The Diffusion And Application Of Multimedia Technologies In The Tourism And Hospitality Industries
The tourism and hospitality sectors have a number of characteristics, which mean that the development of information and communication technologies (ICT) as well as multimedia present some major opportunities yet at the same time bring some important chal
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1 Introduction The tourism and hospitality sectors have a number of characteristics, which mean that the development of information and communication technologies (lCT) as well as multimedia present some major opportunities yet at the same time bring some important challenges. There are great, even worldwide, space and time differences between the demand and the supply, the supply is highly perishable since lost sales are lost for ever, the supply consists of a great variety of products that cannot normally be inspected, seen or felt prior to purchase. All these mean that advanced reservations and the availability of up-to-date, accurate and accessible information as well as planned co-operation and collaboration between the different suppliers are indispensable operational activities for tourism businesses. As Buhalis (1997) has suggested: "information technology will be instrumental in the industries' ability to enhance their future efficiency and strategic compet(tiveness ". On the other hand, the structure of the tourism industry, with many small operators, some not trading on a strictly commercial or professional basis has meant that access to and take-up of technologies has been slow. Multimedia are expected to affect large areas of the operations of large multinational companies whereas operators of small outlets may not even have heard of multimedia. However, developments in this field can bring them major opportunities. This paper is based on a study carried out for the DIME (Defining Multimedia for Employment) project, a programme funded under the ADAPT initiative. The study investigated the diffusion and application of several multimedia technologies by a great variety of operators within the UK tourism and hospitality industries. By conducting a questionnaire-based mail survey and personal interviews, data were gathered regarding the current and projected availability and use of multimedia by three star hotels, Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs), travel agencies, Tourism Information Centres (TICs) and the visitors attraction sector. The study also looked at whether or not these operators provide any training in multimedia as well as the content and the effectiveness of the training methods that are being used.
D. R. Fesenmaier et al. (eds.), Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2000 © Springer-Verlag Wien 2000
397 The paper reports on the results and analysis of findings of this survey, highlighting the key issues arising. A large majority of players from all sectors uses multimedia PC and the Internet for advertising, promotion and reservation purposes, while it is projected that operators will adopt and make wider application of more multimedia technologies in the future. However, it was found that training in multimedia is provided by a small percentage of respondents including those that are currently using multimedia technologies.
2 Multimedia and tourism 2.1 Multimedia technologies Multimedia is an all-embracing term that cuts across a wide variety of technologies. However, based on th
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