Impact of Digital Technologies on Travel and Tourism Business Activities

This research project investigates the profound impact of digital technologies on the business activities within the travel and tourism industry. It explores how emerging technologies like online booking platforms, social media, and mobile applications have transformed the way tourism companies operate, engage with customers, and deliver services. The study analyzes the benefits and challenges associated with digital adoption, examining customer satisfaction levels, the influence of online reviews, and the effectiveness of online information and payment systems. Through a comprehensive literature review and a questionnaire survey, the research aims to provide valuable insights into the evolving landscape of the travel and tourism industry and offer recommendations for businesses to leverage digital technologies effectively.

RESEARCH PROJECT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................2
RESEARCH TITLE..............................................................................................................................3
RESEARCH STATEMENT..................................................................................................................3
RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVES................................................................................................3
RESEARCH QUESTIONS...................................................................................................................3
LITERATURE REVIEW......................................................................................................................4
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...........................................................................................................8
RESEARCH DESIGN.......................................................................................................................8
DATA COLLECTION......................................................................................................................8
ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE OF USING QUESTIONNAIRE.....................................8
SAMPLING METHODOLOGY.......................................................................................................9
LIMITATIONS.................................................................................................................................9
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY.......................................................................................................9
RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY.....................................................................................................9
ETHICAL CONSIDERATION.........................................................................................................9
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS..................................................................................10
TIMELINE OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES....................................................................................11
LOG BOOK.................................................................................................................................11
GANTT CHART.........................................................................................................................12
DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS............................................................................................13
DISCUSSION, RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION..........................................................24
REFERENCES....................................................................................................................................27
APPENDIX.........................................................................................................................................30
QUESTIONNAIRE.........................................................................................................................30
1

INTRODUCTION
Implementing the emerging technology in the business is its growing necessity. The role of
technology in the business field has grown in recent years. The operations of the business are affected
by the technology used by the company (Buhalis and Amaranggana, 2013). There are both tangible
and intangible benefits of implementing digital technology in the business activities. It is observed
that the activities of the traditional business are fundamentally shifted for using digital technology and
engage with the customers in the recent ten years. The technological changes have a huge impact on
the operations and activities of the business.
One of the popular industries impacted due to emerging technology is the travel and tourism industry.
The use of technology in the travel and tourism industry has made to possible for the travel agents to
customize the travelling packages as per the wishes of the customer (Sigala, et al. 2012). The
components of the tourism industry are benefitted by the inclusion of innovative technologies in
building customer relationships through various applications and sites. The traditional way of
operating business in travel and tourism industry has changed the way of carrying out the business
activity and engage with people. The use of technology in the travel and tourism industry replaces the
issues that were arising in the activities of the business.
With the help of the technology, the company can provide less personalised services thereby
generating higher revenues on the accommodation, meals and at transportation hubs (Schegg and
Stangl, 2017). Technology is a mixture of positive and negative impacts on the travel and tourism
industry as when used ethically will help in increasing the communication and business for the
tourism companies. Unethical use of technology can be hazardous for the tourism companies; it might
result in loss of security and increase in a terrorist attack.
Also, the economic growth can be achieved through the use of technology in travel and tourism field
which garners the economic means for the consumer to travel (Tribe, 2011). The online platform is
used by the travellers and tourist to plan their trips which gives the tourism companies a great
opportunity for customer engagement with the use of the mobile platform by converting these mobile
travellers into tourism boking. It is observed that more than 50 per cent of the people uses internet
nowadays in their decision-making process for both business and leisure travellers (Schegg and
Stangl, 2017).
2

RESEARCH TITLE
"An analysis of the impact of digital technologies on the business activities in travel and tourism
industry”
RESEARCH STATEMENT
“What are the impacts of digital technologies on the business activities in travel and tourism
industry?”
RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVES
The main aim of the research is to identify the emerging digital technologies and evaluate its impact
on the business activities of tourism companies in travel and tourism business. The objectives are:
 To understand the role of digital technology in the tourism company.
 To enable the customers to use online booking and communication system in tourism
company in travel and tourism industry.
 To implement the digital technology to improve the quality of services and products in travel
and tourism business.
 To analyse the impact of using digital technology on the tourism company.
 To implement the online information and payment system for accessing the information and
make payment by tourism company.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What is the role of digital technology in the tourism company?
2. What is satisfaction level of the customer in using online booking and communication system
in Tourism Company?
3. How does the digital technology help in improving the product and services quality in the
tourism industry?
4. What is the impact of digital technology on the Tourism Company?
5. How the digital technology helps in implementing the online information and payment system
for accessing the information and make payment by Tourism Company?
3

