Impact of ICT on Tourism

Running head: IMPACT OF ICT ON TOURISM
IMPACT OF ICT ON TOURISM
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Author Note

IMPACT OF ICT ON TOURISM
The evolving relation between communication and information technology and
tourism in current times has brought about a great deal of change in the tourism industry. The
introduction of new technologies in the market have changed the whole process of the
services provided in the tourism sector, its management and marketing and its development
as well. Information and Communication Technologies also known as ICTs have the major
part in the efficiency and the effectiveness of the tourism industry (Law,
Buhalis&Cobanoglu, 2014). Therefore, there are many changes that have been brought about
in the tourism business due to the innovative developments in the information and
communication technologies. Information and communication technologies have introduced
several new technologies onto the market such as wireless internet, various applications for
the smartphones and others which have made the lives of people easier and hence also helped
in the progressing of the tourism business (Leung et al., 2013). With the evolvement in
different technologies along with television, digital radios and cameras, the market is
becoming a competitive place to be. Hence, it is important that proper measure is taken by
tourism industries to keep their position intact in the competitive market and to bring about
changes in its operations and make it more user-friendly and easy to function. In this context,
the purpose of this essay is to identify the importance of information and telecommunication
technologies on tourism in developing countries.
The thesis statement is: Information and communication technologies have a great
impact on the tourism industry of developing countries.
ICTs have altered the tourism industry and have developed many threats and
opportunities for the industry in the process. ICTs are a powerful tool which if used properly
can bring many advantages for the tourism industry in developing countries and can promote
and strengthen the operations and the strategies of the tourism industry. It can be derived that
countries which do not have proper information and communication technologies would not

IMPACT OF ICT ON TOURISM
be able to get a proper foothold in the competitive market and not able to match the growth
that the tourism sector will get in the future (Bethapudi, 2013). This is because information
and communication technologies are slowly becoming dominant in the recent times in
societies which are also becoming technology and information driven with time.Information
and communication technologies have helped to reshape the tourism industry and provide
various opportunities for different sub sectors of the industry like accommodation, travel
agencies, restaurants and tour operators in a global aspect (Aramendia-Muneta&Ollo-Lopez,
2013). The proper functioning and operation of these subsectors is mandatory for a whole
industry to operate and flourish properly.
One of the major contributions of information and communication technology to the
tourism industry in the developing countries have the improvement of productivity in the
market, the market share, performance of the business, improvement in the competitive
advantage and the reduction of operation costs (Xiang &Tussyadiah, 2014).Tourism has been
one of the major earners for foreign exchange and a strong earning industry for various
countries across the world. This industry is one such which connects and links other
industries of the economy. Tourism is a very powerful carriage which can be used for the
advancement and the development of the socio-economic aspect of a country, and this make
business to engage more people in this industry and create more scope for employment.The
changes that have been brought about by the information and communication technologies
have made a drastic change in how the tourism and the hospitality sectors have produced,
marketed and delivered their products into the market (Mihalic&Buhalis, 2013). These
changes have helped in the proper functioning of the industry and in making it more
competitive and strategic in its operational activities.
On the other hand, the continuous disputes that have occurred between the innovative
technologies and the tourism industry have made it important for some crucial changes to be