Impact of Mobile Technology on Customer Satisfaction in the Tourism Industry

RESEARCH PROJECT
An analysis on impact of mobile technology in boosting customer satisfaction in
tourism industry

Table of Contents
Task 1-RESEARCH PROPOSAL.........................................................................................................2
1.1 AND 1.4 RESEARCH FORMULATION AND SPECIFICATION....................................................2
RESEARCH TITLE.........................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................2
RESEARCH PROBLEM................................................................................................................. 3
RESEARCH QUESTIONS.............................................................................................................. 3
HYPOTHESIS............................................................................................................................... 3
AIM............................................................................................................................................ 4
OBJECTIVES................................................................................................................................ 4
1.2 RATIONALE FOR THE RESEARCH.......................................................................................... 4
1.3 LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................................................5
1.4 METHODOLOGY FOR DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS.....................................................7
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS........................................................................................................8
LIMITATIONS OF THE PRIMARY RESEARCH................................................................................9
RESEARCH DESIGN..................................................................................................................... 9
1.5 ACTION PLAN..................................................................................................................... 10
GANTT CHART.......................................................................................................................... 10
STRATEGY................................................................................................................................ 11
TASK 2- WRITTEN REPORT........................................................................................................... 12
2.1 IMPLEMENTATION.............................................................................................................12
2.2 DATA COLLECTION............................................................................................................. 13
2.3 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION.............................................................................14
1

TASK 3.......................................................................................................................................... 24
3.1 EVALUATION OF THE OUTCOME........................................................................................24
3.2 FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS.................................................................................................25
APPLICATION OF THE RESEARCH............................................................................................. 25
LIMITATION OF THE RESEARCH............................................................................................... 25
RECOMMENDATION OF THE RESEARCH..................................................................................25
FUTURE RESEARCH AREAS.......................................................................................................26
TASK 4.......................................................................................................................................... 27
4.1 POSTER PRESENTATION.....................................................................................................27
REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................28
APPENDIX.....................................................................................................................................31
QUESTIONNAIRE...................................................................................................................... 31
2

Task 1-RESEARCH PROPOSAL
1.1 AND 1.4 RESEARCH FORMULATION AND SPECIFICATION
RESEARCH TITLE
"An analysis on the impact of mobile technology in boosting customer satisfaction in tourism
industry"
INTRODUCTION
It is observed that technology has changed and reshaped the day today's life since its
introduction. Due to the emergence of technology, significant changes have been observed in
travel and tourism industry as well (Emmanouilidis, et al. 2013). The role played by technology
resulted in economic growth thereby garnering the economic means to travel for consumers.
One of the significant contributions of technology in the field of travel plus tourism is the
development plus the contribution of air travel. New technologies have been applied in travel
and tourism industry in developing low-cost carriers.
Due to the development in e-commerce, the travel and tourism industry is further impacted by
the introduction and application of mobile technologies (Charitonos, et al. 2012). Mobile
phones are used by the customers to access the internet in order to view and select the
preferred option among the various tourism options. The emergence of new as well as high
tech mobiles in mobile technology has stirred the revolution in the tourism industry. Mobiles
and smartphones act as a single point of contact that can be used by the customer or
consumers to reserve airline tickets, hotel rooms and car rentals.
The expectation of the visitors and tourists is trending in not only to visit the places but also
experience them which are supported by the mobile technology. Mobile technology helps the
customers to connect with the destinations as well as attractions, who seek to engage for
authentic as well as truly memorable tourism experience (Tsai, 2010). Mobile devices act as
concierge, companion or guide to travellers and rely on them at different stages of their
journey. Tourists use different devices such as smartphones, tablets, I pad and so on that it
3

provides them with the flexibility, freedom and different options to explore various
destinations.
Mobile devices are user-friendly and portable so it is preferred by the people to make their own
travel arrangements. The mobile technology has benefitted tourism-based companies and also
improved the travel experience of the users. Mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, Android
and other such devices offers a convenient solution to fulfil the needs of the travellers for
accessing information anytime and anywhere (Rose, et al. 2011). The mobile applications are
used by the travellers on their mobile devices to book online tickets, access the details of
destinations, locate the food outlets and local attractive places, read the reviews and feedback
of other travellers, share photos and so on.
RESEARCH PROBLEM
The problem of the study is to ascertain the impact of mobile technology in boosting customer
satisfaction in the tourism industry.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What is the level of usage of mobile technology in the travel as well as tourism industry?
2. What is the level of impact of mobile technology on customer satisfaction in the tourism
industry?
3. What is the attitude of travellers and visitors towards the usage of mobile technology in
different stages of the journey?
4. How does the mobile technology increase the customer satisfaction among the
travellers and visitors?
HYPOTHESIS
1. The technology experiences of the travellers indicate the usefulness of mobile devices
being used for travel.
2. There is a noteworthy correlation between the increased customer experiences and use
of mobile technology.
4

