tourism management system definition

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Scope and future of tourism management

Tourism is considered to be an important aspect of economic growth and the development of a nation. According to the  United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) , global tourism is expected to reach 1.6 billion (in terms of international arrivals) by the year 2020. Tourism management is generally considered a bright and potential employment sector as it offers a wide variety of career opportunities in both the private and public sector. This article covers the details of tourism management courses and the prospective job opportunities that it can offer you.

What are the different types of tourism?

Tourism is an evolving industry that provides tourists with various experiences that help promote the country, region, or whatever type of destination they are travelling to. There are many different kinds of tourism, and each one caters to a different set of interests. Here are the three main types of tourism:

Domestic Tourism: Domestic tourism refers to travel within your own country. It entails traveling to various regions, cities, or towns within the same country for business, pleasure, or other purposes. Domestic tourism is important for the growth of the tourism business in a country because it helps the economy and encourages other people enthusiastic about promoting local tourism.

Inbound Tourism: Inbound tourism refers to tourism by foreign visitors to a destination country. It involves international travel for pleasure, commerce, or other reasons. People who want to explore new cultures, experience various lifestyles, and visit historical and natural landmarks frequently engage in inbound tourism. Inbound tourism is essential to the growth of a country’s tourism industry because it contributes to the economy and helps promote the country as a travel destination.

Outbound Tourism: Outbound tourism refers to the practice of individuals traveling outside of their country of residence for tourism, business, or other purposes. Outbound tourism plays an essential role to the development of a country’s tourism industry because it adds significantly to the economy and promotes international travel.

What is tourism management?

Tourism management is a multidisciplinary field that includes all activities related to the tourism and hospitality industries. It prepares candidates with the experience and training required to hold managerial positions in food, accommodation and tourism industry. The three major areas of tourism management are:

• Business administration (finance, human resources and marketing activities);
• Management theories and principles;
• Tourism industry (travel accommodation, environmental factors and tourism organizations)

Tourism management implements marketing efforts in attracting tourists to travel to particular destinations. This involves the management of a variety of activities such as:

• Studying tour destination;
• Planning the tour;
• Making travel arrangements;
• Providing accommodation.

Who is eligible for a tourism management course?

• You should obtain an Ontario Secondary School Diploma certificate or equivalent;
• Your age should be 18 years or older;
• You should gain a minimum IELTS score of 5.5 (or its equivalent for non-native English speakers).

What is the course structure of tourism management?

• Front Office Operations – this includes an introduction about the systems and procedures required for Front Desk Office Operations. It helps students develop skills related to reception procedures.
• Customer Service – this module elaborates on the importance of effective communication skills while dealing with customers. It provides students with a better understanding of customer relations and services.
• Food and Beverage Management – focuses on the operations related to food and beverage management. It includes the following topics:
• Food and beverage operations;
• Standard product costs and pricing strategies;
• Productions;
• Controlling;
• Facility design, layout and equipment.
• Hospitality Accounting – this module can help a student enhance their decision making process in the field of management. It provides an in-depth knowledge about the processes and practices of hotel business.
• Human Resource Management  – this module is structured to train students to build a strategic and coherent approach to their organizations assets. Students get an opportunity to learn about effective business practices of the hospitality industry.

Other modules covered by a tourism management course are as follows:

• Introduction to Hospitality and Tourism;
• Housekeeping;
• Food and Beverage Operations;
• Food Sanitation, Safety and Health;
• Organizational Behavior in the Hospitality Industry;
• Facilities and Maintenance Management;
• Marketing in Hospitality and Tourism;
• Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events;
• Issues in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry;
• Resort Management;
• Niche and Specialty Management.

How long is a tourism management course and how much does it cost?

The tourism management course is a full-time program lasting two years. It consists of 48 weeks of in-class academic sessions. The total length of the course exceeds up to 78 weeks, including scheduled breaks. The total course fee of the tourism management program is CAD 19,000.

What is the career scope of the tourism Industry?

