1. E-Tourism Nicos Rodosthenous PhD 25/04/2013 11 25/4/20131Dr Nicos Rodosthenous

2. E-travel agencies 1.Introduction  Travel agencies are the main distributors of the tourism product.  This chapter examines the various types of travel agencies and explores their ICT utilization.  ICTs provide a wide range of tools for travel agencies, by providing the mechanism for information exchange and tourism product distribution. 25/4/20132Dr Nicos Rodosthenous

3. E-travel agencies  ICTs enable travel agencies to build complicated travel itineraries in minutes, while providing up- to-date schedules, prices and availability data. 2. Strategic and tactical roles of ICTs for travel agencies  Different types of travel agencies have different ICT requirements.  As business travellers often book their trips a short period before travelling, change 25/4/20133Dr Nicos Rodosthenous

4. E-travel agencies  their itineraries very often and issue tickets efficiently is becoming very critical for the competitiveness of agencies.  Leisure travel agencies need to have access to very wide range of information in order to support/help consumers to choose their destination, timing or budget of their holidays.  In both cases, integration of the entire business is critical for the profitability of the ogranization. 25/4/20134Dr Nicos Rodosthenous

5. E-travel agencies 3. Internal systems and intranets  Internal systems and intranets are instrumental in maximizing the efficiency of travel agency administration.  For example, back office: accounting, commission monitoring, personnel and front office: customers’ history, itinerary development, ticketing and communication with suppliers.  Travel agencies have achieved significant 25/4/20135Dr Nicos Rodosthenous

6. E-travel agencies  synergies, efficiencies and cost savings. 4. Interconnecting partner systems and extranets  Agencies can have access to on-line availability and reservation functions for all products and services and to manage financial transactions such as invoices, payments and contracts.  Using extranets, travel agencies can reduce the cost of bookings, improve communications and efficiency, increase the speed of booking procedures and enhance customer service. 25/4/20136Dr Nicos Rodosthenous

7. E-travel agencies  Travel agencies can develop extranets for their corporate clients.  Integration between front and back office systems improves travel agencies efficiency, their operations and control and increase their competitiveness. 5. Connecting with stakeholders through the Internet  The internet introduced major opportunities and challenges for travel agencies. 25/4/20137Dr Nicos Rodosthenous

8. E-travel agencies  Can develop their internet presence and interact with their clientele, partners and other stakeholders through their website, email and other ways of communication.  Providing opportunities for eCommerce on- line allows consumers to purchase travel products. i.e. www.ebay.com, www.thomascook.com 25/4/20138Dr Nicos Rodosthenous

9. E-travel agencies 25/4/20139Dr Nicos Rodosthenous

10. E-travel agencies  Travel agencies need to compete with several ICT- based newcomers, such as Expedia, Travelocity and lastmimute.com which make on-line bookings. 6. Developments and trends in the marketplace affecting travel agencies  The internet has changed the role of tourism intermediaries and travel agencies.  Internet promotes tourism products on-line and enables consumers to develop and purchase 25/4/201310Dr Nicos Rodosthenous

11. E-travel agencies  their own itineraries and tickets on-line.  The competitiveness of travel agencies will depend on their ability to re-engineer their product and decide which market segment they will concentrate on. 7. The future of travel agencies  Agencies often ignore the opportunities emerging through the internet as well as extranets and intranets.  The launch of dynamic internet sites by airlines, hotels and other suppliers provide lower prices. 25/4/201311Dr Nicos Rodosthenous

12. E-travel agencies  Successful travel agencies will need to become travel managers and advisers (not booking offices) by adding value to the experience.  Taking full advantage of ICTs they will identify specific products that satisfy the tourism demand, partnership marketing and adding value to tourism products.  Integrating their entire operation within the internet /intranet/extranet framework will be critical for their effectiveness, profitability and competitiveness. 25/4/201312Dr Nicos Rodosthenous