue, and generation of foreign exchange and transformation of regiment economy. Tourism industry is a heterogeneous industry made of complex components. This intangible perishable service industry is getting the right business curve backed by information and communication technology now-a-day. IT enabled tourism has different aspect such as direct booking, easy payment for the end users, business to business trading for product providers, travel agents and resellers. ICT has become the key component of tourism. The best example of IT application in tourism is Automated Reservation System for Railways and Airlines. There exist IT solution for hotels, motels, hospitals, travel intermediaries, entertainment and tourism at par for streamlining business processes, improving customer relationship and ensuring efficient\u2026show more content\u2026 With rapid advancement in science and technology, tourism has acquired the status of an industry in all industrialized countries. Tourism has emerged as an industry next to information technology industry in the service sector. Information and communication technology played an outstanding role for the development of modern tourism. E-tourism is one of the most important sectors in eBusiness and eMarketing. ICT will also have a virtual tourism; action in the field of ICT for tourism is targeted at developing new components and distributed architecture for tourism information and communication systems, that supports users and businesses, by offering value added services and multimedia information on tourist destination. Eventually, this may also have a positive impact on the physical flow of tourists to the destinations. 4.2 MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE The application of ICTs is an appropriate prospect for improvising the tourism industry from an area perspective. Towards the event of destinations economies technology driven systems are very crucial. Precisely, ICTs have the potential to upsurge destination revenue for supporting the economic and social development. 63 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","Role of ICT in Tourism Perhaps, evolving and strengthening the local tourism and tourism oriented activities with application driven mechanisms can offshoot the local entrepreneurship and connected activities. Fundamentally, ICTs consent destinations to progress and expand the web presence with better and global visibility and participation through Internet market. To build efficacy and destination competency, it\u2019s very essential to travel beyond offline connectivity involving collaboration, clustering and inter-sect oral associations among local public and personal tourism and other tourism-related actors. In fact, it\u2019s imperative and highly required to compete in today\u2019s global tourism market. More precisely the advantageous effects of ICTs are to be found within the prospects to condense the traditional drawbacks of SMEs and native operators. Primarily, ICTs deliver direct, cheap and operative access to the particular and potential customers. alongside , ICTs make profitable to use various distribution channels and target niche markets. Beforehand it had been almost difficult for SMEs to spread, attend and even to be recognized. Nonetheless, for this to happen a standard improvement of ICT infrastructures isn\u2019t adequate. Even an appropriate benefaction of e-skills, as promoted by international organizations is by now an important factor. Towards, every new technology, the overview ICTs cannot create the assured paybacks if it\u2019s not supplemented by balancing modifications within the current organizational settings and structures to right fit them with its typical features. Developmental paybacks of ICTs, and destination\u2019s management activities must be relooked and newfangled ICT-enabled organizational representations are to be developed. However, to usher in change is never easy, and during a disjointed, SMEsdriven business such tourism, it\u2019d be even tougher . Hence what must be re-examined is how traditional destination management structures are often redefined to influence ICTs and the way officious tools, resulting into the new representations and practices are often spread within tourism destinations. Examining the contextual on the approaching benefits of ICTs towards destination management, one major aspect might be examined because the new role of the organizations responsible of the management of destinations \u2013 mentioned as Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) and grants the most features of an ICT-enabled system for the management of destinations denoted as \u201ccybernetic incoming agency\u201d. 64 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","At that time critical outlook on the most barriers and pertinent international policy directions connected to the diffusion strategy of integrating e-skills creation, ICT development and native interacting and cooperation projects might be implemented. it\u2019s vital to craft measures for the sensitization tools and initiatives wont to activate ICTs acceptance in local organizations and firms. Particularly, a radical explanation of the e-business methodology created for diffusion of ICT awareness and therefore the scholastic approach accomplished to supply the essential competencies to endure the agreement and usage of such technologies are going to be presented. ICT responsiveness and competences are often well-thought-out, because it may look very complicated for the appliance of more multifaceted and beneficial ICT enabled models like the \u201ccybernetic incoming agency\u201d. Theoretically watching it identifies a probable progression within the management of destinations prompted by ICTs and a complicated organizational model within the current scenario. It also deals with wider insights in the way to device this model, not only as a group of guidelines, but with facilitation of a longtime step-by-step approach and interrelated tools developed because the results of continuing field investigations. Correspondingly, a special standpoint within the procedure of technologies, not merely as a tool, but as a framework for erudition and therefore the base of advanced learning methods aimed toward the formation of latest tourism professionals is supported and explained. Background for the ICT Enabled Systems in commission Sector with DMO ICTs are in varying archetypes, knowingly the techniques during which traditional destination management activities in terms of designing, Development, Marketing, Management, Coordination and Monitoring of destinations are being conceded out. as an example, within the earlier times, few DMOs were well-found and self-possessed and capable combat marketing research Indeed, these initiatives were quite costly consultancies. Nowadays with e-mail or web-based questionnaires the entire process is relaxed and cheap to hold out consumer analysis. Perhaps, 65 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","with internet sites , it\u2019s promising and can quantify the efficiency of a marketing operation and would examine virtually all the opposite destination management activities Therefore, ICTs can create variety of advantages for destination management activities with regard to; dropping costs, reducing the necessity to print brochures, less time for undertaking activities, and at an equivalent time increasing their effectiveness Additionally, ICTs can enhance new-fangled sources of incomes to fund the activities of DMOs like selling of services like; training, design and development of internet sites , consultancy and assistance for e-marketing activities and applications and technologies developed. The discussed benefits spell out as ICTs can deliver local tourism public and personal actors who are involved in destination management with the implements, the applications and eventually with the prospect to require on these activities in additional cost effective, self- governing, and in additional eligible manner. ICT-driven development is advantageous for tourism not only in rising employment but also in creating the prospects for more high-skilled professions. Role of ICT in Tourism ICTs can therefore turn as ultimate drivers for tourism-driven development in developing destinations. to require hold of those benefits, there\u2019s the necessity for a leeway of the role of DMOs beyond the outmoded promotion of the destination, the pool and dispersal of knowledge and therefore the organization of tourism activities within the destination. In this perception DMOs become the key players within the usage and dispersion of ICT culture and with better responsiveness within the creation of the required organizational capabilities and infrastructures to line in ICTs within the local tourism industry setting. DMOs can combat another revolution, from crucial actors to only among the multitude of actors intricate in destination\u2019s management. This foreseen repositioning requires an enhancement of resources and capabilities mainly the event of managerial and technological competences, the capabilities to elaborate and manage complex processes and to scout for the required funding, both within the public sector and within the market. Accordingly, the cohesive ICTs Systems are actuality wont to upkeep cybernetic incoming agency to uphold and commercialize destination offering on a worldwide scale. 