LITERATURE REVIEW
According to Buhalis and Jun (2011), one of the most important innovation in the field of technology
is the internet. The emergence of the internet in the travel and tourism led the travellers to plan their
holidays using the internet. It was evident in this research that internet powered business environment
due to the e-business being an essential prerequisite resulted in the success of the tourism companies
in the travel and tourism industry. The activities, process and data handling along with the ability to
function and compete with the rivals in the emerging business environment around the world can be
advantaged by the emerging technologies as the processes in the tourism-related organization go
through the re-engineering process. The purpose of this study was to identify the importance of
information and communication technology and its implications for travel and tourism industry
illuminating the complexity of various types of systems.
Innovation organization need to be assumed a paramount part of accomplishing financial development
by gathering economic methods for buyers should venture out (Tribe, 2011). This framework of the
tourism sector clinched alongside tourism will be greatly complex; provided for the way that those
tourism items public appeals transforms because of progressions in the outside drives that critical
improvement for low expense transporters will be another method for effective innovative requisitions
of the tourism also undertaking business.
The tourism business is regularly considered similarly as the sectored framework for improvement
also creation (Werthner, et al. 2015). The advancement as well as a commitment to air travel a method
for transporting visitors to different areas is a critical commitment to engineering organization of the
tourism head out business. That evolvement and advancement of the majority of the data innovation
organization need along these lines required a massive effect on tourism.
In support of this, Hojeghan and Esfangareh (2011) conducted the study to identify the contribution of
new technologies in the travel and tourism development. The internet serves as a communication tool
between the suppliers, intermediaries in the tourism industry and the end-user of the services, thereby
offering potential information along with the booking facilities that are available to a large number of
potential customers at considerable prices. It was suggested in the most researches that the role of
government is very crucial in facilitating the use of digital technology to increase their ability in the
tourism industry to reap the benefits.
The growing demands of the customers, volatile and unsecured business market increase in the
international competition, customization of tourism packages, potentials in the different market
segments are some of the challenges faced by the companies in the tourism sectors. Internet
innovation picked up imperativeness concerning illustration it got to be the real energy will fill in
securely and successfully. The use of digital technology is directly impacting and shaping the tourism
destination at a significant level. Since the tourism industry is an intensely competitive industry which
is an information sensitive system. Thus a dramatic change has occurred due to the emergence of
4

digital technology through information and communication systems in hotels, motels, car rentals,
special tour operators, restaurants and travel agents and so on.
In addition to this, Minghetti and Buhalis (2010) stated that one of the important wealth creators at
both international and national level is tourism industry. The diffusion of the information and
communication technologies in the tourism industry resulted in improved social and economic
impacts beneficial to the people and the organizations in the developing and developed countries. This
study focused on the digital division I the tourism industries in order to explore the relevant factors
leading to inequality in accessibility and usage of information and communication system for tourists
and visitors.
The integration of different aspects such as motivational, social and technical that is derived from the
various approaches to demonstrates the factors that affect the market capacity and effective interaction
in the tourism environment at the global level (Thakran and Verma, 2013). It is evident in this
research that it is essential to expand the use of information and communication technologies in less
technologically developed regions in order to promote the market offerings; reduce dependency on the
intermediaries and interaction with consumers.
In addition to this, Xiang, et al (2015), the sustenance and success of the business depends on the
understanding and capitalization of consumer behaviour trends. The use of internet and different
traditional channels such as online travel agencies and other sources continue to dominate the travel
planning. The use of high-order internet such a social media is prevalent among some of the traveller's
segments while the use of traditional internet means is widespread across all the segments for travel
planning. This study depicts the particulars about the technological trends in travel planning. There is
no change in the patterns of using online tools by traditional online consumers however some of the
groups in the customer segments have adopted the emerging information sources and transaction
channels.
According to Standing, et al (2014), there is a major impact of the internet on the providers and
consumer in the tourism industry. This study classifies and also analyse the wealth of the research
published in the major journals of tourism in the recent decades with the aim to identify the major
focus areas and also the gaps in the research regarding the internet in the tourism industry. Some of
the most important topics for research in the field of tourism regarding the technology is information
research, internet marketing, and website analysis. Some of the researches conducted on the
perspective or e-business or organization so that any issues can be resolved from the past mistakes
and from best practices while internet-related issues are the most common research topics.
In addition to this, Ye, et al (2011), studied the impact of the reviews of online users on the travelling
behaviour. It was revealed in the previous studies that the reviews generated by online users’ impact
the sale of various products such as books, CDs and movies. However, the impact of reviews
generated by online users regarding tourism industry is indefinite to tourism researchers as well as
practitioners. The authors conducted an empirical study with the aim to identify the impact of online
5

