The Internet is an ideal medium for travel and tourism and its use has continued to grow at a dramatic rate (some forecasts have suggested that travel and tourism's share of e-commerce could rise to 50 per cent in the next few years). This book offers guidance to both destination management organisations (DMOs) and tourism businesses on how best to use e-commerce. The first part analyses market trends and explains the concepts of e-business and customer relationship management. The second part focuses on the DMOs, and how they can respond to the changing value chains and how they can provide websites for consumers, intermediaries, travel media and tourism businesses. The last part is concerned with e-business for tourism suppliers, particularly small and medium sized enterprises.

The travel professional who wants to stay on the cutting edge will find this to be a great resource. Employing the concepts, ideas and technologies discussed in this book will dramatically improve customer service and marketing in this age of technology. Through the practical use of examples and case studies, the author provides an extensive review of the Internet as an agent of change in hospitality and tourism information technology and commerce. "E-Commerce and Information Technology in Hospitality and Tourism" contains essential information about business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-commerce models, and about marketing schemes and strategies used by various sectors of the industry. A discussion of e-commerce answers questions about reliability, privacy and security as they relate to Internet transactions. Travel professionals will benefit from a detailed review of the Internet’s impact on various sectors of the industry including travel agencies, airlines, hotels, cruise lines, bed and breakfasts, online travel stores and more. The author rounds out the book with a glossary of terms, chapter highlights and leads to valuable resources available on related Web sites, as well as a discussion of the future use of technology in the industry.

The use of ICT applications has dipped into almost every aspect of the business sector, including trade. With the volume of e-commerce increasing, international traders must switch their rules and practices to e-trade to survive in such a competitive market. However, the complexity of international trade, which covers customs processes, different legislation, specific documentation requirements, different languages, different currencies, and different payment systems and risk, presents its own challenges in this transition. Tools and Techniques for Implementing International E-Trading Tactics for Competitive Advantage examines the multidisciplinary approach of international e-trade as it applies to information technology, digital marketing, digital communication, online reputation management, and different legislation and risks. The content within this publication examines digital advertising, consumer behavior, and e-commerce and is designed for international traders, entrepreneurs, business professionals, researchers, academicians, and students.

Responding to the dual pressures of globalization and economic downturn, communities across the world formerly driven by agriculture and industry are increasingly turning toward tourism as an economic mainstay. In order for industry leaders to compete with the efforts of competitors and savvy marketers, new business models must be defined which allow for the incorporation of e-tourism tools and expansion into the global marketplace. New Business Opportunities in the Growing E-Tourism Industry offers case studies and research that highlights the impact of globalization on travel and tourism and offers solutions to potential problems. Targeting an audience of researchers and business professionals, this volume brings together a diverse international body of scholars and researchers to provide a holistic perspective of future developments in the e-tourism industry. This volume compiles the research and perspectives of researchers and industry professionals, uniting a variety of topics including medical tourism, traffic-management, route-planning, virtual museums, digital spot-hunting via film-mosaic, and tourism for the elderly and disabled.

Tourism marketing has long been considered as a branch of traditional marketing. However, in recent years, tourism marketing has gone through fundamental changes: the pursuit of global strategies based on strategic alliances, the breakdown of commercial borders and advances in new technology have all facilitated the commercialisation of tourism products. This book sets out to examine the changes shaping the international marketing of tourism and travel. The book begins in defining the role of international marketing in tourism and describes the strategic marketing process, from analysis and strategy formulation to implementation techniques. It provides the marketing theory for the rest of the text. Part two focuses on specific issues that are currently influencing tourism marketing. As such, it explains how technology is affecting the way tourism firms operate, the impact and influence of environmental awareness, human resource strategy and service quality on tourism marketing. Finally, it presents the strategic responses of each of the sub-sectors - hospitality, air transport, tour operation, travel agency and the tourism destination - to the pressures of the changing tourism industry. The International Marketing of Travel and Tourism is aimed at final year undergraduate and postgraduate students of tourism providing a strategic approach to marketing within this growing sector.

