Dimitrios Buhalis

Marketing the competitive destination of the future

Destination marketing is increasingly becoming extremely competitive worldwide. This paper explains the destination concept and attempts to synthesise several models for strategic marketing and management of destinations. It provides an overview of several techniques widely used and illustrates examples from around the world. The paper also explains that marketing of destinations should balance the strategic objectives of all stakeholders as well the sustainability of local resources. Destinations need to differentiate their products and develop partnerships between the public and private sector locally in order to co-ordinate delivery. Taking advantage of new technologies and the Internet also enables destinations to enhance their competitiveness by increasing their visibility, reducing costs and enhancing local co-operation. Destination marketing must lead to the optimisation of tourism impacts and the achievement of the strategic objectives for all stakeholders.

Strategic use of information technologies in the tourism industry

Abstract Information technologies (ITs) prevail in all functions of strategic and operational management. As information is the lifeblood of tourism, ITs provide both opportunities and challenges for the industry. Despite the uncertainty experienced in the development of ITs in tourism, the ‘only constant will be change’. Increasingly, organizations and destinations, which need to compete will be forced to compute. Unless the current tourism industry improves its competitiveness, by utilizing the emerging ITs and innovative management methods, there is a danger for exogenous players to enter the marketplace, jeopardizing the position of the existing ones. Only creative and innovative suppliers will be able to survive the competition in the new millennium. This paper provides a framework for the utilization of technology in tourism by adopting a strategic perspective. A continuous business process re-engineering is proposed in order to ensure that a wide range of prerequisites such as vision, rational organization, commitment and training are in place, so they can enable destinations and principals to capitalize on the unprecedented opportunities emerging through ITs.

The future eTourism intermediaries

Abstract Hitherto, the travel distribution role has been performed by traditional outgoing travel agents , tour operators and incoming travel agencies. They were supported by computer reservation systems, global distribution systems (GDSs) or tour operators’ videotext systems (or leisure travel networks). These traditional electronic tourism intermediaries (eMediaries), particularly GDSs, progressively consolidated their position. The Internet created the conditions for the emergence of new eMediaries, based on three ePlatforms, namely the Internet, interactive digital television and mobile devices. New eMediaries include a wide range of organisations including suppliers (e.g. airlines, hotels etc) selling direct on the Internet by allowing users to directly access their reservation systems; web-based travel agents; Internet portals and vortals, and auction sites. The expected proliferation of Digital TV and mCommerce will gradually intensify competition further. As a result, traditional eMediaries must reengineer their business processes in order to survive and remain competitive. This exploratory research identifies experts’ opinions on the future of both new and traditional eMediaries as well as the evolution of their business models.

Social media as a destination marketing tool: its use by national tourism organisations

Social media are gaining prominence as an element of destination marketing organisation (DMO) marketing strategy at a time when public sector cuts in their funding are requiring them to seek greater value in the way marketing budgets are spent. Social media offers DMOs with a tool to reach a global audience with limited resources. The aim of this study is to explore the usage of social media among the DMOs of the top 10 most visited countries by international tourists. The study uses content analysis and semi-structured interviews to examine the usage and impact of social media marketing strategies and identifies a framework of best practice for other national tourism organizations (NTOs) to learn from. The study argues that social media usage among top DMOs is still largely experimental and that strategies vary significantly.

eAirlines: strategic and tactical use of ICTs in the airline industry

Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have revolutionised the entire business world. The airline industry in particular has fostered a dependency on technology for their operational and strategic management. Airlines were early adopters of ICTs and have a long history of technological innovation, in comparison to many other travel and tourism businesses. This paper discusses comprehensive research, including exploratory research with airline executives, using qualitative methods to examine the use of ICTs in the contemporary airline industry and to discuss recent developments in the industry. The work demonstrated that the airline industry was using the Internet to improve its distribution strategy and reduce costs; it also used Intranets and internal systems to develop tactical and strategic management. In addition, Extranets were being gradually used for communicating with partners and to support business-to-business (B2B) relationships. The effort demonstrated that ICTs will be critical for the strategic and operational management of airlines and will directly affect the future competitiveness of airlines.

