INTERNET AS ELECTRONIC INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS

Internet as Electronic Information Distribution Systems



Internet as Electronic Information Distribution Systems

E-tourism offers the potential to make information and booking facilities available to large numbers of consumers at relatively low cost. It enables the tourism sector to make large-scale savings on the production and distribution of print and other traditional activities such as call centers and information centers. It also provides a tool for communication and relationship development with the end-consumers as well as tourism suppliers and market intermediaries.

Tourism can be viewed as very different from most other sectors of e-commerce as the consumer goes and collects the product at the point of production which is the destination. Consequently, the tourism avoids the need to deliver products around the world.

The factors described above result in the taking of a larger and larger share of e-commerce globally. As a result, the Internet can be considered as the last revolution in the distribution of tourism information and sales. Internet is even becoming the primary channel for business to business communication. It offers the suppliers the potential to by-pass intermediaries in the value chain and thus increases their revenue base. Consequently, new business models must be developed by travel and tourism companies in order to manage their relationships with intermediaries and final customers. It is obvious that the application of e-business methods in Customer Relations Management (e-CRM) provides such an opportunity.

E-CRM can be defined as the translation of existing techniques for finding customers in the electronic environment. It provides products and services customized to the needs of the customers. It helps to retain customers loyalty and attend the needs for information and support in the use of the tourism products. Many eCRM techniques are already employed by businesses using non-electronic methods. Intelligent agent technologies, the linking of call centers to web sites, and the use of data warehousing techniques to perform detailed analysis of customer needs are among the new opportunities offered by the Internet and other advanced ICTs.

E-CRM and ICTs adoption are key to the e-tourism growth. Considering the fierce market competition it is a competitive advantage and it must be seen as a new business model which enhance a customer centric culture within destination organization.

The aim of this paper is to deal with the issues related to the E-CRM and ICTs adoption in the e-tourism industry. Examine elctronic distrubution channels and their use in the tourism industry and identify the oppurtunties and threats created by the application of ICT in the tourism industry finally, discuss future trends in information communication tecnologhy for tourism industry. In order to achieve that goal, we are going to examine the benefits of e-CRM, its potential and the barriers identified.

Internet users profile

E-Customers are becoming more and more accustomed to the use of new technologies. They are also able to use a more dynamic tool to contact suppliers directly, to choose travel destinations, to obtain on-line travel information, to compare prices, and to proceed to online ...