ICT diffusion and the digital divide in tourism: Kazakhstan perspective

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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

Web 2.0 and destination marketing: current trends and future directions

Over the last decade, destination marketers and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) have increasingly invested in Web 2.0 technologies as a cost-effective means of promoting destinations online, in the face of drastic marketing budgets cuts. Recent scholarly and industry research has emphasized that Web 2.0 plays an increasing role in destination marketing. However, no comprehensive appraisal of this research area has been conducted so far. To address this gap, this study conducts a quantitative literature review to examine the extent to which Web 2.0 features in destination marketing research that was published until December 2019, by identifying research topics, gaps and future directions, and designing a theory-driven agenda for future research. The study’s findings indicate an increase in scholarly literature revolving around the adoption and use of Web 2.0 for destination marketing purposes. However, the emerging research field is fragmented in scope and displays several gaps. Most of the studies are descriptive in nature and a strong overarching conceptual framework that might help identify critical destination marketing problems linked to Web 2.0 technologies is missing

Revisiting customer loyalty toward mobile e-commerce in the hospitality industry: does brand viscosity matter?

Purpose To better understand how to retain hospitality customers in the fierce competition among mobile applications, this study aims to propose and empirically validates an integrative framework, which elaborates how conscious and subconscious factors, together with affective factors, may induce app loyalty and how brand viscosity moderates such effects. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted an online survey to collect data and received a total of 268 valid responses. This study splits the data into two groups (brand viscosity vs non-viscosity). Then, the authors performed a multi-group structural equation modeling with Chi-square difference tests to compare the model between the two groups. Findings The findings support the integrative model and reveal that the influence of app satisfaction on loyalty is stronger for app users who do not stick to one brand across the website and mobile app channels. Moreover, for those with brand viscosity, habit and switching cost are two significant determinants that exert positive effects in inducing app loyalty. Research limitations/implications Brand viscosity across different channels matters for the effects of habit and switching costs in shaping app loyalty. E-commerce managers should elaborate on brand management among various booking channels and establish effective digital marketing strategies to facilitate the formation of usage habits and switching costs and to enhance brand viscosity across channels. Originality/value This research advances the knowledge of app loyalty in hospitality by providing a comprehensive explanatory framework from affective, conscious and subconscious lenses. This research is among the first to unveil the impact of brand viscosity on the links between loyalty and its determinants

Internet and Consumer behaviour in Travel and Tourism: A European Cross-National Analysis

The emergence of the internet and the development of ICTs have transformed communications and the marketing of products and services. This paper examines the extent to which the internet has penetrated homes in the various EU countries and how online consumers behave in activities linked to travel and tourism. The years 2007 and 2016 were analysed in order to make a comparison over time of the progression of the internet and ICTs among EU citizens and to examine similarities and differences in behaviour patterns in the field of tourism. This study helps confirm a correlation between digitalisation and ICTs in buying habits for tourism products and services, finding that though digital divides between countries are narrowing over time, this is not the case in the use of ICTs in tourism in particular. Our findings indicate divergent behaviour patterns and trends in online travel and accommodation management and in the way that ICTs are used in the European Union

What Determines Consumers’ Intention for Hotel Bookings through Smartphone Apps?

In the emerging market, the usage of smartphone apps is playing an imperative role and supporting travelers in their online hotel bookings. This study aims to examine the various determinants that affect travelers’ behavioral intention regarding hotel booking through smartphone apps. Data was collected from 379 hotel guests who used smartphone apps for hotel bookings. The respondents for this study are taken from Delhi. Further, the hypotheses of this study were validated with the help of structural equation modeling (SEM) using partial least squares (PLS). The results of this study found all dimensions significant except for effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, and habits. A newly added dimension, perceived trust was also found a significant predictor of consumers’ behavioral intentions for hotel booking through smartphone apps. The study provides implications for hotel managers that the information provided on apps must be accurate, up-to-date, and reliable regarding hotel services. By incorporating relevant information in the system, travelers’ will feel the hotels are trustworthy and thus their tendency to use smartphone apps for hotel bookings will increase.  As well as hotel apps must be easy to operate which reduces travelers' extra efforts and time while using them

Online Travel Purchasing. A Literature Review

Over the past two decades, there has been an increasing focus on the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), as well as the impact that they have had on the tourism industry and on travelers’ behaviors. However, research on what drives consumers to purchase travel online has typically been fragmented. In order to better understand consumers’ behavior toward online travel purchasing, this article offers a review of articles that were published in leading tourism and hospitality journals, the ENTER proceedings, and several articles from other peer-reviewed journals, found on the main academic search databases. The antecedents of online travel shopping found are classified into three main categories: Consumer Characteristics, Perceived Channel Characteristics, and Website and Product Characteristics. Finally, this study identifies several gaps and provides some orientation for future research

Dynamics of hotel website browsing activity: the power of informatics and data analytics

© 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the temporal dynamics of users browsing activity on a hotel website in order to derive effective marketing strategies and constantly improve website effectiveness. Users' activities on the hotel's website on yearly, monthly, daily and hourly basis are examined and compared, demonstrating the power of informatics and data analytics. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 29,976 hourly Weblog files from 1 August 2014 to 31 December 2017 were collected from a luxury hotel in Hong Kong. ANOVA and post-hoc comparisons were used to analyse the data. Findings: Users' browsing behaviours, particularly stickiness, on the hotel website differ on yearly, monthly, daily and weekly bases. Users' activities increased steadily from 2014 to 2016, but dropped in 2017. Users are most active from July to September, on weekdays, and from noon to evening time. The month-, day-, and hour-based behaviours changed through years. The analysis of big data determines strategic and operational management and marketing decision-making. Research limitations/implications: Understanding the usage patterns of their websites allow organisations to make a range of strategic, marketing, pricing and distribution decisions to optimise their performance. Fluctuation of website usage and level of customer engagement have implications on customer support and services, as well as strategic partnership decisions. Originality/value: Leveraging the power of big data analytics, this paper adds to the existing literature by performing a comprehensive analysis on the temporal dynamics of users' online browsing behaviours

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