Influence of Technology in Travel & Tourism: A Case Study on Customer Decision-Making

This research project investigates the impact of technology on the travel and tourism sector, focusing on how it influences customer decision-making processes. The study will analyze the role of technology in shaping consumer behavior, identifying key technologies that benefit tourists, and assessing the impact of the internet and mobile communication on the tourism industry. Through a questionnaire survey of 50 customers, the research aims to understand how technological advancements affect travel choices and explore the potential of technology for improving tourism experiences.

RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Topic – Influence of technology in the travel and tourism

CONTENTS
TASK 1 RESEARCH PROPOSAL..........................................................................................................2
1.1 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................2
Aims and Objectives.................................................................................................................2
1.2 RATIONALE FOR SELECTION...................................................................................................3
Research Questions..................................................................................................................3
1.3 LITERATURE REVIEW..............................................................................................................3
Theoretical Framework............................................................................................................5
1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES.................................................................................................6
Sampling and Data Collection..................................................................................................6
1.5 GANTT CHART........................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION...................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES.....................................................................................................................................8

TASK 1 RESEARCH PROPOSAL
TITLE – A CASE STUDY ON THE INFLUENCE OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM
SECTOR AND HOW TECHNOLOGY INFLUENCES THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS OF
CUSTOMERS IN THIS SECTOR
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Travel and Tourism sector is known to be one of the most lucrative industries in the world.
Technology plays an important role in the tourism business across the globe. Technology is
benefiting the tourists from around the world through communication technologies,
reservations and guest service systems. In this assignment, the influence of technology in the
travel and tourism sector will be analyzed and explained in the form of a research project. The
research project would include all elements of research such as research formulation, research
process or literature review, research project proposal, data collection and evaluation
techniques and outcomes (Saunders and Lewis, 2012). A questionnaire will be designed based
on the impact of technology in the tourism sector in which some customers or tourists will be
asked certain questions based on technology impact on tourism sector thereby interpreting and
analyzing respondents data for achieving the aims and objectives of the project.
Aims and Objectives
The main aim of this project is to critically analyze the influence of technology on the travel and
tourism sector. The objectives of this report are summarized below.
 The prime objective of this report is to analyze the influence of technology on consumer
decision-making process
 The Influence of technology on the buying behaviour of tourists in the tourism sector
 Determining essential technologies that can benefit the tourists in the tourism sector
 Assessing and Analyzing the role of the Internet for the tourists in the tourism business
 Impact of mobile communication technologies for the tourists in the tourism sector

1.2 RATIONALE FOR SELECTION
Technology is playing a vital role in the tourism sector hence it is necessary to conduct a
research as to how it is influencing the customers or tourists from around the globe. It is
essential to find the influence of technology in the tourism business for the customers and
identify the scope of technology for improving the infrastructure facilities for the tourists in the
future (Fotaki, et al. 2013). It is seen that with the advent of modern computing technologies
and mobile communication technologies consumers’ perception and purchase decision has
changed over the year’s tourism products and services. The change in the behaviour of the
tourists is a critical concern for the tour operator companies and other businesses like the
hospitality industry to analyze the factors that drive change for the tourist due to these modern
technologies. The research topic selected is apt for the project as it would help in achieving the
aims and objectives of the project thereby meeting the stakeholder’s or client’s demands.
Research Questions
Q1 How technological advancements are affecting the consumer’s decision-making process in
the travel and tourism sector?
Q2 What type of technological tools are being used by the tourist in the truism sector?
Q3 What type of technologies should the tour operator company’s need to incorporate in the
business for getting the attention of the tourist from across the globe?
1.3 LITERATURE REVIEW
As per (Cohen, et al. 2014) technology is playing an important role in the garnering the
economic means for the consumers for travel. The consumer behaviour is one of the most
researched areas in the tourism sector and technology is the driving force for this changing
behaviour. The consumer behaviour is based on various factors such as trust and it plays a key
role or as an antecedent of customer loyalty in online shopping for tourism products and
services.
Xiang, et al. 2015 in their research stated that firm’s strength is determined by understanding
and capitalizing on the consumer behaviour trends. The online travel agencies are continuing to

