Célia M. Q. Ramos

The Importance of ICT for Tourism Demand: A Dynamic Panel Data Analysis

The complementary nature of tourism products requires information to be easily accessible from different places around the globe. Electronic distribution in tourism has facilitated the sharing, communication and booking of products and has contributed to the increase of tourism demand as well as to the emergence of a new type of traveller: one who seeks more experiences and sophistication in his travels. The Internet is of increasing importance as a result of the sharp growth in the number of online reservations observed over recent years. Hence, current tourism demand analysis cannot neglect electronic tourism, so that in addition to typically used determinants, variables that represent the impact of the technological environment on the tourism activity also need to be considered. In this paper, using dynamic panel data models evidence is found that the Internet has encouraged the increase of tourism demand and may in fact be one of its determinants.

Opportunities, Emerging Features, and Trends in Electronic Distribution in Tourism

Information and Communication Technologies ICT and Tourism development are interlinked. ICT provide the tools and promote tourism demand and supply, by facilitating the existence and development of tourism and in resolving the needs inherent to the tourism activity. Consequently, tourism increases ICT requirements, since technological developments facilitate the tasks of economic agents in this sector. ICT enables the tourism industry to become more flexible, because it allows for faster and more efficient responses to requests from customers, while reducing operating costs and enabling more competitive prices. In this article it is presented an overview over the opportunities, emerging features and trends that ICT brings from electronic distribution in tourism, this can help and support the decisions of the various actors in the value chain of this business as well as researchers in the tourism field. Namely, it focus on the opportunities granted to tourism distribution by electronic means, the particularities of electronic tourism and the description of the technologies and trends that the tourism organizations have to consider in order to ensure competitiveness. Finally, it is presented a study using 18 Western European countries showing empirically the importance of the ICT to the tourism activity, by focusing how the number of internet users positively affects tourism demand in those countries.

Information system for tourism activity monitoring and forecasting indicators as an experience for Portugal.

In view of presenting the development of an information system (IS) associated with a real world case and an economic sector, namely tourism, the present article is the result of the methodological development of the scientific research study known as IMPACTUR - Tourism Activity Monitoring and Forecasting Indicators. The system that is the object of the current article is directed at tourism as an emerging sector of the economy geared towards excellence in some regions, thus requiring proper tools that allow decision-makers to acquire all possible slight advantages that are so essential to being the best. The IS formulated for IMPACTUR is one of these tools, innovative in Portugal and abroad, providing statistical information online related to tourism. It should be pointed out that it stores updated and timely information that is processed and made available in an electronic format via a website to all tourism professionals and researchers.

Marketing Intelligence and Automation – An Approach Associated with Tourism in Order to Obtain Economic Benefits for a Region

Technologies have revolutionized the way campaigns are developed in the digital medium, and how customers search for information and buy products or services. At the same time, the development of technologies has led to an exponential growth of information, a proliferation of data sources, and the emergence of new tools to support the process of building campaigns targeted at customers. In this context, there is a challenge to surmise that technologies can be the solution to improve communication and information dissemination through the development of digital marketing platforms. The platforms automate campaigns, by using and accessing information stored in the tourism and hospitality organizations’ Data Warehouse, to perform data analysis that include data mining techniques, bringing this way economic benefits for these organizations. The present article proposes a methodological framework for the development of a Marketing Intelligence Automation system, with the objective to facilitate the management of an integrated marketing strategy for online channels of hospitality and tourism organizations.