Tourism is one of leading industry in the UK. Further, revenue of this sector is providing support to UK economic. It is one of biggest employers at the international level. In modern scenario, people have limited time to invest in travel. Hence, they can use online technology to gain their awareness regarding Hotels for holiday vacation. Since, travelers cannot pre-test the services and products and cannot get easy money back in case trip does not meet up their desires. Hence, travelers should access the reliable, timely and adequate data as it would aid them to make an appropriate selection (Schuckert, Liu, and Law, 2015).
The study aims to analyze the role of online technology in the tourism industry. In addition, the factors that determine success for tourism business is identified are in the present study.
This research is beneficial for readers to understand the role of online technology in the tourism industry. It is also beneficial for travelers to comprehend the advantages of using online technology in the tourism industry. This research has a wider scope for tourism companies to gain the knowledge about the solutions for overcoming the issues faced while using online technology in the tourism industry. It has also significant for online users to increase awareness regarding limitations for using online technology in the tourism industry (Liu, and Park, 2015).
The brief historical perspective of online technology
According to Amaro and Duarte (2015), online technology plays a fundamental role in tourism industry. This technology provides benefit to both customers and businesses in terms of advance in reservation, communication, and guest experience system. Furthermore, online technology facilitates continuous interaction and modernizes the experience of guest from reservation to checkout. An online internet has a strong impact on the tourism industry. For different location and businesses, the experience initiates long before travelers reach their destinations. It starts with the first visit to websites, online advertising, blogs, online ordering, and social media. Further, online technology will provide convince to customers to select a feasible location and business.
Theory of using online technology in tourism
In the view of Berezina et al. (2016), task-technology Fit (TTF) theory is used by an organization in the Tourism industry to deal with the customers. This theory evaluates that ‘the matching of competencies of the online technologies with the demand of tasks’. It is favorably associated with usefulness, ease of use and tool functionalities. It is also positively correlated with the implementation of the specific technique. In this way, it is stated that implementation of the online system allows a request for highly functional and simple activities such as information access, communication, data processing and notification in the tourism industry. By using this theory, online technology can be effectively implemented within an organization.
RO1: To critically analyze the role of online technology in the tourism industry
According to Law Buhalis and Cobanoglu (2014), online technology plays an imperative role in tourism industry. It is used in the marketing such as online advertising, a special website to offer data of particular region, e-mail promotion, search engine marketing and editorial and newsletters. Furthermore, word of mouth promotion is used by Tourism Company to promote their products and services. In this way, different social networks have been used such as blogs with customer reviews, YouTube video sharing sites and community like free Flickr photo-sharing website, Facebook, and discussion group.
In opposed to this, Law Buhalis and Cobanoglu (2014) stated that online technology is used for booking system in the tourism industry. It is analyzed that there are more than half people, who travel by book online in advance. When people have the option to pay online then it could be effective to gain sales due to offering ease services to the traveler on the reservation. Online technology is also effective to deliver the positive experience to visitors. Moreover, tourism operators are using online technology to offer primary experience online such as tasters delivered pre-trip through video clips and online audio podcast, and experience-driven web content. They also use the online technology to deliver the audio tours for using on-site through MP3 players. Through online technology, Tourism Company facilitates interpretation through handheld devices. It also uses this technology to link the customers with another region like recommending other things to see or do on websites and part of the experience of the tour. It could be also effective to develop the awareness about tourism and get positive visitor experience. Online technology is effective to build customer relations and follow up. This technology is a great way to build customer contact through contact database, electronic newsletter, group email, and incentives. In such way, it is stated that an electronic newsletter aids to keep the brand and builds positive experiences in mind of visitors. Group emails are used to regular updates as well as incentives are used to encourage the customers to place reviews on travel sharing websites like TripAdvisor.