Information Communication Technology Revolutionizing Tourism

This paper identifies a number of key changes in Information Communication Technologies (ICT) that gradually revolutionize the tourism industry. E-tourism and the Internet in particular support the interactivity between tourism enterprises and consumers and as a result they re-engineer the entire process of developing, managing and marketing tourism products and destinations. All stakeholders related to tourism and hospitality, therefore, gradually see their role being changed and new opportunities and challenges emerging. The paper demonstrates that future of e-Tourism will be focused on consumer centric technologies to ensure that the new sophisticated and experienced consumers are served. Therefore, agile strategies are required at both strategic and tactical management levels to develop the ‘info- structure’ for tourism organizations to manage their internal functions, their relationships with partners and their interactions with all stakeholders including consumers. Only those organizations that appreciate the opportunities which ICTs bring and manage their resources successfully will be able to enhance their innovation and competitiveness in the future.

Information technology in peripheral small and medium hospitality enterprises: strategic analysis and critical factors

Small and medium hospitality organisations (SMHOs) are increasingly recognized as pivotal in the ability of destinations to benefit from tourism as well as to satisfy tourism demand. However, it is recognized that they are often marginalized from the mainstream tourism industry, owing to their inability and reluctance to utilize information technologies (ITs). This paper is based on research undertaken in peripheral SMHOs, located in rural Wales destinations, Alpine French resorts and the Greek Aegean Islands. It explores the factors determining the adaptation of ITs by examining the stakeholders of small hospitality organizations, as well as the push and pull factors they exercise. It also illustrates a number of catalysts for ITs penetration and future trends in the hospitality industry, e.g. disintermediation and mass customization. Argues that SMHOs which fail to adapt and utilize ITs will suffer competitive disadvantages and jeopardize the prosperity of destinations.

Progress on information and communication technologies in hospitality and tourism

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish the progress of information and communication technology (ICT) based on a review of papers published in tourism and hospitality journals between 2009 and 2013. Design/methodology/approach – Based on three major databases, 107 journal papers were retrieved and reviewed. The papers were grouped into two major categories, consumer and supplier, which generally comprise the key players in the industries. Findings – A content analysis showed that hospitality and tourism industries use ICT in different functional units and for different applications. This, in turn, indicates their wide adoption in the industry. Industrial implications are discussed. Practical implications – On the basis of the content analysis, industry practitioners can learn about up-to-date practices and decide how to take advantage of recent technological developments. Originality/value – A major contribution of this paper is the comprehensive review of recently published papers in tourism and hospitality journals from the perspectives of consumer and supplier.

The perception of small and medium sized tourism accommodation providers on the impacts of the tour operators’ power in Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract This paper examines the relationship between small and medium sized tourism accommodation enterprises and European tour operators. Leisure “packaged” mass tourism and the Mediterranean basin are the main product and geographical contexts of reference. However, the potential applicability of the outcomes to other similar tourism products and areas is not excluded. Focusing primarily on SMTEs the study draws extensively from secondary research, while it also employs the outcomes of personal interviews of SMTEs’ owners/managers on the Greek island of Corfu. The paper portrays the current status of the co-operation between SMTEs and TOs by illustrating the advantages and the problems faced by SMTEs’ owners/managers when dealing with TOs. Finally, the study concludes by proposing actions and policies that could be incorporated in SMTEs’ strategies in order to strengthen their negotiating position with large tour operating consortiums and ameliorate their evident over-reliance on tourism intermediaries.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS IN HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM: A REVIEW OF PUBLICATIONS FROM 2005 TO 2007

The tourism and hospitality industries have widely adopted information technology (IT) to reduce costs, enhance operational efficiency, and most importantly to improve service quality and customer experience. This article offers a comprehensive review of articles that were published in 57 tourism and hospitality research journals from 2005 to 2007. Grouping the findings into the categories of consumers, technologies, and suppliers, the article sheds light on the evolution of IT applications in the tourism and hospitality industries. The article demonstrates that IT is increasingly becoming critical for the competitive operations of the tourism and hospitality organizations as well as for managing the distribution and marketing of organizations on a global scale.