user-generated review on the performance of the business using the data extracted from a major online
travel agency. The findings of this research highlighted the importance and significance of the online
user-generated reviews on the performance of the business in the tourism industry.
In support of this, Jacobsen and Munar (2012) provided empirical evidence on the impacts of the
internet and other sources on the destination choices of international tourists regarding the mainstream
summer location. The breakthrough of the technologies enabled the traveller or tourist to book flights,
rent cars, and hotels using the online medium. The digital disruptions in the tourism industry enable
tourism agents and operators to reach out to a larger number of people who are well informed and
high tech. it was highlighted in this research that some of the traditional provisions such as Web 1.0,
direct word-of-mouth and personal experiences are highly robust that influences the decision of the
tourists to spend their summer holiday to a well-known destination. In order to take a decision
regarding the destination, utilitarian information values are more relevant to socialisation
opportunities.
According to Fotis, et al (2012), an empirical study is conducted to present the comprehensive view of
role and impact of using the social media while planning the holiday travel process before, during and
after the tour. It provides the insight into the scope of use, usage levels and level of trust and
influence. The findings of this study represent the predominant use of social media used as an
experience sharing platform after the holidays by tourist and travellers. The correlation between the
perceived influence level from social media and alteration made in the holiday plans as there is
trustworthiness in the perception towards the user-generated content as compared to official tourism
websites mass media advertising and travel agents.
In addition to this, Law, et al (2014), conducted a study on the basis of reviews published in the
journals related to tourism and hospitality between 2009 and 2013. Approximately 107 journals were
reviewed by the authors that were retrieved from three major databases ScienceDirect, EBSCOhost’s
Hospitality and Tourism Complete, Emerald Management eJournals and sage journals. Grouping of
these journals was done into two categories that are supplier and consumer who are considered as the
key players in the tourism industry and other industries as well. The findings of this study were the
wide adoption of the information and communication technology in the hospitality and tourism
industries across different units and in different applications. It was observed that the industry
practitioners need to learn about the updated practices by taking benefits from recent technological
developments based on content analysis.
According to Gretzel (2011), there are fundamental changes in the behaviour and demand along with
the functions and structures of tourism industry due to the changes in the ICT. These intelligent
systems sense their surroundings to implement the actions in order to reach specific goals. The use of
intelligent systems is to support the information search for tourists along with the decision making
and work processes. This study identifies the gap in between the knowledge of the field in order to
gather the information regarding the intelligent system and its impacts. The conceptualisation of the
6

technology is essential to understand in order to incorporate in the tourism research in order to focus
on the interactions and uses.
In support of this, Milano, et al (2011) suggested that online social networking sites and Web 2.0
highly impacts the tourism industry through their online activities. Two of the social networking sites
were considered that are Facebook and Twitter. In order to analyse the patterns of the visit, the
relationship between the referrals from these social networking sites and total visits were measured. It
was noted that the role of social media is very important in various aspects of the tourism industry that
is in information search and decision-making behaviours of the tourists. Various countries have
started using these social media sites in order to promote their market offerings in the tourism
industry. The role of social media was considered in the decision-making process of the tourism
planning by tourists and visitors in the tourism industry.
According to Molz (2013) studied the role of social networking technologies on the moral economy of
alternative tourism. This empirical study majorly focuses on the online hospitality exchange network
Couchsurfing. To critically investigate for moral tourism, it does not encourage framing the moral
tourism as a response to the issues of commercial mass tourism. Affordances of Couchsurfing best
settle on sense and indeed, best revolved noticeable in our current reality the place a few routes of
travelling, consuming, and also cooperating would regard ‘better' over others. The idea about ‘moral
affordances' supporters demonstrates how executing or neglecting trust to visitors, offering material
assets to free, and taking part for minding suggestions need aid enabled by different long range
informal communication mechanisms.
In addition to this, Jalilvand and Samiei (2012) studied the reduction in trust among the consumers
regarding the advertisement and organizations in order to gain competitive advantage through word of
mouth. The role of word-of-mouth is important in travel and tourism industry as it is difficult to
evaluate the intangible products before consumption. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the
impact of electronic word-of-mouth in the decision making of the consumers regarding the choices in
tourism destinations.
7