66 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","1. Describing Governance within the Tourism Sector The uses and solicitation of ICT based approaches in tourism may be a answer based upon the normal way in tourism. Societies from across the world , with different magnitude are the potential tourist, so complete domain is that the marketplace for tourism. The tourism industry is assorted from micro level to global bounds. Several means of ICT like Computer Reservation System (CRS), Global Distribution System (GDS) and knowledge System (IS) are used now days. the foremost imperative feature of ICT based tourism is that the supply end and unrestricted information to the patrons at their seats. Information is known by sizable amount of clienteles. The supplementary drive of ICT based tourism is that it incapacitates the dissociated and geographical obstacles. the buyer and vender from anywhere of world are competent enough to share information. Travelers can access all information which is translucent. Technology based tourism is extremely thoroughly associated to economy growth. Going deeper it\u2019s a sort of industry where services are rendered to customers or tourist. it\u2019s a completely interrelated business which is interlinked with food and transportation industries. it\u2019s various activities involved in it. Technology and tourism have revealed the transition within the industry as a results of ICT impact and have explored its possibility and potential. the main challenges facing tourism industry are immensely explored and outlined by some experts and therefore the nexus between tourism and ICT are clearly indicated The rapid shift-taking place between \u2018traditional tourism sector\u2019 and \u2018new tourism industry\u2019 is quite studied. Technology features a premeditated role in restructuring the worth chain within the industry and within the process, customers are regularly acclimating to the new values, lifestyles and new tourism products, which has re-assessed by the new technologies. albeit a number of the technologies designated are now outdated, the implied missive is pertinent and provides an overall review of the changing face of the tourism industry. Examining the core features of the industry structure and therefore the operation of the new technologies in it, ICT applications in several sectors like airlines, hotels, tour operators, road and rail transport etc. are dealt intimately. a number of the world\u2019s largest GDS (Global Distribution System) namely Sabre, Galileo, Amadeus and World span are examined. 67 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","Besides analyzing the telecommunication technologies within the industry, the hospitality sector, entertainment sector, transport sector, management sector and other intermediaries are diligently explored. Information Technology, information management, intelligent applications and system integration etc. are examined carefully. Additional information on business strategy exploring the connection between ICT, strategy and organization is additionally articulated. 2. Tools for Governance There are two tools especially that ought to be utilized in the tourism sector with reference to ICT and its implications: Virtual Incoming Agency Model and therefore the creation of integrated ICT system. Developed as a result of variety of research projects undertaken globally, implies a virtual incoming agency (or VIA) model which is conceived as an evolution of the concept of DMO. Explicitly, as per the considerations beyond the virtual incoming agency is conceptualized because the organization responsible of the promotion and coordination of an integrated tourism system within a tourism destination \u2013 along side the establishment of the essential cultural, organization and technological conditions to make sure its effective implementation \u2013 that reality relates with applying the graphic organizer technique with an ICT enabled mechanism to undertake its functions It is a technological and organizational (ICT-enabled and ICT-native) representation for the management of tourism destinations. These mechanisms are often considered with the appliance of virtual incoming agencies with all the general public or public private destination management organizations that comprehends a mission to form use of integrated ICT system. The objectives of innovative ICT enabled systems are: \u2022 To effectively propose the advantages of tourism for the local economy (incomes, employment, investments \u2022 To systematize the local tourism supply chain to be attention for visitors and meet their expectations while maximizing their spending and its distribution 68 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","\u2022 To maintain tourism consultants in increasing the standard of their offerings and their profitability. Consequently the integrated ICTs Systems are getting used to support virtual incoming agency within the achievement of these objectives and especially . the method is systemic and deducts iteration and indicates mechanisms to captivate on infusion of technology within the concurrent context. India Needs National Standards Strategy- A Governance with Conformity Assessment Designed and realized during a modular manner, to create and enrich progressively as per the requirements and capabilities of current and potential users. the thought underneath the platform is to make an open and scalable system, with a coffee porch in terms of costs and complexity, which permit access to actors at different levels of ICT system and technological capabilities. The platform is made to support the increasing in time, number and typologies of operators, users and services. The platform has as purpose to take care of the consolidation of tourism information, attractions and services providers in solitary rational point of access. An actor (a public authority, consortia of public and personal tourism operators or a public-private company) need to have the accountability to function as a value-adding mediator between local tourism services providers and potential customers, on condition that the facilities are to distribute and sell offerings to the purchasers. ICT-Enabled Models for the Management of Destinations The convention of ICTs in tourism, the dissemination of ICT tools and practices in institutions, enterprises and destinations as an entire is way to be automatic, and therefore the results of this process aren\u2019t certain. Therefore, through effective strategies for enabling ICT, tourism can perform well within the global market and emerge very successful. A scientific application of ICT system can largely enhance the general effectiveness of the destination. Low responsiveness of the advantages and usefulness of ICTs particularly in decision-makers is beneath the inadequate attitude to endow the required time and money. A noteworthy insight among the travel consultants and tourism operators, of being untrained to the organizational changes are desirable from the prologue of ICTs, and thus to endow with the essential competences to use productively such tools. The conception of a 69 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","constructive background towards innovation is essentially by incorporating the event of ICT solutions and promoting interoperability and therefore the definition of standards. Therefore sensitization, competences development, organizational change and collaboration, are complementary elements for the diffusion of ICTs and related ICTenabled models in destinations, but also necessary factors for the creation of the specified \u2018human\u2019 and \u2018social\u2019 infrastructure for the amalgamation and competitiveness of local tourism supply. These factors, along side the usage of technologies and context\/laboratories for the creation of human and social capital and therefore the recognition of the indissoluble link between digital and organizational innovation, are the pillars of the strategy found out for the diffusion of ICTs and therefore the integration of local tourism offering in an integrated supply syst For competent destination management and technology contribution tourism destinations is in synthesis an integrated strategy, being realized through a series of initiatives focused on: \u2022 The design and development of applications and solutions enabling advanced ICT services for the management of destinations \u2022 The usage of an equivalent ICT applications and solutions for the event of competences necessary to their productive usage, also as for the belief of local cooperation projects for his or her diffusion adoption in firms and institutions, and therefore the integration of the local tourism system. This strategy is predicated on the convention of ICT solutions\u2019 development projects, for instance the event of a Destination Management System is to trigger the creation of competences and therefore the necessary organizational changes to start-up a process aimed toward fostering interactions and collaboration dynamics among local actors, with the ultimate aim to make the required prerequisites for the mixing of the local tourism system. Preliminary from these premise, ICTs and especially the projects associated with their comprehension and diffusion, are conceived because the mechanisms necessary to the formation of the cultural collaboration attitudes and behaviors), organizational (business and ICT management competences) and technological (infrastructures and applications) environment for the effective implementation of pioneering models for the management of destinations. This strategy is articulated in three main phases which is portrayed by specific initiatives with defined objectives and roles. 70 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","The aim of those initiatives is to make local public and personal tourism operators conscious of the necessity to cooperate within the development of comprehensive propositions which will attract tourists to the destination and therefore the benefits of ICT solutions in doing so. The intention of this segment is to interact a primary nucleus of actors, interested but not necessarily equipped, within the realization of an e-business cases that demonstrates the advantages within the usage of ICTs for local tourism institutions, enterprises and therefore the destinations overall. The e-business case will then be used for further and simpler sensitization initiatives and within the next phases. The focus is usually on increasing local ICT and e- Business competences (e-skills creation). Second, an \u2018evaluation\u2019 phase through the experimentation of ICT applications and solutions Identified previously with the aim to possess people \u2018touch with their hands\u2019 the potential benefits of such technologies; to gather the wants for the belief and\/or the implementation of the technological platform and to check the business model defined. the target of this phase is to understand a pilot program for the event and implementation of an ICT platform for the management of the destination ICT development and diffusion). The pilot program are going to be the tool for involving all the opposite relevant stakeholders, on the idea of local experiences and documented leads to the launch and realization of a virtual incoming agency (local networking and cooperation projects) within the destination. this is often the third phase, the \u2018implementation\u2019 phase. During this phase research institutions leave the initiative to non-public enterprises \u2013 for the event and therefore the industrialization of the experimented solution \u2013 and to local public and personal tourism operators, which will use and manage the answer realized for his or her activities of organizing, promoting and commercializing the destination. 