Tour Manager (Average annual salary:  $49,150 )  – they must possess language skills and knowledge about weather, customs and tourist attractions. Their main role is to ensure that the tour goes smoothly and tourists get to enjoy themselves during their holiday. Tour managers should have networking and customer service skills as well as a good grasp of the following subjects:

• Archaeology;
• Modern languages;
• Travel, tourism and leisure studies.

Let’s look at some of the responsibilities of a tour manager:

• Accompanying native and foreign groups travelling by bus, planes, boats and trains;
• Welcoming holidaymakers at the starting point and explaining travel arrangements (food, culture, itineraries and destinations) and stop-over points in detail;
• Resolving logistic issues and coordinating travel arrangements;
• Checking tickets or other relevant documents, as well as attending to special requirements such as seat allocations, passport or immigration issues;
• Making accommodation bookings on proposed dates and ensuring that the accommodation is satisfactory;
• Dealing with emergencies and responding to questions from tourists.

The career scope of the tourism industry does not only cover tours and other forms of travel; it also expands to the hospitality sector. Here’s an example of what a career as a Hotel Manager in Canada would look like:

Hotel Manager (Average annual salary:  $42,967 )  – their function is to manage hotel employees and day-to-day operations of a hotel. This may include front-of-house reception, food and beverage operations, budgeting and financial management. They are expected to have an understanding of hotel management practices and relevant laws and guidelines. They execute the following tasks:

• Analysing and interpreting financial information;
• Implementing effective marketing strategies to promote the hotel’s services;
• Monitoring sales and profits;
• Supervising maintenance, supplies, renovations and furnishings;
• Dealing with suppliers, travel agencies and event planners;
• Inspecting services and property regularly by enforcing strict compliance with health and safety standards.

The scope of tourism is so diverse that you can also explore opportunities in properties and real estate! A career as a Property Manager would look like the following:

Property Manager (Average annual salary:  $56,702 )  – property managers are assigned to work at a resort location to oversee the operations of a facility or assets. They are generally hired by property owners and real estate investors who are unable to manage their properties themselves. Commercial properties run by property managers include apartment complexes, retail malls and business offices. The basic responsibilities of a property manager are:

• Building an effective rental program;
• Providing customer services;
• Establishing positive relationships with long-term clients;
• Dealing with renovations;
• Coordinating group visits;
• Managing association-related business;
• Supervising and coordinating building maintenance;
• Resolving tenant concerns and complaints;
• Advertising, demonstrating and leasing vacant units;
• Collecting and depositing rent;
• Communicating with and sending updates to the property owner on the status of the property.

If you enjoy experiencing cultural exchanges, then you should opt for a tourism management career. Toronto School of Management (TSoM) offers an  Advanced Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management course  to help students enter the hospitality and tourism sector. This course can help you learn how to develop strategic plans for tourism and understand the needs of the target customers.

• What are some of the challenges facing the tourism industry? The tourism sector encounters various obstacles, including the effects of climate change, over-tourism in specific locations, geopolitical instability, evolving travel behaviours, and the emergence of accommodation alternatives.
• What are some of the opportunities for growth in the tourism industry? Despite the obstacles confronting the tourism industry, there are also numerous growth opportunities in this sector. These include the rise of responsible and sustainable tourism, the expansion of the digital economy, and potential for growth in niche markets such as adventure tourism, health and wellness tourism, and cultural tourism.
• How can individuals interested in pursuing a career in tourism management prepare for the future of the industry? Individuals pursuing a career in tourism management can prepare for a stable career by getting quality education in business management, marketing, and finance. It would also help you to have a solid grasp of the tourism industry, including its trends, challenges, and opportunities.

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What Is Tourism Managment

Published: December 12, 2023

Modified: December 28, 2023

by Ashil Brookshire

• Plan Your Trip
• Sustainability

Introduction

Tourism is a flourishing industry that encompasses travel, accommodations, attractions, and activities for leisure, business, or educational purposes. As travel becomes more accessible and people’s desire to explore new places increases, the importance of effective tourism management becomes paramount. Tourism management plays a vital role in ensuring the smooth operation, sustainability, and profitability of tourism destinations and businesses.