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research methodologies are broadly classified into qualitative and quantitative research design. The
quantitative research design is used to evaluate or analyse by using measurable data in order to
formulate the facts and unrecovered patterns in the research. It quantifies the attitude, views, opinions
and behaviours and other defined variable into usable statistics for generalizing the results from large
sample population (Egger, 2013). The qualitative research design is used in exploratory research to
gain the insights to understand the underlying opinions and reasons.
The qualitative and quantitative research design is used in this research. Questionnaire survey method
is used to measure the impact of digital technology on the businesses in travel and tourism industry.
Qualitative method is used to analyse the perception and opinions of the tourist which is highly
unpredictable and cannot be calculated mathematically (Bizirgianni and Dionysopoulou, 2013). The
opinions and views of the customers help in understanding the significance of digital technology on
the businesses on travel and tourism industry.
DATA COLLECTION
One of the most important steps in successfully carrying out the research is the data collection
method. There is the difference in the quantity, quality and type of data to be collected on the basis of
objectives of the research. Questionnaire survey method is used in this research to collect the data
(Sharpley, 2018). Primary data is collected by designing and distributing the survey questionnaire
among 100 candidates that is the tourist and visitors to understand the significance of the
incorporating the digital technology in the activities of travel and tourism business such as online
booking and information search, online payment systems and communication system (Neuhofer, et al.
2014). Secondary data is collected from different published research articles of the researchers and
scholars. About 13 researches were included in the literature review of this research to develop the
base for the primary research.
ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE OF USING QUESTIONNAIRE
The advantage of using the questionnaires method is its efficiency and ease in collecting information
from a large number of participants as it is a highly flexible instrument. It reduces the variability in
research as same questions are received and answered by the respondents which make it easy to code
analyse and also interpret the findings and results (Pendergast, 2010). The disadvantage of using
questionnaire is it is complex to design which is a time-consuming process.
8

SAMPLING METHODOLOGY
Sampling is the process of selecting n number of people from the total population with the aim to
gather data for the current study. Among different sampling methods, the simple random sampling
method is used to select 100 participants for collecting the data for this research. It will help in
understanding the impact of digital technology either positive or negative on the tourism activities in
travel and tourism industry.
LIMITATIONS
As only 100 participants took part in the research project, it became a limiting factor. The
representativeness of the collected data is reduced due to the limited time and resource constraints. It
is also essential to be cautious in generalising the results of the study to the total population.
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
There are some limitations to this research. The aim and objectives of the research are too broad for
the research study. Another limitation can be the unwillingness of respondents to provide the required
information of the study resulting in data collection errors (Lo, et al. 2011). There was undefined
geographical background which restricted to analyse the impact of digital technology on the tourism
activities in the research. The secondary research is taken as the base for this research, which may
results in lack of certain aspects thereby limiting the research.
RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY
Efforts were made in order to ensure the construction of the questions in consideration with the
research objectives, literature review and conception obtained with the help of other researches about
the digital technology and its impact on tourism industry (Molz, 2012). The validity of this research is
for a limited time period as there is consistent digital evolution and change in perception of people.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATION
The ethical considerations followed in this research are the maintenance of confidentiality of the
people who participated in this survey research and no discrimination is done on the basis of caste,
region, creed or nationality. The data was collected for the research without disclosing the personal
information of the participants. Participants were informed about the aim of the research along with
9

the disclosure of the results to interested parties (Gretzel, et al. 2015). Participants were free to
withdraw from the questionnaire survey at any stage based on their willingness.
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
Pie charts, tables and ME-Excel are used to represent the data collected for the research. Tables
represent the qualitative data and pie chart represents quantitative data (Sotiriadis and Van Zyl, 2013).
Figures were preferred to interpret the data easily as it indicates the number of occurrences of the
responses for a particular question through graphic representation.
10