4.3 CULTURE OF GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM GDS is a global computerised booking system that is used as the single point of entry to airline seats, hotels, car rentals and other travel-related services by travel agencies and travel booking sites. 71 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","GDS is the Global Distribution System. Airline tickets, vehicle rentals, hotel reservations, and vacation packages are all included. It allows customers to purchase tickets from a range of providers and airlines. All three travel sectors, namely airline reservations, hotel reservations, and vehicle rentals, can use GDS to integrate services, pricing, and bookings. It provides managers as well as technology staff with the opportunity of reviewing information, comparing prices and schedules and shopping from multiple vendors in real- time to establish a quick and efficient route for their customers. In collaboration with IBM and American Airlines, the first GDS, known as Sabre, was established with the explicit aim of automation of the internal airline booking system. All flights were manually booked and handled by airline reservationists prior to its inception in the early 1960s, leading in a time-consuming, labour-intensive, and easily mismanaged procedure. Sabre transformed the industry, spawning the development of several additional GDS, each catering to a different airline or airline group. By the 1970s, independent travel companies had been permitted access, and the notion had grown to encompass not only airline reservations, but also car rentals, cruises, hotels, railways, and other travel services. Features of Global Distribution System Coverage \u2013 Increase your exposure to tour operators and tourists through the proactive marketing of travel agencies, consortia and business accounts. The most popular way to book consortia and negotiate company pricing. 24 x7 \u2013 Accept bookings from travel agents all over the world. Market Reach Online \u2013 An effective and simple method of marketing your hotel on the Internet. Travel businesses and websites frequently use it. Little Maintenance is Required \u2013 The information provided to your hotel chain\u2019s or representation company\u2019s central reservation system is automatically copied to the GDS. Enhance Coverage \u2013 Increase your reach to corporate and leisure travellers with special programmes such as GREATRATETM for year-round bookings, REST & JETTM for airport hotels, and LATEGETAWAYSTM for last-minute reservations. Online Distribution Strategy \u2013 Increasing market share by making your products available to new online distribution channels. How does GDS Work? A GDS is a privately owned network that allows travel service providers (mainly airlines, hotels, and car rental firms) and travel agencies to conduct automated transactions. 72 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","Through its computer network system, the global distribution system can assist service providers and travel agencies in connecting with one another. An in-situ system contains data such as the number of cars and rooms to assist service providers in providing their services to travel agencies. Furthermore, the various international airlines are linked to specific GDS, despite the fact that the inventory has access to all major GDS (Amadeus, Galileo, and Sabre). This is because airlines and other travel products are available all over the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 4.4 ADVANTAGES OF GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM Benefits of Global Distribution System The Global Distribution System (GDS) is commonly utilised to broaden market reach. Through B2B, B2C, B2E, and B2B2C websites, a single global travel distribution system is linked. Consumers\u2019 travel buying experiences and convenience have substantially improved thanks to online travel agents (OTAs), which have also increased pricing transparency. GDS is extremely effective at attracting international travellers. For that reason, GDS is increasing annually among travel agents at an exponential rate. The global distribution system serves as the foundation for reaching out to corporate clients all over the world. GDS refers to the ability to update inventory status in real time. Because of its real-time status update feature, managers can easily adjust pricing points or make special offers. Agents can see all changes and propose new updates and offers to customers in real time without waiting for the deal to be concluded. You could sell your latest deals, special offers, and discounts directly to tour operators using a worldwide distribution system. Direct marketing efforts for market penetration. The use of global distribution systems is increasing among both business and leisure travellers. GDS has the distinct advantage of being able to provide your guests the greatest rates that no other system can. You can provide your customers with packages which include a hotel stay, plane transport and car hire. Travel agents can take advantage of a global platform with a large market share. The GDS investment is a smart choice. The system puts your vacation booking services and inventory in front of a large number of clients without affecting your marketing budget. 73 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","GDSS provides business models for retail travel agencies and online travel agencies. Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Travel Industry Future of Global Distribution System The Global Distribution System (GDS) has been the backbone of airline operations for decades. GDS is the worldwide computerized booking system used to reserve airline seats, accommodation rooms, and automobile rental by travel agencies, internet booking sites, and huge organizations. GDS\u2019s traditional role is changing and the transformations in the travel sector are challenging. Many online travel websites and airlines are pressuring and encouraging customers to book directly through their websites. Some airlines charge additional costs for tickets purchased through the GDS as compared to their own website pricing. Some industry experts believe that GDS will evolve into a direct corporate booking tool rather than a booking tool for travel companies. Southwest Airlines, for example, does not work with the GDS company Worldspan; American Airlines uses Sabre; USAir uses PARS; Air China uses TravelSky, and Delta uses Worldspan. You cannot book with Southwest Airlines if you are a World Span agent and need to look directly at their website for pricing. Another piece of noteworthy information is that the agreements signed between airlines and GDS are subject to renewal. Many people in the travel industry are wondering if airlines will renew their contracts with certain GDSs. While changes will continue to have an impact on the future growth of GDS, they will undoubtedly play a role. They will, hopefully, continue to evolve in the same manner that earlier approaches did in the 1950s. Why Choose OneClick for GDS System Development? We are a dynamic group of professionals with quick thinking. The first global consolidation of aviation We trust in promoting a culture that promotes technological innovation, individual expression and creativity. We collaborate with our clients to develop new ideas and get the finest results possible. 74 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","We\u2019re dedicated to helping our customers improve end-traveler engagement and create new, superior travel experiences. OneClick provides a white label solution with suppliers from over 100 countries and airfare inventory from over 20 airlines. Web API services Pre-integrated booking engines and a B2B booking portal. OneClick is a recognized leader in the travel industry, with ground-breaking technology that continues to modernize the airline commerce and distribution landscape. OneClick is made up of experts in system analysis and design, as well as system architectures and modeling. Development and coding, testing and implementation, and a variety of other factors. 4.5 SUMMARY \uf06c The Global Distribution System (GDS) has been a bulwark of airline operations for decades. GDS is a worldwide computerized reservation network used as a single point of access for reserving airline seats, hotel rooms, and rental cars by travel agents, online reservation sites and large corporations. \uf06c In 2005, about 90 percent of agents used GDS. However, technologies like the World Wide Web and smartphones are allowing consumers to buy air tickets directly from airlines. Does this mean an end to GDS, or will it reinvent itself and continue to remain relevant? \uf06c GDS was a product of the efforts of airlines to keep track of flight schedules, availability, and prices. American Airlines came up with Sabre, United with Galileo, and Air France, Iberia, Lufthansa and SAS with Amadeus \u2013 the most used GDSes today. \uf06c But advances in internet and mobile technologies pose a huge threat to GDS. The number of agents using GDS fell from 90 percent in 2005 to 75 percent in 2011. More and more people are buying tickets directly from airline web sites, and smartphones have made it much easier for consumers to do their buying on the go. Some observers forecast that there may not be any GDS, at least in the way we know it, in a few years. 4.6 KEYWORDS \uf0b7 GDS: A global distribution system (GDS) is a computerised network system owned or operated by a company that enables transactions between travel industry service providers, mainly airlines, hotels, car rental companies, and travel agencies. 