This handbook provides an authoritative and truly comprehensive overview both of the diverse applications of information and communication technologies (ICTs) within the travel and tourism industry and of e-tourism as a field of scientific inquiry that has grown and matured beyond recognition. Leading experts from around the world describe cutting-edge ideas and developments, present key concepts and theories, and discuss the full range of research methods. The coverage accordingly encompasses everything from big data and analytics to psychology, user behavior, online marketing, supply chain and operations management, smart business networks, policy and regulatory issues – and much, much more. The goal is to provide an outstanding reference that summarizes and synthesizes current knowledge and establishes the theoretical and methodological foundations for further study of the role of ICTs in travel and tourism. The handbook will meet the needs of researchers and students in various disciplines as well as industry professionals. As with all volumes in Springer’s Major Reference Works program, readers will benefit from access to a continually updated online version.

Make the most of your online business resources The growing acceptance and use of the Internet as an increasingly valuable travel tool has tourism and hospitality businesses taking a critical look at their business-to-customer online environments while pondering such questions as, “How do I get people to visit my Web site?” “Is my Web site attracting the ’right’ kind of e-consumers?” and “How do I turn browsers into buyers?” The Handbook of Consumer Behavior, Tourism, and the Internet analyzes the latest strategies involving Internet business applications that will help you attract—and keep—online travel customers. Researchers from the United States, Europe, and Asia present the latest findings you need to make the right decisions regarding long-term e-commerce development and planning. The Handbook of Consumer Behavior, Tourism, and the Internet examines vital issues affecting the travel and tourism industry from an online perspective. This book analyzes the latest theory and research on general online buyer characteristics, the differences between online and offline consumer behavior, the differences between broadband and narrowband users, the online search process, quality and perception of lodging brands, and Web site design, maintenance, and development. Each section of the book includes a model/diagram that serves as an overview of the topic, followed by a thorough discussion on the topic from several sources. Each section ends with commentary on the areas where future research is needed. The book’s contributors use a variety of research methodologies ranging from qualitative data analyses using artificial neutral network analysis, to experimental design, non-parametric statistical tests, and structural equation modeling. Topics examined in the Handbook of Consumer Behavior, Tourism, and the Internet include: the need for businesses to use internal examinations to determine and meet online consumer needs the emerging field of e-complaint behavior—consumers taking to the Web to voice complaints about travel services how to use e-tools to measure guest satisfaction how to measure consumer reaction to Web-based technology the Internet’s impact on decision making for travel products and how to use e-mail marketing, electronic customer relationship management (eCRM), Web positioning, and search engine placement The Handbook of Consumer Behavior, Tourism, and the Internet is equally valuable as a classroom resource or professional reference, providing up-to-date material on Internet applications and their impact on consumers and e-commerce.

How can the Internet and world wide web improve my long-term competitive advantage? This book helps answer this question by providing a better understanding of the technologies, their potential applications and the ways they can be used to add value for customers, support new strategies, and improve existing operations. It is not just about e-commerce but the broader theme of e-business which affects products, business processes, strategies, and relationships with customers, suppliers, distributors and competitors. To cover future trends, the editors have collected papers from authors operating at the frontiers of the developments so the reader can more appreciate the directions in which these technologies are heading. The resulting 165 essays have been collated into ten sections, which have been grouped in three parts: key issues, applications areas and applications, tools and technologies. A business rarely makes radical changes but is constantly making adjustments to circumstances. Businesses must now adapt to the global implications of the Internet and world wide web. This book hopes to aid awareness of the implications so that the changes are managed wisely.

Business-to-consumer (B2C) and consumer-to-consumer (C2C) e-commerce transactions, including social commerce, are rapidly expanding, although e-commerce is still small when compared to traditional business transactions. As the familiarity of making purchases using smart devices continues to expand, many global and regional investors hope to target the ASEAN region to tap into the rising digital market in this region. The Handbook of Research on Innovation and Development of E-Commerce and E-Business in ASEAN is an essential reference source that discusses economics, marketing strategies, and mobile payment systems, as well as digital marketplaces, communication technologies, and social technologies utilized for business purposes. Featuring research on topics such as business culture, mobile technology, and consumer satisfaction, this book is ideally designed for policymakers, financial managers, business professionals, academicians, students, and researchers.