RO2: To evaluate the benefits of using online technology in the tourism industry
Chen et al. (2015) stated that online technology is one of the significant elements to endorse the tourism business across the international. This technology also aids to perform the better and can help to connect with several clients from different nations. It also facilitates the improvement of travel agencies by rapid communication and offering all the necessary facts and figures in depth. In contrast to this, Gretzel et al. (2015) opined that online technology is used to build positive image amid the customers by demonstrating high-quality visualization of tourism facilities and products via online as compared to catalogs and brochures. It is also evaluated that online technology is beneficial to share the high valued traveling experience and extensive understanding regarding the travel to customers as it could encourage the new clients. In the modern era, the demand for creative ideas is required as compared to the conventional approach. Hence, people are highly influenced with regards to online technology as they want to become visible with a couple of clicks. In addition, surfing on the net could be significant to select a travel package and book through online technology. As a result, Travel Company can generate the more profits and revenues due to offering easiness to customer services.
RO3: To find out the limitations of using online technology in the tourism industry
As per the view of Filieri Alguezaui and McLeay (2015), there are different hotels, which provide free internet facilities in the UK. But, certain hotels charge additional amount with regards to internet access, local calls and per page charge to receive a fax. These additional amounts integrate with less personalized facilities as well as generate additional revenue at the hotel, at transportation hubs, and on airplanes. In contrast to this, Yang (2017) opined that growth of technology allows the international terrorism to attack the tourism industry. It is analyzed that computer age facilitates the customers to get awareness about tourism and permits the business travelers to keep in touch with their offices. However, online technology creates an issue of cross time zones negotiations and can destroy the air travel.
RO4: To recommend solutions for overcoming the issues faced while using online technology in the tourism industry
According to Xu et al. (2016), travel companies should use communication technology to deal with the customers. In this way, it can use the digital telephone system, satellite broadcasting, teleconferencing, audiovisual information techniques, videotext, and different communication networks for reservations and image communication. It could be effective to attract potential customers towards their products and companies. In support of this, Ponte et al. (2015) stated that company should use automatic call accounting system to change their telephone calls into prominent profit. For example, travel companies can facilitate the long-distance telephone calls at the discount rates to their visitors as it could be profitable for the business.
Under the current issue, employees are not proficient to persuade a large number of travelers. Therefore, they should use the online technology in the tourism industry to increase the revenue and profitability. This research could be effective to get the solutions for overcoming the issues faced while using online technology in the tourism industry (Okazaki, et. al., 2015).
Literature gap and opportunity
Under the literature review, a researcher will primarily focus on the role of online technology on the tourism industry, UK. Through this, a researcher will obtain the opportunity to analyze the role of online technology on the tourism industry, UK. The researcher has not used a large number of sample size as there is inadequate data about the role of online technology on the tourism industry, UK.
Research philosophy and approach
For this research, interpretivism research philosophy will be used to complete the RO1 and RO2 due to its subjective nature. This philosophy will be selected due to accessing the reality regarding the role of online technology on the tourism industry, UK. In addition, the inductive approach will be used in this research due to its relevancy with the interpretivism research philosophy. This approach will be also selected to generate the theory regarding RO1 and RO2. In contrast to this, the deductive approach will not be used as there is no need to construct the hypothesis regarding research issue (Neuhofer, Buhalis, and Ladkin, 2015).
Research design
For this research, mixed research design will be used to gather the data regarding research issue. This method will be chosen as it contains the characteristics of both qualitative and quantitative research design. In this way, qualitative research design would be beneficial to collect the theoretical and conceptual understanding regarding the role of online technology in the tourism industry, UK. It would be also effective to attain the RO1 and RO2. Along with this, quantitative research design will be chosen to pool the numeric data regarding research issues (Rezaei, et. al., 2016). It would be beneficial to accomplish the RO3 and RO4.
For this research, both data collection method (i.e. primary and secondary method) will be used to gather the information regarding the role of online technology on the tourism industry, UK. In this way, primary data collection will be collected from different sources like interview and survey through a questionnaire. In addition, secondary data collection method will be collected from different sources such as academic journals, textbooks, journal articles, and online websites. Further, primary data would be beneficial to pool the fresh and first-hand information regarding the role of online technology in the tourism industry, UK. It would be beneficial to get a reliable and valid result. Moreover, secondary data would be used to support the primary information as it would increase the authenticity of research result (Agag and El-Masry, 2016).