75 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","\uf0b7 CRS: Computer reservation systems, or central reservation systems (CRS), are computerized systems used to store and retrieve information and conduct transactions related to air travel, hotels, car rental, or other activities. \uf0b7 Travel agency: A travel agency is a private retailer or public service that provides travel and tourism-related services to the general public on behalf of accommodation or travel suppliers to offer different kinds of travelling packages for each destination. \uf0b7 Agent: The law of agency is an area of commercial law dealing with a set of contractual, quasi-contractual and non-contractual fiduciary relationships that involve a person, called the agent, that is authorized to act on behalf of another (called the principal) to create legal relations with a third party. \uf0b7 Package: A package tour, package vacation, or package holiday comprises transport and accommodation advertised and sold together by a vendor known as a tour operator. Other services may be provided such a rental car, activities or outings during the holiday 4.7 LEARNING ACTIVITY 1. What do you mean by Travel agent? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 2.Explain the term CRS. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 4.8 UNIT END QUESTIONS 76 A. Descriptive Questions Short Questions: CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","1. What are the objectives of innovative ICT enabled system? 2. Explain the Role of ICT in Tourism 3. Give details about the Background for the ICT Enabled Systems in commission Sector with DMO 4. Describe Governance within the Tourism Sector 5. Tourism is a multi-segment industry. Comment Long Questions: 1. Why Choose One Click for GDS System Development? 2. State some Benefits of Global Distribution System 3. Explain the Future of Global Distribution System 4. How does GDS Work? 5. List few ICT-Enabled Models for the Management of Destinations. B. Multiple Choice Questions 1. During this phase research institutions leave the initiative to a. non-public enterprises b. Public enterprises c. Government d. Private company 2. ___________ can take advantage of a global platform with a large market share. a. Travel agents b. Property agent c. Social servant d. Government officials 3. _____________ is commonly utilised to broaden market reach. 77 a. ITS b. GDS CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","c. APS d. RRT 4. ______________ marketing efforts for market penetration. a. Direct b. Indirect c. Social d. Economic 5. _____________ can create variety of advantages for destination management activities with regard to; dropping costs, reducing the necessity to print brochures, less time for undertaking activities, and at an equivalent time increasing their effectiveness. a. ITC b. PPA c. ITR d. DMS Answers: A- a, B-a, C-b, D-a, E-a 4.9 REFERENCES \uf0b7 Global Distribution Systems in Tourism Industry (English version) Author:WTO \uf0b7 Buhalis, D. 2003 E-tourism: Information Technology for Strategic Tourism Management. Gosport: Prentice Hall \uf0b7 Buhalis, D., and M. Licata 2002 The Future eTourism Intermediaries. Tourism Management 23:207-220. \uf0b7 Tesone, D. 2005 Hospitality Information Systems and e-Commerce. Hoboken: Wiley. 78 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","UNIT - 5 ROLE OF ICT IN TOURISM-II STRUCTURE 5.0 Learning Objectives 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Meaning and significance 5.3 OTA\u2019s (Online Travel Agency) booking process 5.4 DMS (Destination Management system) 5.5 Summary 5.6 Keywords 5.7 Learning Activity 5.8 Unit End Questions 5.9 References 5.0 LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this unit, you will be able to: \uf0b7 Understand the concept of OTA \uf0b7 Identify scope of DMS \uf0b7 State the procedure of OTA booking \uf0b7 List some importance of DMS process 5.1 INTRODUCTION Since the 1980s, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been transforming tourism globally. ICTs have become vitally important for the competitiveness of tourism organisations, destinations and the whole industry. ICT changes the structure of the whole tourism industry and cultivates a range of opportunities and threats for all the stakeholders. 79 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","Consumers and demand dimensions ICTs give travellers the opportunity to search for information and make reservations in less time, cost and inconvenience than traditional methods. ICTs contribute to the improvement of the service quality and to higher traveller satisfaction levels. They provide the \u201cnew tourist\u201d with a lot more power. When it comes to purchasing items on the internet, consumers are always concerned about the security and their privacy. It is therefore the website owner\u2019s responsibility to ensure that the travellers feel safe and comfortable to complete their reservation on the website. Virtual communities are also becoming more important because consumers trust their friends more than the marketing messages. Industry and business function When managers make full use of technologies, they can make it part of the organisation\u2019s strategic planning process. For ICTs to be utilised optimally, the managers and operational staff must have the correct knowledge to do so. ICT should be used for operational as well as strategic management. The Internet changed the tourism industry structure by changing the barriers to entry, decreasing switching costs, transforming the distribution channels, aiding price transparency and competition and enhancing production efficiency. The Internet also changed the rivalry structure in the industry and it enhanced the bargaining power of suppliers. Thanks to the Internet, buyers gained bargaining power because they now have instant access to information, they understand the market offers and conditions better and are constantly exposed to special offers. The business function that is mostly affected by ICT is marketing and distribution. Organisations that use the Internet as a marketing tool will gain advantages in cost reduction, revenue growth, marketing research and data base development, and customer retention. By using technology organisations can now directly engage with their target markets all over the 5.2 MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE A strong tourism industry can be viewed as a sign of a country\u2019s social development, evolution, and progression. Furthermore, because of the impact of globalization, more people are nowadays encouraged to buy touristic products in different countries. 80 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","Since tourism is a major sector\/industry in today\u2019s world, many countries are competing to attract tourists through all means of communication, and such communication has become a major driver of touristic sectors all over the world. The role of communication is to inform prospective tourists and influence their choices vis-\u00e0-vis touristic destinations and the type of touristic products they purchase. In order to attract prospective tourists, well-crafted communication strategies are needed, and since we are living in a digitalized world, it is necessary for the tourism industry to rely on ICTs (information and communication technology) and especially the Internet as tools of international communication. Many countries have succeeded in using ICTs and more precisely the Internet to develop their tourism industries. For example, Malaysia and Australia, two cases I will discuss below, have been very successful in attracting many tourists through these means. On the other hand, countries such as Iran have not been able to increase their number of international visitors, largely due to a lack of ICTs and Internet development. The last point that will be discussed is the case of Morocco as an emerging world tourism destination. Touristic promotional activities through ICTs and especially the Internet are today managed by governments and particular businesses. Governments take necessary measures to encourage private sector organizations to play the role of promoters of their country as a touristic destination. Because ICTs have transformed the touristic sector globally and offered a variety of new opportunities for its development during the last ten years, governments also rely on particular businesses in enhancing their tourism sectors through the employment of innovative technological tools in order to persist in the global competitive arena. Numerous countries seek strategic and operational hardware, software, and networking technological benefit tools for the development of their touristic sectors. For example, understanding the economic gains that could result from their touristic sector through ICTs, the Chinese government increased the portion of its budget dedicated to private touristic businesses that develop and promote China as a touristic destination. My emphasis on the Internet as the most important ICT is due to the fact that the Internet is the fastest growing communication medium of all eras. As an illustration, currently, there are 1.8 billion Internet users all over the world. Internet use in the tourism sector chiefly concerns the promoting of touristic destinations by providing prospective tourists with information 81 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","about products, such as comparisons of products\u2019 prices and recommendations of institutions and businesses. The Internet allows the processing and comparison of information related to the following industries that are part of the tourism industry: (1) the hospitality industry, (2) the transportation industry, and (3) the mobile systems industry, which principally concerns distinctive mobile applications that are found in the following areas: hotels, restaurants, airlines, weather and traffic conditions, transportation, city guides\/monuments guides, currency conversion, and translation. Next, I will discuss the most essential web strategies that are used in the tourism sector and the following value strategies. First, the value extraction