play a dominant position in the tourism business with the effective use of internet and modern
technologies. Internet and its related technologies are being used to facilitate the customers.
The tour operator companies are marketing its tour packages using the social media platforms
like Facebook, Twitter etc. which also helps in reaching out to larger audiences.
Standing, et al. 2014 in their report stated that internet is playing a crucial role in the tourism
business for both service providers and the consumers. The use of the internet is widespread
and customers use digital platforms for information research, website analysis etc. The service
providers need to analyze the importance of digital platforms and must incorporate in the
business for facilitating the customers better.
(Garín and Pérez, 2011) in their report stated that the importance of the internet in the tourism
sector has increased over the years. Use of internet and technological tools is becoming more
and more important for understanding how travellers behave and are essentially important for
the suppliers and the tourism authorities in order to form specific strategies for exploiting the
full potential of technologies for gaining competitive advantage in the tourism business.
Kim, et al. 2011 in their report stated that Korea is ranked number one in the use internet
where 80.6% of its population is making use of the internet for online shopping. Even many
tourism companies have started using the internet sites as a key marketing and sales technique
for its products and services. They believe in order to be successful the service providers need
to heavily rely on e-commerce services which would help them serve customers in a more
effective and efficient manner.
As per the research conducted by (Moutinho and Vargas-Sanchez, 2018) in their research report
stated that technologies are the prime factors hoe businesses operate in the tourism sector.
With the advent of new technologies, businesses change their operating process. New and
upcoming technologies have changed the way of the tourism business across the globe. The
delivery of quality customer service has improved with the advent of new technologies in the
tourism business. Even for the service providers technologies have become a boon as there is
effective and fast communication between the members of the staff, effective management and
maintenance etc. which have improved the operational activities of the service providers.

(Buhalis and Jun 2011) in their report stated that technology has helped everyone in improving
their day to day activities in life and if we talk about the tourism business technologies have
changed the lives in every field for example transport, aeroplanes for reaching out to places
where one could barely think of in the past. Even the computer, mobile etc. have changed the
lifestyle of the consumers in the tourism sector as they work, buy, sell and do most of their
activities with the help of technological tools. Technologies have become a boon for everyone
lives especially for the service providers and consumers in the tourism business. It has impacted
the tourism business in a tremendous way and the growth of mobile technology like apps is
helping consumers a lot for meeting their tourism demands. Even the development of the E-
commerce sector has impacted the tourism business as tourists have a variety of options to
choose from a variety of services offered by the service provider companies.
(Sigala et al. 2012) in their report stated that the introduction of e-commerce technologies have
impacted the tourism business and have majorly impacted both consumers and the industry
behaviours in the areas of tourism business. Now the consumers have more options for
vacations and budget planning. It is reported that approximately 95% of the people or web
users are searching on the internet for gathering travel related information. The internet
technology gadgets like GPS’s, mobile phones, smartphones and other handheld devices have
proved to improve the travel experiences for the tourists. The tourists are able to access
information regarding the hotel room services, booking services, destinations, and attractions
etc. for their tourism need with the help of these technology tools. There are many businesses
which have developed websites for the customers thereby offering them booking and payment
services over the internet as an added consumer service. The businesses have started to use
technological tools in order gain a competitive advantage in the business thereby getting a step
ahead of its competitors.
Theoretical Framework
The theoretical study revolves around the title of the project report which is the influence of
technology on the tourism sector. The data collected from literature review clearly relates to
the aims and objectives devised for the project.