TIMELINE OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
LOG BOOK
ACTIVITIES ACTIONS TIME SLOT IN
WEEK
PARTICULARS OF
THE ACTION
TAKEN
1 Identify the issue for
planning a research
2 weeks The idea is generated in
order to plan for the
research project.
2 Implementation of
research
3 weeks Resources are collected to
implement the research by
defining the aim and
objectives of the research
3 Literature reviews 4 weeks Review the published
research papers and
articles of the researchers
and scholars (Buhalis and
Schertler, 2012).
4 Data collection
methods
2 weeks Collect the data using
primary research method
relevant to the research
problem
5 Data analysis and
interpretation
2 weeks Various techniques can be
used to evaluate the data
and interpret results and
findings (Benckendorff, et
al. 2014)
6 Conclusion and
recommendations
1 week The results and findings
of the research conclude
the research by making a
proper analysis of the
research problem and
recommendations are
given.
11

GANTT CHART
ACTIVITIES ACTIONS
TAKEN
TIME REQUIRED (IN WEEKS)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Identify the issue
for planning a
research
2 Implementation
of research
3 Defining aim and
objectives
4 Review the
Literature
5 Determine the
research
methodology
6 Determine the
sample size
7 Define
limitations and
ethical
consideration
8 Reliability and
validity
9 Data collection
methods
10 Data analysis and
interpretation
11 Conclusion and
recommendations
12

DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS
It is imperative to analyse the data in order to extract the useful information, as a result, to reach out to
a strong conclusion. MS-Excel and tables are used to transform the obtained data into use the
information and draw the conclusion.
Question 1
Response Table:
Male 56
Female 44
Total 100
Gender
Male
Female
The aim of this research is to identify the impact of digital technologies on the tourism activities of
the travel and tourism industry. It was observed through the questionnaire survey that almost equal
number of tourist whether male or female have participated in the survey. With technological
development, various changes have been made in the different types of tourism. More males and
females are using digital technologies to plan their holidays or vacations. A large number of people
13

found interested in the questionnaire to lend their support in identifying the impact of using digital
technologies in different activities of the tourism industries. About 56 per cent of the male
participated in the research whereas 44 per cent of the total sample size was females.
14

Question 2
Response Table:
15-30 years 21
30-45 years 27
45-60 years 29
60 years and above 23
Total 100
Age Group
15-30 years
30-45 years
45-60 years
60 years and above
In this questionnaire, various age group were mentioned to identify the people who are active in
searching the information and using digital technology while planning their holiday vacations. It was
observed that the people of nearly all the age groups were active on using digital technology while
planning for their vacations. The increase of technology use is prevalent in all the age groups. More
and more people using social media platforms and it helps them in being updated with the information
related to new tourist destinations and other related information.
15

Question 3
Response Table:
Yes 71
No 29
Total 100
Use online websites and social networking
sites to plan your trips
Yes
No
The use of technology is increasing each year. Many people are using the digital technology to look
for the information available on the internet regarding the tourist destination. The global businesses
have made its presence online. The tourism companies are opting for the online websites and other
related applications to reach out to a large number of people. It was noted that about 71 per cent of the
people is using online websites and social networking sites to make plans regarding their tours or
trips. People are looking for the offers promoted by the tourism companies using their websites and
other social media applications. A maximum number of people has moved towards the online services
for planning their customized holiday packages and vacations. The tourism company are offering their
products and services on these online applications and social media sites.
16

Question 4
Response Table:
Everyday 26
Randomly 34
Rarely 21
Never 19
Total 100
Check online information and reviews
Everyday
Randomly
Rarely
Never
This question was asked by the researcher to identify that the frequency of tourist visiting the online
reviews and information regarding any tourism destination. It was noted that majority of people
randomly visit these websites and applications to look for the information and reviews which will
help them in planning their holidays and vacations well in advances. About 26 per cent of the
participants agreed on using the online websites and applications on daily basis. However, there is still
19 per cent who never uses these online applications and websites to make their holiday plans or take
decisions on the basis of reviews and other related information. Also, there were at least 21 per cent of
the total participants who would rarely visit this online portals and websites for any review or
information.
17

Question 5
Response Table:
Online websites 26
Mass media 28
Travel agencies 20
Tourist magazines/ brochures 26
Total 100
Prefer to use to obtain information
Online websites
Mass media
Travel agencies
Tourist magazines/ brochures
This question was asked to understand the preferences of the tourist or visitors in obtaining the
information related to the tourist destination they are going to visit. A maximum number of people
used mass media and online websites to search for the related information. However, there were some
of 26 per cent of the total participants who would rely on the tourism magazines and brochures to
obtain information of a number of tourist destinations to select one of them for their visit. There is an
increase in the use of information technology in the tourism field as people are more conscious about
their visit to some location for holidays or business trips. About 20 per cent of the people consult the
travel agencies to gather the information at the time of planning their holidays.
18