Tourism management involves overseeing and coordinating various aspects of the tourism industry, including marketing, planning, development, operations, and customer service. It aims to provide a positive and enriching experience for tourists, while also benefiting the local communities and preserving the environment.

In this article, we will delve into the definition of tourism management, discuss its importance, explore the key elements and functions within tourism management, and highlight the challenges and emerging trends in the field.

By understanding the intricacies of tourism management, professionals in the industry can develop effective strategies to attract tourists, optimize the visitor experience, and contribute to the overall growth and sustainability of the tourism sector.

Definition of Tourism Management

Tourism management refers to the practice of planning, organizing, and coordinating all the activities and resources involved in the operation of tourism destinations, businesses, and services. It encompasses a wide range of responsibilities, including marketing, budgeting, development, operations, and customer service, with the ultimate goal of ensuring a positive and fulfilling experience for tourists.

Effective tourism management involves a comprehensive understanding of customer preferences, market trends, and destination dynamics. It requires a strategic approach to attract tourists, create memorable experiences, and maximize the economic and social benefits for the local communities. A successful tourism management plan takes into account factors such as infrastructure, transportation, accommodation, attractions, and local resources.

Tourism managers play a crucial role in coordinating the various stakeholders involved in the tourism industry, including government agencies, tourism boards, hospitality establishments, transportation companies, tour operators, and local communities. They work towards developing and implementing strategies that align with the objectives of all parties and ensure the sustainability of tourism destinations.

Furthermore, tourism management involves maintaining a delicate balance between preserving the natural and cultural heritage of a destination and providing quality experiences for tourists. It encompasses initiatives for environmental conservation, responsible tourism practices, and community engagement. By implementing sustainable measures, tourism managers can create long-term benefits and mitigate any negative impacts of tourism on the environment and local communities.

Ultimately, the goal of tourism management is to create a harmonious relationship between tourists, the destination, and the local community. By carefully examining and managing all aspects of the tourism experience, tourism managers strive to meet the demands of the modern traveler, while simultaneously promoting the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of the destination.

Importance of Tourism Management

The importance of effective tourism management cannot be overstated. It plays a crucial role in the sustainable development and success of tourism destinations and businesses. Here are several key reasons why tourism management is essential:

• Economic Impact: Tourism is a significant source of revenue and job creation worldwide. Tourism management helps maximize the economic benefits by attracting tourists, promoting local businesses, and ensuring the efficient utilization of resources. It stimulates economic growth, enhances employment opportunities, and generates income for the local community.
• Sustainable Development: By implementing sustainable tourism practices, tourism management aims to minimize negative impacts on the environment and culture of the destination. It fosters responsible tourism, encourages conservation efforts, and promotes the well-being of local communities. This ensures the long-term viability and preservation of the destination for future generations.
• Enhanced Visitor Experience: Tourism management focuses on providing exceptional experiences for tourists. It involves careful planning and coordination of attractions, accommodations, transportation, and activities to meet the needs and preferences of different types of travelers. By creating memorable and enjoyable experiences, tourism management fosters positive word-of-mouth recommendations and repeat visits.
• Destination Promotion: Effective tourism management plays a crucial role in destination promotion. It involves strategic marketing initiatives, digital campaigns, and partnerships to attract tourists from different regions. By showcasing the unique offerings of a destination, tourism management helps create a positive image and differentiate it from competitors in the global tourism market.
• Community Engagement: Tourism management actively engages with local communities to ensure their involvement and support in tourism activities. By promoting community participation, respect for local customs and traditions, and equitable distribution of benefits, tourism management fosters a positive relationship between tourists and the local community.

In summary, tourism management is vital for driving economic growth, environmental sustainability, and cultural preservation. It strives to enhance the visitor experience, promote responsible tourism practices, and foster positive relationships between tourists, the destination, and local communities. By prioritizing effective tourism management, destinations can thrive and maximize the benefits of tourism while mitigating potential negative impacts.