1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES
The research methods used for project report are based on analyzing the qualitative and
quantitative data. The qualitative research is also known as primary research and will help in
gaining an understanding of the underlying reasons, opinions and motivations for the research
topic under study (Neuman, 2013). The primary research or qualitative data will help in
providing an insight into the problem or develop ideas for the potential quantitative research.
Qualitative research will help in getting deep down into the problem which would help in
deriving optimum results for the problem. In this report, the method for qualitative research
technique would be questionnaire survey or interviews in order to achieve the results for the
aims and objectives set at the initial stages of the project.
Another technique used is the Quantitative research technique in which numerical data is
collected from various sources and transformed into statistical data. The quantitative technique
used helps in generalizing results for the larger audiences and this method is more structured in
comparison to qualitative technique (Neuman, 2013). The quantitative data for this report is
collected from government’s websites, newspapers, magazines, annual reports and online data.
Sampling and Data Collection
The sampling technique used for this project is based on collecting the feedback from 50
customers who use the products and services of the tourism sector. In total there are 10
questions being asked from the customers that focus on the influence of technology in the
tourism sector for the consumers (Palinkas, et al. 2015). For better understanding and clarity
the questionnaire will be designed in the English language so that it can be understood by all
the members who participate in the survey. The questions would include the age of the
participants, their occupation, income, their opinion and views regarding the tourism services
etc. The feedback collected from the respondents would be interpreted in a tabular format for
deriving results for the objectives set at the initial level of the project.
1.5 GANTT CHART

A Gantt chart is prepared which would list all the things that need to be done in the project. The
Gantt chart will boil down multiple tasks and timelines into a single document which would be
helpful in determining the time required for the completion of each project activity (Behera, et
al. 2011). The Gantt chart shown below describes all the events from the first week till the last
week. In the first week of the project the aims and objectives of the project will be designed, in
the second week the rationale for project selection will be determined, then in the third week
research questions for the project will be designed for the survey, in the fourth week literature
survey would be done followed by determining the research methodologies for the project. In
the 6th-week data sampling technique will be used and then in the seventh week the sampling
data collected would be put under analysis and later conclusions will be derived for the project
and in the last stage, continuous monitoring and evaluation of the project will be done as an
ongoing activity.
Duration (in weeks)
Task
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Aims and Objectives
Rationale for Selection
Research Questions
Literature Review
Research
Methodologies
Sampling and data
collection
Analysing data
collected from various
sources

Deriving Conclusion
and
Recommendations
Monitoring and
Evaluation
CONCLUSION
The research done is as per the proposed project plan and data collected from questionnaire
sessions would be kept confidential and will be used ethically. The personal data of employees
in the survey would be handled carefully by authorized persons only and will be evaluated by
the project managers.

REFERENCES
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Concepts, influences and opportunities. Current Issues in Tourism, 17(10), pp.872-
909.
4. Fotaki, N., Brown, W., Kochling, J., Chokshi, H., Miao, H., Tang, K. and Gray, V., 2013.
Rationale for selection of dissolution media: three case studies. Dissolution Technol,
20(3), pp.6-13.
5. Garín-Muñoz, T. and Pérez-Amaral, T., 2011. Internet usage for travel and tourism:
the case of Spain. Tourism Economics, 17(5), pp.1071-1085.
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commerce: Shopping online for tourism products and services in South Korea.
Tourism Management, 32(2), pp.256-265.
7. Moutinho, L. and Vargas-Sanchez, A. eds., 2018. Strategic Management in Tourism,
CABI Tourism Texts. Cabi.
8. Neuman, W.L., 2013. Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative
approaches. Pearson education.
9. Palinkas, L.A., Horwitz, S.M., Green, C.A., Wisdom, J.P., Duan, N. and Hoagwood, K.,
2015. Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed
method implementation research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and
Mental Health Services Research, 42(5), pp.533-544.
10. Saunders, M.N. and Lewis, P., 2012. Doing research in business & management: An
essential guide to planning your project. Pearson.
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hospitality: Theory, practice and cases. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd..

12. Standing, C., Tang-Taye, J.P. and Boyer, M., 2014. The impact of the Internet in travel
and tourism: A research review 2001–2010. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing,
31(1), pp.82-113.
13. Xiang, Z., Magnini, V.P. and Fesenmaier, D.R., 2015. Information technology and
consumer behavior in travel and tourism: Insights from travel planning using the
internet. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 22, pp.244-249.