Question 6
Response Table:
Google 35
Yahoo 29
Bing 28
Others. Please specify 8
Total 100
Search Engines preferred
Google
Yahoo
Bing
Others. Please specify
This question answers the preference in using the search engine for obtaining the related information
related to the destination using internet service. It was observed that a maximum number of
participants used Google as their preferred search engines to look for the information about the
destinations. As a maximum number of people are still unaware of the facts that there are other search
engines available to look for any information on the internet. The tourism companies need to ensure
their presence on Google search engine to make their presence felt online. Apart from Google, Yahoo
and Bing are the popular search engines that are used by the tourists and travellers to obtain
information for any destination. Other search engines mentioned by tourist and travellers are
Ask.com, AOL.com, WolframAlpha, Baidu, internet archive, Yandex.
19

Question 7
Response Table:
Strongly agree 29
Agree 28
Uncertain 4
Disagree 20
Strongly disagree 19
Total 100
Use of digital technology
Strongly agree
Agree
Uncertain
Disagree
Strongly disagree
It is observed that most of the travellers and tourist were influenced to alter their holiday travel plan
after reading the reviews and feedback of the other travellers who would have visited earlier. People
now a day are connected to their friends, relatives and peers and also with the strangers via the
internet. This helps them in gaining the information about any location within the limited time period.
Most of the people have agreed on the fact that they altered their holiday travel plans as they use
different online portals and social media. This question identifies the correlation between the changes
made in their holiday travel plans while taking a final decision and perceived influence level via the
internet.
There was at least 4 per cent of people who uncertain regarding the influence of digital technology on
their decision-making the process of holidays or business tours. It was also observed that about 20 per
20

cent people disagreed and 19 per cent people strongly disagreed on changing the holiday plan
schedule on the basis of reviews and feedback from other travellers via the internet.
Question 8
Response Table:
Strongly agree 28
Agree 31
Uncertain 3
Disagree 19
Strongly disagree 19
Total 100
Change in attitude towards the products and
services according to the reviews and
feedback from others
Strongly agree
Agree
Uncertain
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Due to the emergence of digital technology, most of the people are using the internet medium to share
their experiences and views on the travelling products and services offered by the tour operators.
There are both positive and negative reviews and feedback on any particular product or service
offered by the company. this can be accessed by most of the people around the world who use internet
services. Most of the people visit these review sites and portals.
A maximum number of the people agreed on looking for the reviews and feedback that resulted in a
change in the attitude of the people towards the products and services. Negative feedbacks from other
users regarding the products or service limit their sales and positive feedbacks increases the sales of
any product or services. However, about 19 per cent of total population, each disagreed and strongly
disagreed that they did not go with the reviews and feedback given about any tourism products.
21

22

Question 9
Response Table:
Strongly satisfied 26
Satisfied 31
Uncertain 6
Dissatisfied 18
Strongly dissatisfied 19
Total 100
Levels of satisfaction regarding the use of
information technology in online booking
reservations and communication system
Strongly satisfied
Satisfied
Uncertain
Dissatisfied
Strongly dissatisfied
The advancement in the technology resulted in the online presence of the tourism companies by
offering their tourism products and services to the tourist and potential customers. A maximum
number of people are using e-tourism services to book a reservation and use communication system in
case of any query using online portals and websites. Customer services are available 24*7 for the
customers who are planning their holidays. Majority of people were affirmative in using online
booking reservation system along with the communication system to plan for their holiday travel plan
process. There were some people that are about 18 and 19 per cent of the total participants who were
either dissatisfied or strongly dissatisfied with the use of these services while planning for holidays.
23