Sampling
For this research, both sampling method will be used such as probability and non-probability sampling method. Probability sampling method will be used to choose the sample from a large number of population on a random basis. In this way, 50 tourists who use online technology will be selected as a sample size from the tourism industry, UK in order to get the quantitative information regarding research issue. Non-probability sampling method will be used to select the respondents from the high amount of population in a systematic way (Rezaei, et. al., 2016). Furthermore, 5 managers will be selected as a sample size from 3 hotels of UK to get the qualitative data regarding research issue.
The present research will need different resources to complete the aim and objectives. For instance, travel expenses will be entailed as an investigator will be required to travel to approach the participants for the survey through questionnaire and interview. Another resource would be required like internet and laptop. It will be implemented for writing the research and finding the secondary sources like online material and journal publication. As well as, printing expenses will be entailed when the final research report will be printed for submission (Neuhofer, Buhalis, and Ladkin, 2015).
References
Agag, G. and El-Masry, A.A., 2016. Understanding consumer intention to participate in online travel community and effects on consumer intention to purchase travel online and WOM: An integration of innovation diffusion theory and TAM with trust. Computers in human behavior, 60, pp.97-111.
Amaro, S. and Duarte, P., 2015. An integrative model of consumers’ intentions to purchase travel online. Tourism Management, 46, pp.64-79.
Berezina, K., Bilgihan, A., Cobanoglu, C. and Okumus, F., 2016. Understanding satisfied and dissatisfied hotel customers: text mining of online hotel reviews. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 25(1), pp.1-24.
Chen, C.H., Nguyen, B., Klaus, P.P. and Wu, M.S., 2015. Exploring electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in the consumer purchase decision-making process: the case of online holidays–evidence from United Kingdom (UK) consumers. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 32(8), pp.953-970.
Filieri, R., Alguezaui, S. and McLeay, F., 2015. Why do travelers trust TripAdvisor? Antecedents of trust towards consumer-generated media and its influence on recommendation adoption and word of mouth. Tourism Management, 51, pp.174-185.
Gretzel, U., Werthner, H., Koo, C. and Lamsfus, C., 2015. Conceptual foundations for understanding smart tourism ecosystems. Computers in Human Behavior, 50, pp.558-563.
Law, R., Buhalis, D., and Cobanoglu, C., 2014. Progress on information and communication technologies in hospitality and tourism. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 26(5), pp.727-750.
Liu, Z. and Park, S., 2015. What makes a useful online review? The implication for travel product websites. Tourism Management, 47, pp.140-151.
Neuhofer, B., Buhalis, D. and Ladkin, A., 2015. Technology as a catalyst for change: enablers and barriers of the tourist experience and their consequences. In Information and communication technologies in tourism 2015 (pp. 789-802). USA: Springer, Cham.
Okazaki, S., Campo, S., Andreu, L. and Romero, J., 2015. A latent class analysis of Spanish travelers’ mobile internet usage in travel planning and execution. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 56(2), pp.191-201.
Palacios-Marqués, D., Merigó, J.M. and Soto-Acosta, P., 2015. Online social networks as an enabler of innovation in organizations. Management Decision, 53(9), pp.1906-1920.
Ponte, E.B., Carvajal-Trujillo, E. and Escobar-Rodríguez, T., 2015. Influence of trust and perceived value on the intention to purchase travel online: Integrating the effects of assurance on trust antecedents. Tourism Management, 47, pp.286-302.
Rezaei, S., Ali, F., Amin, M. and Jayashree, S., 2016. Online impulse buying of tourism products: the role of website personality, utilitarian and hedonic web browsing. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 7(1), pp.60-83.
Schuckert, M., Liu, X. and Law, R., 2015. Hospitality and tourism online reviews: Recent trends and future directions. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 32(5), pp.608-621.
Xu, F., Tian, F., Buhalis, D., Weber, J. and Zhang, H., 2016. Tourists as mobile gamers: Gamification for tourism marketing. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 33(8), pp.1124-1142.
Yang, F.X., 2017. Effects of restaurant satisfaction and knowledge sharing motivation on eWOM intentions: the moderating role of technology acceptance factors. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 41(1), pp.93-127.
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