strategy allows the process of client outsourcing and automation, such as in the case of self-check-in of tourists in hotels or airports. Moreover, this strategy reduces the costs of products and increases the efficiency of processes. Second, the value capture strategy is a strategy about data mining for information prediction and production management. To be more explicit, through this strategy, clients contribute to marketing goals through providing feedback and ratings. Third, the value addition strategy encompasses a direct combination of services and products in order to create richer and more diverse product packages\/bundles. Fourth and last, the value creation strategy mainly allows tourists to participate in destination planning and package\/service definition. The wide range of tourism and travel websites that have been created in developing countries illustrate the significance of ICTs in the tourism industry. This demonstrates the development of e-tourism in all parts of the world, since developed countries are not the only ones using ICTs in order to expand their tourism industries. It is true that tourism and ICTs have been linked for more than 30 years, but it\u2019s during the last decade that the Internet has emerged as the fastest growing media and communication medium and has played a boosting role in the tourism industry. Malaysia, a developing country, makes billions of dollars from tourism. Malaysia ranked 10th in a list of worldwide touristic destinations in 2011 with 24.7 million international tourist arrivals and an increase of 0.6 % from 2010 to 2011. Malaysia then received 25 million international tourist arrivals in 2012 with an increase of 1.3% from 2011 to 2012. This trend demonstrates a great achievement in the growth of a tourism industry, particularly for a developing country. 82 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","So what\u2019s the secret of the Malaysian tourism industry\u2019s success, and why haven\u2019t other developing countries achieved similar success? It is worth conceding that it is not only due to Malaysian natural attractions and the PETRONAS Twin Towers that Malaysia has achieved this success. Instead, it is because of their increasing use of ICTs and improvement\/development of e-tourism and e-commerce that Malaysia was able to expand its tourism industry, through the creation of a precise and complete information system that responds to and fits to the needs and desires of prospective tourists. The Malaysian information system facilitates the procurement of visas and the acquisition of travel tickets, transportation, hotel bookings, and information about climate conditions. In addition, the vast majority of international tourists who visited Malaysia affirm that they were satisfied with the Malaysian system of information since it helped them to stay in close connection with the Malaysian facilities as well as with tourist attractions. Another interesting case of a country with a growing tourism industry is that of Australia. Tourism plays a very important role in Australia; tourism-related jobs account for nearly 85,000 jobs, 7% of the employment in the country. Moreover, the Internet has played a major role in key markets related to tourism. Using an effective information and management system, Australia developed high-level, sophisticated features such as online flight booking, secured credit card payments, and booking housings for travel reservations. For instance, Australian websites offered real time camera services and facilities, live shopping centers, free downloads of virtual presentations of touristic sites and monuments, live advertisement of products and touristic businesses and activities, and live weather predictions. Since tourism is a very important economic driver of the Australian economy, the government and also independent businesses developed websites that present very important touristic destinations such as the Outback and its main attraction Uluru. These websites provide comprehensive and consistent marketing efforts that allow prospective visitors to look for destinations before their arrival to certain tourist locations. Australian websites also allow visitors to rate and leave comments about the places they have visited. Used as a source of information by many prospective tourists who are looking up information such as ratings and comments before making reservations and bookings, these websites allow real-time interaction for the websites\u2019 visitors, and this feature contributes to increased transparency and the overall satisfaction of tourists. 83 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","In addition, web and social media help websites become more interactive, and Australia was one of the first countries to move from exclusively providing information on websites to enabling websites\u2019 visitors and social media visitors to participate and interact with the information provided, and this has played an important role in encouraging tourists to return to Australia following their first visits. Australian websites also provide navigational assistance through the Internet through a wide range of communication tools such as maps, photographs, and videos. Australian websites and social media pages are continuously updated in different languages in order to attract the maximum number of visitors from different countries, cultural backgrounds, and educational backgrounds. There are also Australian tourism websites for the deaf, with a number of illustrations and videos showing people using sign language to describe monuments, natural sites, and other tourist attractions. In line with the World Tourism Organization, the Islamic Republic of Iran is amongst the top five nations with natural and historical properties and resources dedicated to tourism industry purposes. However, Iran hasn\u2019t done very well in promoting and presenting its touristic resources and monuments through the use of ICTs and especially Internet tools. As a result, the Islamic Republic receives 2 million foreign tourists each year while approximately 900 million international tourists travel each year. Iran is a country far from advancing e-tourism because its governmental and non-governmental profit-based organizations don\u2019t give much attention to the power of ICTs. The Internet specifically, which allows the growth of tourism industries, hasn\u2019t been developed in Iran, and this has resulted in the unsatisfactory number of visitors to the country. Moreover, if Iran had developed its Internet based information system(s) which could have been applicable and beneficial for the facilitation of communication amongst suppliers of touristic products, intermediaries, and visitors (consumers), the country would have brought in a great number of tourists since the beginning of the last decade. According to the WTO, in the near future, nations that haven\u2019t developed their ICT systems and infrastructure won\u2019t be allowed or able to continue developing their touristic sectors and therefore won\u2019t be able to keep up with the speed of growth of the touristic sectors in other countries: ones that are equipped with very developed ICT infrastructures. As an emerging country in different industries in the MENA region, Morocco is expanding its web based commerce and e-tourism for the purpose of facilitating the movement and flow 84 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","of services among sellers of products (either non-touristic or touristic). There is a project entitled \u201cA Generic Marketplace Platform: Application to e-tourism\u201d that would allow Morocco to reach its growth and development goals. This ambitious project is essentially about developing a web-based platform that would allow the gathering of shared touristic information. However, according to Lahrach Zakaria, a journalist for a Moroccan online newspaper website called La Vie Eco, only 30% of hotels in Morocco are ranked on the Internet and have their own websites. Moreover, Lahrach clearly states that e-tourism only represents a small part of the 12% of shared electronic transactions in Morocco with a direct online sale penetration rate of 75% in the flight transportation sector. It is clear that e-tourism in Morocco is only developed when it comes to the flight transportation sector, but even in this sector, 25% of bookings are still done with the use of physical travel agencies. Nevertheless, Morocco promises a strategy mostly based on e-tourism for its 2020 vision of tourism, one that primarily relies on signing more partnerships with European countries and IT corporations, which will provide Morocco with information system platforms such as the ones used in developed countries. There will also be an organization established that will be responsible for e-tourism in Morocco, and especially its implementation in growing areas of touristic development. Even if Morocco is ranked as the top touristic destination in Africa with 9.3 million arrivals of international tourists in 2011 and with an increase of 0.6% from 2010 to 2011, it is still a country that isn\u2019t advanced when it comes to the use of ICTs and e-tourism in promoting itself as a touristic destination. With that said, we can see that the Moroccan hospitality industry, transportation industry, and mobile systems industry should all be developed in order to develop the Moroccan tourism industry as a whole. All in all, ICTs and principally the Internet have revolutionized the tourism sector. It is almost impossible nowadays to imagine touristic projects and visions without considering the major role of ICTs and the Internet. Moreover, the Internet has facilitated prospective tourists\u2019 and current visitors\u2019 services, communication, and information access. Bringing a better quality of service to the tourism industry, the Internet has pulled down prices, made information widely available, and allowed sellers and buyers to connect more easily and make transactions. Morocco should make many steps toward ICT development and especially 85 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","the development of the Internet for use in the tourism industry in order to achieve the features of its 2020 vision of tourism in Morocco. 