Question 10
Response Table:
Strongly satisfied 22
Satisfied 22
Uncertain 8
Dissatisfied 25
Strongly dissatisfied 23
Total 100
Level of satisfaction on implementing online
information and payment system to access
information and make payment while
planning for tour
Strongly satisfied
Satisfied
Uncertain
Dissatisfied
Strongly dissatisfied
The impact of the technology is huge even in the payment system as well. many people who plan for
their holiday travel book the services such as accommodation, transportation and restaurants online to
make it easier for them and many of them make their payment in advance using the internet to avail
the offers promoted by these companies for online booking or advance booking. Many people opt to
pay the number of tourism packages online using e-payment services. Most of the people use the
digital technology to gather information regarding online payment system. However, there are still
some people who prefer offline modes owing to the risks involved such as fraud, hacking or
burdensome charges, card data security, technical integration, and multi-currency and payments
methods in the e-payment services.
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DISCUSSION, RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION
This research aimed to identify and analyse the impacts of using digital technology in the tourism
activities in travel and tourism industry. the findings and result are that making simple changes in the
activities of the tourism by including the digital technology can result in various benefits for the
tourism companies. It is observed that the digital technology and tourism industry are intertwined. For
example, an average traveller visits about a dozen or two travelling websites prior to booking any
holiday package. The use of online tools and services has changed the way of the businesses being
carried out in the tourism industry (Oliveira and Panyik, 2015).
With the help of digital technology, some of the services such as third-party online travel review sites
such as TripAdvisor, Expedia etc, online booking services and real-time webcams and other
communication tools such as social media, chat services help the customers become well informed
along with better engagement (Kavoura and Stavrianea, 2014). These services help the tourism
companies to take advantage of digital technology to enhance their business and remain competitive.
The rise of digital technology resulted in severe disruption and improvement in the service provisions
of the travel agencies. The role of travel agencies and tour operators has become dominant in
providing tourism products and services using online travel agencies (Vogt, 2011). The economic
growth in the tourism field is the result of the emerging technology as it garners economic means for
travelling to consumers. The development and contribution in the means of transporting resulted in
significant development of low-cost carriers to travel and tourism industry. the tourism sector is
considered very complex as its products or services may be altered due to the external forces (Cohen,
et al. 2014). The evolution of information technologies resulted in changes in the marketing strategies
where major emphasis is given on the e-commerce or e-tourism.
Majority of the people are satisfied with the availability of the tourism services online which makes
them easier to select the tour package according to their convenience (Stiakakis and Georgiadis,
2011). There were affirmative of the availability of these services online by the tourism companies.
People tend to use the web portals and sites along with the review site to plan for their holiday travel
packages. these services are popular among all the age group as it makes them convenient to select
their customised holiday plans using the digital technology well in advance.
The performance of the tourism intermediaries has been deeply affected by the advancement of
technology (Tsiotsou and Ratten, 2010). The formation of online travel portals and review sites helps
in effectively organizing and distributing the tourism inventories to its potential customers. Digital
technology led to the advent of mobile technologies which affected the travel and tourism industry.
any individual can opt for their holiday packages by streaming the internet through their mobile
phones as well.
25

It is observed that because of improved information technology solutions, the travel plans and
strategies are revolutionised in the tourism industry. using information technology system sorted the
tourism companies to provide one-stop solution related to all tourism services (Buhalis, et al. 2011).
Different providers in the travel and tourism industry collaborate with each other on a single platform
regarding all travel related services providing one platform for the clients of all the age groups.
updated information technologies are to be embraced by the tourism company as a major focus of the
company is on providing excellent customer service.
The digital technology enabled the companies to stay connected and remain available to the customers
(Kim and Hardin, 2010). Tourism companies are using their online customer's services to interact
with the customers for resolving their specific queries through email, phone or in the comment section
of the social networks. More and more people are switching from the desktop version to mobile
version. It is estimated that an average individual checks their phones for more than 150 times a day.
People are spending their time by using social networks on mobile phones. Much more focus is to be
given on the mobile advertisement as compared to other mediums.
Use of digital technologies such as big data, cloud computing and cognitive computing made it easier
for the tourism companies to customise the offers and packages on the basis of consumer preferences.
It creates a customised consumer experience which will strike the customers by helping them to drive
business returns. the emergence of the digital technologies resulted in the transformation in the travel
companies in order to become competitive thereby responding to the demands of new customers. The
incorporation in digital technology is based on the differentiation, reputation and online presence for
being at a competitive position in the market.
Information and communication technology in tourism industry plays a very critical role in tourist
organization and destination along with the entire industry. the efficiency and effectiveness of the
tourism organization were radically changed through ICT (Schegg and Stangl, 2017). Developments
in search engines convey limit and speed of networks that impacted various travellers around the
world that uses innovations to plans and experience their travel. ICT need additionally transformed
radically the effectiveness and adequacy of tourism organisations, those manner that benefits of the
business are directed in the marketplace, and additionally how buyers cooperation with associations
those ICT determined benefits of the business techniques re-engineering, watched in the industry,
gradually generates another paradigm-shift (Thakran and Verma, 2013).
This alters the structure of the whole business develops an entire travel of chances also dangers for all
stakeholders. Technological advancement has fostered the changes in the travel as well as tourism
industry allowing them to interact with the customers (Buhalis, et al. 2011). Many companies are
adopting various technologies in order to improve operational efficiency in order to meet the
expectations of the people. It is also essential for the company to develop a balance between the
26

