Selling Rooms Online: The Use of Social Media and Online Travel Agents

Purpose – This paper aims to focus on the reason why hoteliers choose to be present in online travel agent (OTA) and social media web sites for sales purposes. It also investigates the technological and human factors related to these two practices. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on a survey sent to a wide range of hotels in a Swiss touristic region. The empirical analysis involves the specification of two ordered logit models exploring the importance (in terms of online sales) of both social media and the online travel agent, Booking.com. Findings – Findings highlight the constant tension between visibility and online sales in the web arena, as well as a clear distinction in social media and OTA web site adoption between hospitality structures using online management tools and employing personnel with specific skills. Practical implications – The research highlights the need for the hospitality industry to maintain an effective presence on social media and OTAs in order to move towards the creation of a new form of social booking technologies to increase their visibility and sales. Originality/value – This research contributes to understanding the major role played by OTAs and social media in the hospitality industry while underlining the possibility of a major interplay between the two

Word of Mouth, the Importance of Reviews and Ratings in Tourism Marketing

The Internet and social media have given place to what is commonly known as the democratization of content and this phenomenon is changing the way that consumers and companies interact. Business strategies are shifting from influencing consumers directly and induce sales to mediating the influence that Internet users have on each other. A consumer review is “a mixture of fact and opinion, impression and sentiment, found and unfound tidbits, experiences, and even rumor” (Blackshaw & Nazarro, 2006). Consumers' comments are seen as honest and transparent, but it is their subjective perception what shapes the behavior of other potential consumers. With the emergence of the Internet, tourists search for information and reviews of destinations, hotels or services. Several studies have highlighted the great influence of online reputation through reviews and ratings and how it affects purchasing decisions by others (Schuckert, Liu, & Law, 2015). These reviews are seen as unbiased and trustworthy, and considered to reduce uncertainty and perceived risks (Gretzel & Yoo, 2008; Park & Nicolau, 2015). Before choosing a destination, tourists are likely to spend a significant amount of time searching for information including reviews of other tourists posted on the Internet. The average traveler browses 38 websites prior to purchasing vacation packages (Schaal, 2013), which may include tourism forums, online reviews in booking sites and other generic social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Progress in information technology and tourism management: 20 years on and 10 years after the Internet—The state of eTourism research

This paper reviews the published articles on eTourism in the past 20 years. Using a wide variety of sources, mainly in the tourism literature, this paper comprehensively reviews and analyzes prior studies in the context of Internet applications to Tourism. The paper also projects future developments in eTourism and demonstrates critical changes that will influence the tourism industry structure. A major contribution of this paper is its overview of the research and development efforts that have been endeavoured in the field, and the challenges that tourism researchers are, and will be, facing

Study on Chinese Tourism Web Sites' Distribution and Online Marketing Effects.

As a platform and carrier of tourism information, tourism websites (TWs) and online tourism marketing have deeply affected the tourism industry. The authors adopt a geographical perspective to analyze the distribution of Chinese tourism websites (CTWs), and statistical analysis with SPSS16.0 was conducted to explore the online marketing effects of CTWs, and some meaningful results has been produced: 1) The number of CTWs generally decreases from eastern China to central and western China, and are especially dominant in tourism developed provinces. 2) The number of tourists has strong statistical correlation with the number of CTWs. 3) The strongest correlation for inbound tourists is with hotel websites, and the highest correlation coefficient is 0.807 between the number of domestic tourist and resort websites. Both inbound and domestic tourists have a low correlation coefficient with travel agency websites (TA). 4) There exist some statistical models between tourist numbers and different kinds of CTWs. The results clearly unveil the marketing effects and correlation of CTWs and is helpful for further online marketing strategies

Information Technology Applications in Hospitality and Tourism: A Review of Publications from 2005 to 2007

The tourism and hospitality industries have widely adopted information technology (IT) to reduce costs, enhance operational efficiency, and most importantly to improve service quality and customer experience. This article offers a comprehensive review of articles that were published in 57 tourism and hospitality research journals from 2005 to 2007. Grouping the findings into the categories of consumers, technologies, and suppliers, the article sheds light on the evolution of IT applications in the tourism and hospitality industries. The article demonstrates that IT is increasingly becoming critical for the competitive operations of the tourism and hospitality organizations as well as for managing the distribution and marketing of organizations on a global scale

Drivers of Change in Hospitality

[Excerpt] The number of international travelers is expected to almost double by 2036, and as this number grows, so too do the demands on the hospitality industry. This is a period of unprecedented change, where advances in cloud and analytical technology meet guests who both create and share more data, and place higher demands on their hospitality experience. The outcome? A new challenge is born. The industry must accommodate growth, but crucially it must also leverage a unique opportunity to futureproof operations. Integrated technology across the hospitality ecosystem will underpin the solutions and innovative applications of tomorrow. From the fundamental role of technology to new experiences, brand loyalty and unlocking booking capabilities – these are the core elements of hospitality that must adapt. To understand what exactly is driving change and the opportunities to be unlocked, Foresight Factory worked with Cornell University, Amadeus and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) to identify three emerging trends that the sector must respond to today, to meet the needs of the consumer of the future. Central to each emerging trend are changing guest behaviors and needs. To understand the guest of the future, we conducted a survey of over 7,500 consumers across 12 markets, questioned on-the-ground travelers from Foresight Factory’s Trendspotter network, and interviewed a number of industry experts on the trends they see impacting the guest experience of tomorrow. Each trend unpicks a different aspect of the hospitality industry that will be disrupted when operational advances begin capitalizing on new guest expectations. Expect tech that augments the human hospitality service, loyalty programs that are enriched with insights from guest data and booking processes that are built on what guests value rather than standard configurations. To define how the industry can meet these three new challenges through appropriate investment in technology, Cornell University offers unique and actionable recommendations throughout

ICT diffusion and the digital divide in tourism: Kazakhstan perspective

No abstract available

Business Plan for Launching a Luxury Adventure Tour Operator Based in Canada

MOT Elite Travel Experiences (METE) is a tour operator and online travel agent start-up company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. METE is faced with the challenge of establishing itself as a business in the travel industry. However, recent advances in technology such as an increase in the number of broadband Internet users, search engine optimization, and the advent of smartphones have created an opportunity to capitalize on the growing popularity of online travel booking services. This trend towards online travel sales is stimulating new growth in the tourism industry and providing exciting opportunities for new entrants like METE. Analysis of current statistics and penetration rates for broadband internet and smartphone for countries travelling to Canada in the 25-44 year old age segment indicates that the United States, the United Kingdom (UK), Germany and France are the primary target markets for METE. Luxury travel has recovered from the recession of 2008-2009, and a growing, younger upper middle class and large proportion of High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI) in the under 45 year old segment in China are supporting a market for unique travel experience that METE plans to offer. The travel cycle introduces the inspiration, research, booking, experience, and sharing phases that comprise a framework to understand the relationship between travel and technology. METE plans to develop into competitive business as an on-line travel agent and tour operator that is able to deliver a comprehensive on-line and offline experience throughout the travel cycle