5.3 OTA\u2019S (ONLINE TRAVEL AGENCY) BOOKING PROCESS There are two ways to buy flights online: directly with the airline, or via an online travel agency. Though buying directly with the airline is self-explanatory, online travel agencies (also known as OTAs) are a bit more complicated. When Scott's Cheap Flights send our members amazing flight deals, we typically recommend you book directly with the airline, as there are some clear benefits of doing so, but sometimes we'll point you to an OTA if the fare is significantly cheaper there. And since one of the top questions travelers have is whether a given OTA is reliable, it\u2019s helpful to understand more about what OTAs are before deciding for yourself if the potential savings are worth it. What are online travel agencies? Online travel agencies are companies that sell you flights, online. They act as a middleman between airlines and consumers, though their prices can often be cheaper than booking direct. Most people are familiar with top OTAs like Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, Hopper, and Priceline. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of smaller OTAs as well, and more pop up all the time. Some smaller ones include OneTravel, Kiwi, GotoGate, JustFly, Vayama, Tripsta, TravelMerry, ExploreTrip, Kiss&Fly, Webjet, Travelgenio, Bookairfare, Fareboom, Skybooker, Travel2be, OneTwoTrip!, and eBookers. How do online travel agencies work? Online travel agencies work by plugging into a \u201cglobal distribution system,\u201d which is a fancy name for the market where airlines tell distributors what they\u2019re charging for their flights. When you book directly on an airline\u2019s website, your ticket typically gets issued almost immediately. That\u2019s because the airline is both the seller and provider of the ticket, so it\u2019s rare that their system allows them to sell something they don\u2019t actually have in stock. With OTAs, especially smaller ones, there\u2019s a delay between when you purchase the ticket and when you\u2019re issued the ticket. That\u2019s because, unlike the airlines, OTAs don\u2019t actually have the tickets they sell. Instead, the OTA is the middleman, connecting customers with airlines and taking a small commission from the airline in the process. 86 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","When you click to buy a roundtrip Delta flight from New York to London for $400, what happens is the OTA charges your credit card $400, then turns around and checks with Delta to make sure that ticket is available at that price. This process can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours; each OTA is different and there are a ton of variables impacting transaction time. But unlike most middlemen, OTAs don\u2019t typically jack up the price. In fact, they usually offer the same price\u2014and often times a lower price\u2014than you\u2019ll find directly with an airline. Why are fares sometimes cheaper on online travel agencies? There are a few reasons why OTAs can sometimes offer cheaper fares than booking directly with an airline. They might: Sell flights less than cost. OTAs may sell fares for less than they cost, either as a loss leader (in the hopes you\u2019ll book additional add-ons like a hotel or rental car) or in order to accrue market share (hoping you\u2019ll book your next trip with them as well) Pass on the commission. Airlines dole out a commission every time a traveler books their flight through an OTA. The OTA, in turn, may pass some or all of that commission on to consumers Specific discounts. Airlines regularly negotiate with OTAs to allow them to sell certain flights at a discount. The airline may not want the lower fare broadcast too widely, so only one or two OTAs are given the discounted rate. Less customer support. Many smaller OTAs save money and offer lower fares by skimping on customer support. Big change\/cancellation fees. Many smaller OTAs charge inflated change or cancellation fees in order to offer lower prices initially. What benefit can online travel agencies have? It can be cheaper. The main benefit of OTAs is they are often cheaper than booking directly with an airline. The same flight selling on United.com for $600 may cost $500 on an OTA, for example. You can combine airlines for the perfect itinerary. Some OTAs like Kiwi let you purchase multi-airline itineraries. Airlines will only sell you their own flights (or partner airlines\u2019 flights). Some OTAs, on the other hand, will let you buy a single itinerary that crosses the ocean on Delta, say, but then take your final leg on Ryanair. What drawbacks can online travel agencies have? The 24-hour rule may not apply. One of the best tools to have in your back pocket when buying flights is the 24-hour rule, which lets you cancel a ticket you booked without any penalty as long as you do so within 24 hours of purchase. This protection is guaranteed by 87 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","the federal government, but only when you book directly with an airline. Some OTAs like Priceline offer their own 24-hour guarantee, but it\u2019s not required by law and most OTAs make all sales final. Customer service can be lacking. OTAs, especially smaller ones, often skimp on customer support. This can range from outsourced and minimally-staffed call centers to exorbitant fees if you need to change or cancel your ticket. Of course, this lack of support is part of how OTAs offer lower fares to begin with. If things go wrong, it gets complicated. In addition, having a middleman can complicate any mishaps because airlines will tell you to coordinate any issues through the OTA rather than directly with the airline. And the OTA may turn around and push things back on the airline, leaving you stuck in the middle. Mistake Fares are less likely to be honored. Finally, when there\u2019s a Mistake Fare, booking through an OTA carries some risks. Think back to how OTAs operate. Unlike booking directly with an airline, booking through an OTA means going through a middleman, which can delay how quickly you receive your ticket after clicking purchase. For normal fares this rarely makes a difference because the fare is far less likely to imminently change. But for Mistake Fares, which can disappear any minute, that delay in receiving your ticket can be the difference between your purchase being honored and it being politely refunded with the quoted fare no longer being available. This delay between purchasing and ticketing is one of the reasons why we recommend people wait a week or two before making any non-refundable travel plans. But once you\u2019ve got an e-ticket number with the airline and can see your itinerary on the airline\u2019s website, you should be all set. How do OTAs make money? Online travel agencies make money by taking a commission from the airline, hotel, car rental agency, or cruise line when you book. (At Scott's Cheap Flights, we don't take any commissions from the airlines when we send our members deals. We make money when members pay for our services, which means our number one priority is making members happy, not getting them to book specific flights that line our pockets.) Am I going to get scammed by online travel agencies? If you\u2019re worried that a smaller OTA will take your money and not give you a ticket, don\u2019t be. The worst you can expect is that, on occasion, you purchased a fare that no longer existed when you bought it. If that happens, they will reach out to you (almost always within 48 hours or less) to tell you your ticket can\u2019t be sold at that price. At that point, you\u2019re given 88 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","the option to either purchase at a higher price or have the entire transaction voided and your money refunded. Why do some online travel agencies have terrible reviews? It's true that some online travel agencies have bad reviews. Does that mean you shouldn't use them? There are two schools of thought here. The first is that these reviews are worthwhile because other people\u2019s experiences can be instructive. The second is that the nature of internet reviews tends to skew towards negative experiences. How many people whose flight was uneventful are then motivated to go back and write a review for the OTA they purchased it from? Another other reason it can be worthwhile to take a nuanced approach to negative reviews is that they tend to come from folks who didn\u2019t understand how smaller OTAs operate. They may have been unaware of the higher change\/cancellation fees, outsourced customer service representatives, or the delay between purchasing and ticketing. Obviously those aspects of smaller OTAs aren\u2019t ideal, but its those factors that also allow for often-substantial price savings. Are all airlines listed on OTAs? No, unfortunately not all airlines are listed on all search sites. Notably in the US, Southwest fares aren't listed on Google Flights. Often, smaller regional carriers don't work with the large OTAs so you'll need to search those directly. Should I book through an OTA or directly with an airline? This is the million-dollar question. On the one hand, an OTA fare may be hundreds of dollars cheaper than booking directly. On the other hand, it\u2019s completely understandable to be hesitant about booking a flight through an OTA you\u2019ve never heard of before. There are a few cut-and-dry situations. If the price is the same booking directly with the airline versus booking through an OTA, there\u2019s almost never a reason to book through the OTA. Conversely, if the OTA price is over $500 off the direct price, of course an OTA is the way to go. But for more gray-area situations, it mostly comes down to a personal comfort level. Questions to consider: How certain are you to take that specific flight? If there\u2019s more than a 10% chance you\u2019ll want to change or cancel your flights, the initial cost savings may not be worth the potential fees for altering your plans. 