Elements of Tourism Management

Tourism management involves various elements that are essential for the successful operation and development of tourism destinations and businesses. These elements encompass the key components that contribute to the overall tourism experience. Here are the main elements of tourism management:

• Marketing and Promotion: This element focuses on creating awareness and attracting tourists to a destination or business. It involves market research, branding, advertising, digital marketing, public relations, and partnerships to effectively communicate the unique selling points of the destination or business.
• Planning and Development: This element involves strategic planning for the sustainable development of tourism destinations. It includes market analysis, infrastructure development, zoning regulations, carrying capacity assessment, and collaboration with stakeholders to ensure the optimal use of resources and development of tourism facilities.
• Operations and Logistics: This element deals with the day-to-day operations and logistical aspects of tourism businesses and destinations. It includes managing accommodations, transportation, attractions, tour operations, customer service, and ensuring smooth operations and seamless experiences for tourists.
• Customer Service and Experience: This element focuses on providing excellent customer service and creating memorable experiences for tourists. It includes training staff, implementing quality assurance measures, addressing customer feedback, and continuously improving the visitor experience to exceed customer expectations.
• Sustainability and Responsible Tourism: This element emphasizes the importance of preserving the natural and cultural heritage of a destination and promoting responsible tourism practices. It involves implementing sustainable measures, minimizing negative impacts of tourism, supporting local communities, and engaging in environmental conservation efforts.
• Economic Management: This element focuses on the financial aspect of tourism management. It involves budgeting, revenue management, pricing strategies, cost control, and financial analysis to ensure profitability and economic sustainability for tourism businesses and destinations.
• Partnerships and Collaboration: This element highlights the significance of collaboration with various stakeholders in the tourism industry. It includes establishing partnerships with government entities, tourism boards, local communities, businesses, and industry associations to foster cooperation, share resources, and work towards common goals.

By addressing and integrating these elements effectively, tourism management can create a well-rounded and holistic approach to the overall management and success of tourism destinations and businesses. It ensures a memorable and sustainable tourism experience for both tourists and the local community.

Functions of Tourism Management

Tourism management involves a range of functions that are essential for the efficient and effective operation of tourism destinations and businesses. These functions contribute to the overall success of the tourism industry and play a vital role in providing a positive experience for tourists. Here are the main functions of tourism management:

• Strategic Planning: This function involves setting goals, formulating strategies, and developing plans to achieve the desired outcomes. It includes analyzing market trends, identifying target markets, and determining the positioning and competitive advantage of the destination or business.
• Market Research: Market research is crucial for understanding customer preferences, market trends, and demand patterns. This function involves conducting surveys, collecting data, and analyzing market insights to develop marketing strategies, identify target audiences, and tailor tourism offerings accordingly.
• Product Development: This function focuses on creating tourism products and experiences that meet the needs and expectations of tourists. It involves identifying unique selling points, designing packages and itineraries, collaborating with local attractions and service providers, and ensuring product innovation to enhance the tourism experience.
• Marketing and Promotion: This function entails creating awareness, attracting tourists, and promoting tourism offerings. It includes advertising, digital marketing, public relations, social media management, content creation, and developing partnerships to effectively reach and engage with target audiences.
• Operations Management: This function deals with the day-to-day operations of tourism businesses and destinations. It includes managing accommodations, transportation, attractions, and activities, as well as ensuring efficient logistics and providing quality customer service to enhance the overall visitor experience.
• Financial Management: Financial management is crucial for the economic sustainability of tourism businesses and destinations. This function involves budgeting, revenue management, pricing strategies, cost control, and financial analysis to ensure profitability and optimize resource allocation.
• Sustainability and Responsible Tourism: This function focuses on environmental conservation, community engagement, and responsible tourism practices. It involves implementing sustainable measures, promoting cultural preservation, supporting local communities, and ensuring the long-term viability of tourism destinations.
• Customer Relationship Management: This function emphasizes building and maintaining strong relationships with customers. It includes managing customer inquiries, addressing feedback and complaints, providing personalized experiences, and fostering customer loyalty through effective communication and relationship building initiatives.
• Partnerships and Collaboration: Collaboration is crucial for the success of tourism management. This function involves establishing partnerships with government entities, tourism boards, local communities, businesses, and industry associations to collaborate, share resources, and work towards common goals for the development and growth of the tourism industry.

