eTourism, Buhalis, Information Technology for Strategic Tourism Management

The book is aimed at advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students in business, tourism and hospitality programmes that need to explore how they can use ICTs in a strategic context. It is also anticipated that researchers and practitioners will find it useful and stimulating.

This book addresses the digitization of all processes and value chains in the tourism, travel, hospitality and catering industries. By analysing the new technological trends it provides a solid basis for analysing the impacts of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) revolution on the tourism industry. The book adopts a strategic management and marketing perspective for tourism enterprises and destinations. It suggests that eTourism revolutionizes all business processes, the entire value chain as well as the strategic relationships of tourism organizations with all their stakeholders. It additionally focuses on how ICTs are employed in airlines, hotels, travel agencies, tour operators and destinations management organizations. The book demonstrates that eTourism increasingly determines the competitiveness of the organization, and therefore, it is critical for the competitiveness of the industry in the longer term.

Table of Contents

List of figures, tables and case studies

Foreword

Acknowledgements

About the author

Preface

The information and communication technologies revolution and strategic management: issues - challenges - trends

1 Information and communication technologies: evolution and revolution

2 Implications of the ICT revolution for business and strategy

3 eTourism: the dynamic interaction of ICTs and tourism

4 Demand-driven eTourism

5 Supply-driven eTourism

6 Operational management and distribution in eTourism

7 eAirlines

8 eHospitality

9 eTour operators

10  eTravel agencies

11 eDestinations

12 eTourism: synthesis and a vision of the future