3. The level of satisfaction of the customers depends on the usage of mobile technology in
accessing the information about the trends in the tourism industry.
4. The use of mobile technology results in flexibility in the taking decisions by travellers
and tourists during the trip.
AIM
The research aims to ascertain the impact of mobile technology in boosting customer
satisfaction in the tourism industry.
OBJECTIVES
Research objectives are:
1. To find the level of usage of mobile technology in the travel as well as tourism industry
2. To ascertain the extent of the impact of mobile technology on customer satisfaction in
the tourism industry.
3. To analyse the attitude and perceptions of the travellers and visitors in using mobile
technology in different stages of the journey.
4. To ascertain the significance of mobile technology in increasing the customer
satisfaction level among the travellers and tourists.
1.2 RATIONALE FOR THE RESEARCH
It is essential to comprehend the impact of mobile technology on the consumer satisfaction in
the travel tourism industry. The emergence of technology has given the tourism industry to
distribute its products and services using mobile technology. It also helps the tour operating
organizations to understand the perception and preferences of the customers in the tourism
industry (Rose, et al. 2011). Mobile devices are used by the travellers to not only search or book
the trips through mobile but also capture the entire detail of each tour package. Smartphones
and mobile devices are used by the travellers and tourists in travel processes such as from
initial research and inspiration to purchase as well as booking for the holiday or trip.
5

1.3 LITERATURE REVIEW
One of the important tools for travellers as it enables them to navigate the uncertain world is
mobile system (Wang, et al. 2014). A study was carried out to develop an insight on the use of a
smartphone for travel. It was found that the cognitive beliefs, everyday usage, previous
experiences and complex interactions between relative factors have shaped the usages of
smartphone for travelling. The tourist experience is transformed substantially due to enormous
potential in the usage of smartphones. This study acts as a framework by providing a basic
foundation for understanding the influence of mobile systems on the experiences of tourists.
In support of this, Wang, et al (2012) stated that the evolution of mobile phones to be
smartphones support in accessing a wide range of information services at any time and
anyplace. The tourist experiences are significantly impacted by the use of smartphones as large
number of people is using mobile devices. This study explores the understanding on the stories
provided by the travellers regarding the usage of smartphone for travelling purpose. It was
revealed that the behaviour, as well as emotional states of the tourists, can be altered through
the smartphone by addressing the different variety of needs of information. It also revealed
that different aspects of tourism business can be changed by using smartphones (Wang, et al.
2012).
According to Lamsfus, et al (2015), due to increasing use of mobile technologies, there is
increasing dynamic as well as social connectedness in the travel behaviour. This study signifies
the importance of the technology supported mobile environment in today's world in travel and
tourism industry. It was revealed that mobile technology environment has a substantial impact
on the travel behaviour in travel and tourism business. It also described that recent
technological development in a context-aware system aimed to define the notion related to the
mobile technology in the tourism business.
In addition to this, Wang and Fesenmaier, (2013) carried out the study to understand the use of
smartphones along with their impact on the travelling experiences. It was indicated that the
travelling experience is significantly transformed with the use of smartphones thereby changing
the travel planning, reconfiguring the relationships between places and tourists and also
6

developing or destructing the sense of tourism. It was found that mobile technology has
reconceptualised the travelling experiences and implicate mobile marketing and destination
marketing.
As the smartphone is based on the advanced computing capabilities as well as ubiquity, it is
been rapidly adopted as a tool for travel and tourism. Transport network and tourism travel are
altered fundamentally due to a smartphone as there is an increase in a number of users as well
as the emergence of a wide variety of applications on a smartphone (Dickinson, et al. 2014). It
was found that role played by the smartphone in the dynamic travel decisions is to facilitate
sustainable travel and also mediated tourism travel.
Mobile devices comprise of a recommender system that is been used by the tourists to reduce
the information overload and offer travel recommendations. This helps in enriching the tourist
experiences (Gavalas, et al. 2014). New developments in wireless networking, social
networking, mobile computing and web technologies deliver massive opportunities to provide
effective tourist recommendations as per the different contextual parameters such as personal
preferences, social and environmental and personal factors and so on.
In support of this, Lamsfus, et al (2013) mentioned the context in travel as well as tourism that
bridges the gap between the specific need and fulfilling the necessary information. It is very
important for the mobile technologies such as smartphones and other devices that become
popular to support the decision making on the travelling. It was argued that the travel
experiences can be altered along with the travel behaviour with the use of mobile computing. It
offers context-awareness computing such as location-based services in travel and tourism.
According to Peres, et al (2011) a study was piloted to understand the acceptance level of the
tourists of the innovative information technologies that influence the use of mobile electronics
tourist guides. Technology acceptance model of Davis is used to examine the acceptance level
of tourist of mobile electronics tourist guides. It was found that the behavioural intentions of
the tourist can be raised towards using mobile electronic tourist guides thereby ensuring the
higher perception level for usefulness. It was also found that there is a correlation between
knowledge and behavioural intentions and suggests one condition that is a high level of
knowledge regarding high usage of mobile electronics tourist guides.
7