Information Technology and Tourism - A Challenging Relationship (Springercomputerscience) Book

Information systems in tourism, such as computer reservation systems, yield management systems, and tourism-marketing systems, have been among the pioneers of leading-edge technology applications and have driven the dynamics of development in tourism services. Tourism is regarded as one of the most successful applications of electronic commerce. The book is synthesizing and analyzing the current situation, trying to set the stage and to show ways of future research. A common methodological approach and framework enables the analysis of the ongoing processes and the underlying trends. From both a technological and a management point of view, the work is focusing on interorganizational processes and information systems, it takes a network-oriented approach, corresponding with the fact that travel and tourism is an interorganizational business. In order to provide a coherent picture, the work is located within a triangle of tourism research, information technology and computer science, and management science. With respect to these scientific fields, different perspectives are pursued and integrated: a market and industry perspective, looking at trends in the tourism industry, an analysis of the value chain and its redesign induced by modern information and communications technologies, a discussion of organizational impacts and the implications on management strategies, focusing on a business (network) redesign. Several case studies illustrate the strategies of different players in industry, highlight structural changes, and indicate future trends. Extensive references provide a comprehensive coverage of the literature in tourism information systems.Read More