89 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","Are the potential savings worth it? If the OTA savings is $5, most people would be wise just to book direct. If the savings start to become substantial, it starts to become a matter of individual comfort. Is paying an extra $50 worth the extra peace of mind of booking directly? $100? $200? Is it a Mistake Fare? Because booking through an OTA can lessen the chance a mistake fare is honored, the potential savings should be higher to make it worth it. Someone may prefer to book through an OTA if the savings exceed $50, but might increase that savings threshold to $100 if it\u2019s a mistake fare, for instance. 5.4 DMS (DESTINATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM) Destination management can play a vital role in helping to unlock the many benefits that are associated with tourism, while also ensuring that your destination delivers something unique for travellers. In this article, you will find out more about destination management and how it can help to make sure tourism adds real value to your destination. What is Destination Management? Destination management is a coordinated process, where almost all aspects of a destination are managed, including marketing efforts, local resources, accommodation, activities, events, environmental concerns, tourist attractions and transportation. It is usually the responsibility of a destination management company (DMC). They adopt a holistic approach to managing tourism for their destination and may offer additional services, like training. Destination management companies tend to be membership-based and their members and stakeholders may include governments, community leaders, local businesses, charities and others involved with travel and tourism. Why is Destination Management Important? Generally speaking, tourism can be extremely beneficial for an area or destination, bringing more money into the local economy, helping to attract investment from businesses and allowing existing businesses in the area to thrive. It can help to enrich and revitalise villages, towns, cities, resorts, regions and countries. With that being said, tourism can potentially bring downsides too, such as damage to landscapes, extra pollution, more use of resources and traffic congestion. Tourism management is, therefore, essential, weighing up pros and cons, looking out for businesses and local residents, protecting the environment and balancing supply and demand. 90 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","Put simply, destination management involves taking the necessary steps to ensure tourism adds value to a destination. How to Execute Destination Management In terms of actually implementing a destination management plan, it is recommended to break your strategy down into four key steps, which can be defined as follows: 1. Place \u2013 What is the Destination? When considering the issue of place, you need to consider what your destination actually is, how it can be defined and whether it requires destination management. In many cases, the destination is obvious, in that it is a city, a state, an island, or even a whole country. However, it could equally be defined by a mountain range, or a coastline. One destination may be situated within another destination, which can also confuse matters. The Great Barrier Reef is considered a destination, but so is the state of Queensland and so is the town of Port Douglas, which both offer access to it. Why you are defining your destination as you are? Why does it make sense to manage it collectively? 2. People \u2013 Who Are the Visitors and Key Partners? As you think about people, you should ponder who visits your destination and what their motivation for doing so might be. It may appeal to a number of different demographics, for different reasons, or it might primarily appeal for a single reason. Where are visitors coming from? What are they seeking? Are they families, groups or individuals? You also need to give consideration to who makes up the local community, what their priorities are, as well as who the key stakeholders and partners from the travel industry are. These potential destination management partners may include local businesses, transport service providers, activity centres, tour operators and more. 3. Product \u2013 What Is On Offer? Next, you need to be clear on what the destination has to offer tourists and other travellers. What are they buying? What will their experience be? What can you promise people through your marketing efforts? Accommodation, activities, attractions and transportation methods can all fall under the product umbrella. Does your destination have the ability to provide tourists with a memorable or unique experience? Is your destination actually delivering this for people right now? If not, why not? You need to think about where tourists are likely to spend their time and money, and what their decisions mean for the area a whole. 4. Process \u2013 Destination Management in Action Finally, when thinking about your process, you need to consider how you can actually make sure the product and experience you are offering connect with the people who will be 91 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","travelling to your destination. Essentially, it means identifying precisely what needs to be done to manage the destination properly, for optimal results. It is important that this step is done last, because it requires you to have an understanding of the other components. You need to already know how the place is defined, who the people involved will be and what the product is. Then you can start to think about the effects of tourism on your destination, where improvements are needed, and so on. The section \u201cHow to Execute Destination Management\u201d is a summary of the \u201cThe guide to best practice destination management\u201d prepared by The Australian Regional Tourism Network. Click here to download the full report (downloads automatically) What is a Destination Marketing Organisation? A destination marketing organisation (DMO) is an organisation that is expressly concerned with promoting a destination to tourists, businesses, investors and others. In many ways, DMOs and DMCs are similar, in that they are made up of a number of stakeholders who all have a vested interest in the destination successfully appealing to travellers. The main purpose of a destination marketing organisation is to create a broader marketing strategy, which helps to set your destination apart from the main alternatives. This may involve, for example, identifying unique selling points and highlighting them, advertising online and offline, collaborating with influencers, and branding the destination. How Can a DMO Help with Destination Management? A key part of destination management involves getting the most out of the local tourism industry and a destination marketing organisation can assist with this by increasing demand to travel to your destination in the first place. This is achieved by creating a comprehensive destination marketing strategy. In addition to promoting the destination, a DMO can provide potential travellers with valuable information, direct travellers to hotels and other forms of accommodation, provide access to booking platforms and help tourists to plan their itinerary. They can also work with a DMC, in order to promote the right aspects of the destination, at the right time, to the right demographic, in order to ensure tourists are adding value to your destination. Destination Marketing Strategies Destination marketing goes hand-in-hand with a destination management strategy, highlighting to potential travellers the unique selling points and experiences your destination has to offer them. Destination management can go a long way towards making sure tourism adds real value to a destination. By focusing on the ideas of place, people, product and process, it becomes easier to consider the interests of all stakeholders, adopt a holistic approach, promote your destination and come up with a coherent management strategy. 92 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","5.5 SUMMARY \uf06c An Online Travel Agency (OTA) is an online or app-based marketplace where consumers can browse, book, and pay for hotel rooms, transportation, lodging, airfare, restaurants, and experiences. Customers book directly with the OTA and the OTA confirms with the service provider. Therefore, the OTA has a relationship with the customer, not the service provider. OTAs differ. While some target a specific audience, others may be broader. \uf06c This is a straightforward way for travelers to find activities in the area they\u2019re visiting without having to do a ton of research. While it makes it easier for travelers to find an activity in the area they\u2019re staying in, going through an OTA is more of an impersonal experience. \uf06c The allure of OTAs is that they have millions of monthly visitors and offer a depth of travel inventory that covers a wide variety of experiences, geography, and groups of travelers. \uf06c An Online Travel Agency (OTA) is an online or app-based marketplace where consumers can browse, book, and pay for hotel rooms, transportation, lodging, airfare, restaurants, and experiences. Customers book directly with the OTA and the OTA confirms with the service provider. Therefore, the OTA has a relationship with the customer, not the service provider. OTAs differ. While some target a specific audience, others may be broader. \uf06c This is a straightforward way for travelers to find activities in the area they\u2019re visiting without having to do a ton of research. While it makes it easier for travelers to find an activity in the area they\u2019re staying in, going through an OTA is more of an impersonal experience. \uf06c The allure of OTAs is that they have millions of monthly visitors and offer a depth of travel inventory that covers a wide variety of experiences, geography, and groups of travelers. 93 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","5.6 KEYWORDS \uf0b7 Destination Marketing Strategies: A number of different marketing strategies can be used for destination marketing purposes, helping to boost overall awareness of a destination and increase the number of people who actually visit \uf0b7 Specific discounts: A seller may be running a special deal on certain inventory items, or for all items but during a restricted period of time. In either case, a discount is applied to a specific order. \uf0b7 OTA: An online travel agency (OTA) arranges and sells accommodations, tours, transportation and trips on an online platform for travelers. They are third parties who sell services on behalf of other companies. \uf0b7 Developing country: A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. \uf0b7 Visitor: A person visiting someone or somewhere, especially socially or as a tourist. 