By fulfilling these functions, tourism management ensures the seamless operation, sustainable development, and memorable experiences for both tourists and the local community. It is a multifaceted discipline that requires a comprehensive approach to meet the ever-evolving demands of the tourism industry.

Challenges in Tourism Management

Tourism management faces various challenges that can impact the sustainability and success of tourism destinations and businesses. These challenges arise from both internal and external factors and require proactive strategies to overcome. Here are some common challenges in tourism management:

• Seasonality: Seasonality refers to the fluctuation in tourism demand based on the time of year. Many destinations experience peak tourist seasons followed by periods of low or off-peak seasons. Managing seasonality can be a challenge, as it requires finding ways to attract tourists during off-peak times and optimizing resources to accommodate peak season demands.
• Overtourism: Overtourism occurs when the number of tourists exceeds the carrying capacity of a destination, resulting in overcrowding, infrastructure strain, and negative environmental and sociocultural impacts. Managing overtourism involves implementing measures to distribute tourism flows, regulate visitor numbers, and promote sustainable tourism practices.
• Sustainability: Ensuring sustainable tourism is a challenge faced by tourism management. This involves balancing the economic, social, and environmental aspects of tourism to minimize negative impacts and maximize long-term benefits. It requires implementing sustainable practices, promoting responsible tourism, and engaging local communities in decision-making processes.
• Competition: The tourism industry is highly competitive, with destinations and businesses vying for the attention of tourists. Managing competition requires differentiating the destination or business through unique offerings, effective marketing strategies, and continuous innovation to attract and retain visitors.
• Changing Consumer Behavior: Consumer behavior and travel preferences are constantly evolving. Tourism management needs to adapt to these changes by understanding emerging trends, catering to different market segments, and providing personalized experiences. This requires staying updated with technology advancements, digital marketing strategies, and consumer insights.
• Economic Volatility: Tourism can be impacted by economic factors such as recessions, exchange rate fluctuations, and political instability. These factors can influence travel decisions, tourist spending, and business operations. Tourism management needs to develop strategies to mitigate the effects of economic volatility and attract tourists during challenging times.
• Infrastructure and Resource Management: Adequate and well-maintained infrastructure is crucial for the smooth operation of tourism. However, managing limited resources, ensuring sustainability, and maintaining infrastructure can be challenging. Tourism management needs to prioritize infrastructure development, enhance resource management, and strike a balance between tourist needs and environmental conservation.
• Technology Disruptions: Rapid advancements in technology impact the tourism industry. Online platforms, social media, and mobile applications have changed the way tourists research, book, and experience travel. Tourism management needs to leverage technology to enhance marketing, distribution channels, customer service, and overall tourism experiences.
• Crisis Management: Tourism destinations are susceptible to natural disasters, political unrest, health crises, and other unforeseen events. Crisis management is crucial in ensuring safety, communication, and recovery. Tourism management should have contingency plans, crisis communication strategies, and cooperation with authorities to effectively manage crises.

Overcoming these challenges requires proactive and strategic approaches in tourism management. By addressing these issues, tourism destinations and businesses can thrive, deliver exceptional visitor experiences, and contribute to the sustainable development of the tourism industry.