technological innovation and human element in order to improve the customer experiences along with
the investment in technology.
It is recommended to the tour company to focus on digital marketing in the tourism industry to
improve business in the tourism sector. The companies should provide major emphasis on the quality
content creations of the customer like potential guests or visitors in the form of video, picture, blog,
eBook or an article (Kim and Hardin, 2010). As it was observed that majority of people investigate
the information regarding the hotels or restaurants they are going to visit prior to making a decision
on the selection of travel destination. Another recommendation is to remain active on the social
networking sites by communicating with the customers to build better relationships (Buhalis, et al.
2011). Social media is an important platform where the company can put their promotional videos,
photos and ads that grab the attention of the consumers towards gathering more information.
It also recommended to tourism companies in the tourism industry to watch out for six technological
trends that are Augmented and Virtual Reality, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, Voice
Technology, Wearable Devices and Wi-Fi Connectivity (Cohen, et al. 2014). There is am a consistent
increment in popularity of AR or VR among travel and tourism companies that can be used in content
marketing or enhancing customers’ experience. For example, VR services can be used by hotels and
restaurant to show the visitors about their rooms and space in advance with an aim to increase
occupying rate.
Artificial intelligence that includes three categories such as Robots, machine learning, ChatBots or
TravelBots can be used by tourism companies speed up the processes thereby improving The
performance, quality and decreasing costs in travel and tourism sector (Vogt, 2011). IoT services can
be used by the tourism companies by providing them with a medium to track their belongings using
applications or web links. Another digital novelty disrupted in the travel and tourism business is voice
technology through which the customers switched from typed-in search to voice interactions (Cohen,
et al. 2014). Wi-Fi connectivity enables the tourists and visitors to stay connected with their friends,
relatives and peers via social media and other connectivity platforms.
Thus it can be said that the entire travel industry has changed due to the application of technology in
tourism including the vacation-planning process, actual vacation or post-vacation (Oliveira and
Panyik, 2015). It is clear that a maximum number of travels brands and tourism board uses technology
to enhance the travel experience starting from the point of booking till the completion of vacation
(Kavoura and Stavrianea, 2014). The vacationing experiences of the customers have been enhanced
with the integration of technology in tourism as it revolutionises the tourism industry along with the
development in the field. The role of technology becomes essential in hospitality and tourism industry
which can be beneficial in communication, reservation and guest service system allowing the business
to streamline the activities of the business from planning the holidays to completion of holiday trips
(Gretzel, et al. 2015).
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APPENDIX
QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Specify your gender.
a) Male
b) Female
2. What age group do you belong to?
a) 15-30 years
b) 30-45 years
c) 45-60 years
d) 60 years and above
3. Do you use online websites and social networking sites to plan your trips?
a) Yes
b) No
4. How often do you check online information and reviews about any tourist destination?
a) Everyday
b) Randomly
c) Rarely
d) Never
5. Which one of the following do you prefer to use to obtain information before planning your
holiday?
a) Online websites
b) Mass media
c) Travel agencies
d) Tourist magazines/ brochures
6. Which of the following search engines is preferred by you to gather information about
destinations on internet?
a) Google
b) Yahoo
c) Bing
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d) Others. Please specify
7. Do you agree that the use of digital technology alters the decision made by you while tourism
planning process?
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Uncertain
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree
8. Do you agree on the change in attitude towards the products and services according to the
reviews and feedback from others?
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Uncertain
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree
9. What are the levels of satisfaction regarding the use of digital technology in online booking
reservations and communication system while tourism planning process?
a) Strongly satisfied
b) Satisfied
c) Uncertain
d) Dissatisfied
e) Strongly dissatisfied
10. What is your level of satisfaction on implementing online information and payment system to
access information and make payment while planning for tour?
a) Strongly satisfied
b) Satisfied
c) Uncertain
d) Dissatisfied
e) Strongly dissatisfied
33