5.7 LEARNING ACTIVITY 1. Explain the term ICT. __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 2. What is Destination Management? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 94 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","5.8 UNIT END QUESTIONS A. Descriptive Questions Short Questions: 1. Explain in detail Information and Communication Technology 2. What are online travel agencies? 3. State significance of ICT. 4. What are online travel agencies? 5. How do online travel agencies work? Long Questions: 1. Why are fares sometimes cheaper on online travel agencies? 2. What benefit can online travel agencies have? 3. What drawbacks can online travel agencies have? 4. Why do some online travel agencies have terrible reviews? 5. How to Execute Destination Management B. Multiple Choice Questions 1.When it comes to purchasing items on the internet, consumers are always concerned about their ___________________ a. Security b. Privacy c. Money d. All 95 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","2. The business function that is mostly affected by ICT is ____________ a. Marketing b. Distribution c. Strategies d. All 3. ________ act as a middleman between airlines and consumers, though their prices can often be cheaper than booking direct. a. OTA b. OPA c. PFA d. CST 4_______________ adopt a holistic approach to managing tourism for their destination and may offer additional services, like training. a. Destination management b. Display management c. Source management d. Publicity 5.Airlines regularly negotiate with OTAs to allow them to sell certain flights at a ________. a. Premium b. Cash c. Discount d. Free Answers: A-d, B-d, C-a, D-a, E-c 96 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","5.9 REFERENCES \uf0b7 Bekkaoui, Z. (2008). A generic electronic marketplace platform [manuscript]: application to e-tourism\/ zahia bekaoui.. (Master's thesis, Al Akhawayn University, Ifrane, Morocco), Available from Mohammed VI Library Online Catalog. (mlc.b1098520) \uf0b7 Burgess, L., Parish, B., & Alcock, C. (2011). To what extent are regional tourism organizations (RTOS) in Australia leveraging the benefits of web technology for destination marketing and ecommerce?. Electronic Commerce Research, 11(03), 341 - 355. \uf0b7 Lahrach, Z. (2012, 06 26). E-tourisme: seuls 30% des h\u00f4tels class\u00e9s au Maroc disposent d'un site internet !. La Vie Eco. \uf0b7 Mohamed, I., & Moradi, L. (2011). A model of e-tourism satisfaction factors for foreign tourists. Australian Journal of Basic & Applied Sciences. 5(12), 877 - 883. \uf0b7 Roman, E., & Dimitrios, B. (2012). E-tourism case studies. Routledge. \uf0b7 UNWTO. (2013). UNWTO Tourism Highlights. World Tourism Organization UNWTO, UNWTO. (2011). UNWTO Tourism barometer. Committed to Tourism, Travel and the Millennium Development Goals, \uf0b7 Werthner, H., & Ricci, F. (2004). E-commerce and tourism. Communications of the ACM. 47(12), 101 - 105. 97 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","UNIT - 6 TYPOLOGIES OF E-TOURISM-I STRUCTURE 6.0 Learning Objectives 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Meaning and significance 6.3 Business models - 6.3.1 Business to Business (B2B) \u2013 6.3.2 Business to Consumer (B2C) - 6.3.3 Consumer to Business (C2B) 6.4 Summary 6.5 Keywords 6.6 Learning Activity 6.7 Unit End Questions 6.8 References 6.0 LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this unit, you will be able to: \uf0b7 Understand the concept of E-tourism \uf0b7 Identify different business models \uf0b7 State the significance of typologies \uf0b7 List some importance of typologies 6.1 INTRODUCTION Each tourist is driven by different motives that determine their travel choices. These choices can be for new experiencing, culture fascination, recreation, pleasure and relaxing and shopping. Although what motivates people to travel may differ, but there is always recurrent themes emerging. For instance, a person may choose to travel and escape from their usual 98 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","place of living and decides on taking up a holiday for different surroundings and relaxation, to explore new things, places and people. Many have viewed motivation as a major determinant of the tourist\u2019s behaviour. Theories of motivation is the concept of needs and they are seen as the forces that arouses motivated behaviour and to best understand what motivates people, it is useful to discover the needs they have and how these needs can be fulfilled. Maslow\u2019s hierarchy of needs theory is the best known motivation theories. The push and pull concept is another line of travel motivation, while Plog\u2019s allocentrism \/psychocentrism model will help explain phenomenal rise and fall of travel destinations. 6.2 MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE Travel motivation includes two factors, the push motives factor which describes the need for exploring, relaxing, and interacting socially in the vacation decision. While pull motives is the attraction caused by the destination to the person, these factors include sight seeing, and historical attractions and sites. Push factors are known to form a desire for travelling, and pull factors are known to explicate the choice of destination. Crompton (1979). Push factors can also suggest avoidance of work and pressures at home caused culturally or socially. And pull factors suggest simply seeking adventure, freedom, escape, leisure and play. Seaton (1997) Maslow\u2019s theory involves five needs forming a hierarchy, in a pyramid shape from lower to higher needs. Maslow explained how when the lower needs Physiological needs (basic life needs- air, water, food, shelter, warmth, sleep, sex), Safety needs (protection, security, low, limits, stability, order), Belonging and love (family, affection, relationships, work groups) are achieved the person would be motivated by the needs of the next two levels Esteem needs (achievement, status, responsibility, reputation), Self-actualization needs (personal growth and fulfilment). Although Maslow\u2019s theory has been criticized as the basic five needs remain ambiguous, while some feel that it has provided relevance in how human actions are understandable and predictable. The tourism industry has borrowed a lot from Maslow because he provides a convenient set of containers that can be relatively labelled. Maslow\u2019s hierarchy of needs has also produced a useful tool for understanding psychological motivational factors in tourism. For instance, a person may choose to travel to visit friends and family, but the underlying psychological motivation may be brought by the need for belonging and desire to reunite family links. 99 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)","Iso-Ahola (1982) stated that when tourists are on holidays their roles over time may be switched and different needs will emerge. Sometimes a single motivation may not always be the main factor for travel, if while on holiday and the initial needs are satisfied, other motivations might rise. It is congruent with Maslow\u2019s theories of needs to argue that if there is a primary need for relaxation while on holiday, the satisfaction of relaxing will create a new need such as exploring the place to enable processes of self-actualization to take place. The four motivational needs Beard and Ragheb (1983) stated are derived from the work of Maslow (1970). These components help in assessing the extent to which individuals are motivated to participate in and are involved in activities such as learning, discovering, exploring and imagining; the social component helps in assessing the level where individuals are participating in leisure activities for social reasons. Friendship and interpersonal relationships is one of the basic needs, while the second need is the esteem of others. While the competence-mastery component assesses the level of which individuals engage in leisure activities in order to accomplish, master, challenge and compete. These activities are usually physical in nature; it is escaping and getting away from overbearing life situations. It drives individuals to seek solitude, unwind, rest and search for calm conditions to avoid social contacts. Sefton and Burton (1987) has replicated these four motivations to form the foundation of their Leisure Motivation Scale. However the original Ragheb and Beard Scale, contained items such as to use and develop physical skills and abilities. This attitude is associated with competition and staying fit, others have demonstrated that competency and mastery can be established in ways such as intellectual pursuits. Other researchers have also identified four groups of motivations, which are linked to Maslow\u2019s ideas. These ideas include physical motivators such as health and less tension; cultural motivators such as religion, art and heritage; interpersonal motivators such as visiting family and friends; status motivators such as self esteem and personal development. Hudman and Hawkins (1989) made a list of ten main motivators that motivated tourists. These ten motivators are anywhere from physical activities to physical inactivities. They are curiosity, sports, health, natural resources, man made facilities, visiting friends and relatives, business, religion, self esteem and physical inactivity such as simply sunbathing and relaxing. Similarly to the above, six combinations of motivations were grouped and the six combinations included; educational and cultural which be the interest of historic sites, relaxation, adventure and pleasure, health and recreation, ethnicity and family. This leads to the been-there-done that factor to a tourist. The Iso-Ahola\u2019s theory indicates that what motivates tourism is the assertion of personal escape whereby overcoming bad mood and changing the pace of your everyday life, 100 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)"]