Emerging Trends in Tourism Management

Tourism management is constantly evolving to adapt to changing market dynamics, consumer preferences, and technological advancements. Here are some emerging trends in tourism management that are shaping the future of the industry:

• Sustainable Tourism: The increasing emphasis on sustainability has led to a rise in sustainable tourism practices. Travelers are seeking eco-friendly and socially responsible experiences. Tourism management is embracing sustainable initiatives such as reducing carbon emissions, promoting local sourcing, and supporting community development.
• Authentic Experiences: Tourists are increasingly looking for unique and authentic experiences that provide a deeper connection with the destination and its culture. Tourism management is focusing on curating immersive activities, cultural interactions, and off-the-beaten-path experiences to meet these demands.
• Technology Integration: Technology continues to revolutionize the tourism industry. Tourism management is leveraging technologies like virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence to enhance the booking process, improve customer service, and create engaging marketing campaigns.
• Personalization: Personalization is gaining prominence as tourists seek customized experiences tailored to their preferences. Tourism management is utilizing data analytics and customer relationship management tools to segment markets, target specific demographics, and deliver personalized recommendations and offers to travelers.
• Wellness and Health Tourism: Wellness and health tourism have witnessed significant growth. As people prioritize their well-being, tourism management is incorporating wellness activities, spa treatments, yoga retreats, and healthy dining options into destination offerings.
• Community Engagement: Tourism management is recognizing the importance of involving local communities in tourism development. Engaging with local residents, empowering them economically, and showcasing their culture and traditions contribute to sustainable destination management.
• Multi-Generational Travel: With families traveling together, tourism management is focusing on catering to the diverse needs of multi-generational travelers. Destinations are offering a variety of activities and accommodations suitable for different age groups and interests.
• Sharing Economy: The sharing economy has disrupted the traditional tourism industry. Tourism management is adapting by collaborating with sharing economy platforms, integrating home-sharing options, and exploring new business models to meet the evolving demands of travelers.
• Destination Marketing through Influencers: Influencer marketing has become a powerful tool in tourism management. Collaborating with social media influencers to create authentic content and promote destinations has become an effective way to reach and engage with target audiences.
• Accessible Tourism: The focus on inclusivity and accessibility has led to the growth of accessible tourism. Tourism management is ensuring that destinations, accommodations, and attractions are accessible to people with disabilities, providing equal opportunities for all travelers.

These emerging trends are reshaping the tourism industry and presenting new opportunities and challenges for tourism management. By embracing these trends, tourism destinations and businesses can stay competitive, attract a wider range of visitors, and deliver exceptional experiences in the ever-changing landscape of travel and tourism.

Tourism management plays a crucial role in the successful operation, development, and sustainability of tourism destinations and businesses. It encompasses various elements and functions that aim to create exceptional experiences for tourists while considering the economic, environmental, and social impacts of tourism.

Throughout this article, we have explored the definition of tourism management, its importance, key elements, functions, challenges, and emerging trends. It is evident that effective tourism management is essential for driving economic growth, preserving natural and cultural heritage, promoting responsible tourism practices, and enhancing the overall visitor experience.

However, tourism management also faces challenges such as seasonality, overtourism, sustainability, competition, and changing consumer behavior. These challenges require proactive strategies and innovative approaches to ensure the long-term success and development of tourism destinations.

At the same time, emerging trends in tourism management, including sustainable tourism, personalization, technology integration, and wellness tourism, present new opportunities for growth and innovation within the industry.

In conclusion, tourism management is a dynamic and evolving field that plays a vital role in shaping the tourism industry. By effectively managing tourism destinations and businesses, tourism managers can create positive synergies between tourists, the destination, and local communities, fostering economic growth, environmental preservation, and cultural enrichment.

With the constantly evolving landscape of travel, it is imperative for tourism managers to stay updated with the latest trends, embrace sustainable practices, leverage technology, and engage with diverse stakeholders. By doing so, tourism management can contribute to the growth and sustainability of the tourism industry, creating unforgettable experiences for travelers while fostering a positive and responsible approach towards tourism.

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UN Tourism | Bringing the world closer

Competitiveness.

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Policy and Destination Management

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UN Tourism works to provide guidance and share good practices on policies and governance models aimed to effectively support the tourism sector at the different levels: national, regional and local.

The development and management of tourism destinations requires a holistic approach to policy and governance.

Governance has two specific dimensions:

• Directive capacity of government , determined by coordination and collaboration as well as by the participation of networks of stakeholders.
• Directive effectiveness, determined by institutional skills and resources that support the ways in which processes are conducted to define goals and search for solutions and opportunities for relevant stakeholders, and by the provision of tools and means for their joint execution.

In this sense, UN Tourism works to support its Members in their efforts to develop efficient governance models / structures and policies, focusing  among others on:

• Tourism policy and strategic planning
• Governance and vertical cooperation, i.e. national-regional-local levels
• Public Private Partnership (PPP)

Destination Management

Destination management consists of the coordinated management of all the elements that make up a tourism destination. Destination management takes a strategic approach to link-up these sometimes very separate elements for the better management of the destination. Joined up management can help to avoid overlapping functions and duplication of effort with regards to promotion, visitor services, training, business support and identify any management gaps that are not being addressed.

Destination management calls for a coalition of many organizations and interests working towards a common goal, ultimately being the assurance of the competitiveness and sustainability of the tourism destination. The Destination Management Organization’s (DMO) role should be to lead and coordinate activities under a coherent strategy in pursuit of this common goal.

Though DMOs have typically undertaken marketing activities, their remit is becoming far broader, to become a strategic leader in destination development. This is a vital ingredient for success in every tourism destination and many destinations now have DMOs to lead the way.

From a traditionally marketing and promotion focus the trend is to become leading organizations with a broader mandate which includes strategic planning, coordination and management of activities within an adequate governance structure with the integration of different stakeholders operating in the destination under a common goal. Destinations wherein such an organization is not still in place are increasingly creating or plan to create a DMO as the organizational entity to lead the way.

UN Tourism has identified three areas of key performance in destination management at DMO level: Strategic Leadership, Effective Implementation and Efficient Governance.

UN Tourism supports its Members and Destination Management/Marketing Organizations through the UN Tourism.QUEST - a DMO Certification System. UN Tourism.QUEST  promotes quality and excellence in DMOs planning, management and governance of tourism, by means of capacity building. UN Tourism.QUEST Certification evaluates the three areas of key performance in destination management at DMO level: Strategic Leadership, Effective Implementation and Efficient Governance. With a training and capacity building component, UN Tourism.QUEST is a strategic tool which allows the DMOs to implement an improvement plan to achieve the criteria and standards of the Certification with the aim of enhancing their management processes and thus contribute to the competitiveness and sustainability of the destinations they represent.

Events & Publications

• International Seminar on Destination Management
• 2nd Conference on Destination Management in the Mediterranean
• 6th International Conference on Destination Management

UN Tourism Guidelines for Institutional Strengthening of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) – Preparing DMOs for new challenges

Many factors account for the increased focus on effective destination management, all of them urging destination management organizations (DMOs) to face and adapt to new challenges. From traditional marketing and promotion boards the trend is for these entities to increasingly enlarge their scope to become all embracing DMOs, aiming to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of destinations within a harmonious relationship between the residents and visitors.

Competitiveness Committee (CTC)

The Committee on Tourism and Competitiveness (CTC) is one of the technical committees of the UN Tourism and it is a subsidiary organ of the Executive Council . The Committee was established at the 95th session of the Executive Council in Belgrade, Serbia in May 2013 (CE/DEC/7(XCV). Its Rules of Procedure and the composition were approved by the Executive Council at its 96th session (Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, August 2013) (CE/DEC/9(XCVI). 

Since its establishment in 2013, CTC focused its work mainly on assessing the state of knowledge on the basic concept of “ tourism competitiveness ” and identifying its key factors . This process has also included identifying, developing and harmonizing concepts, models and operational definitions used in the tourism value chain .

Work priorities

(a) To support the Organization in fulfilling its normative role;

(b) To provide a dialogue mechanism between the public and private tourism stakeholders and academia to give guide in building and strengthening tourism competitiveness policies and strategies; and

(c) To build synergies and strategic alignments in the harmonization of the related activities of the Secretariat as well as other collaborating organizations/entities in order to ensure consistency and consensus in the delivery of the outputs and reinforce the official position of the Organization. 

Provide UNWTO Members and other tourism stakeholders with a comprehensive and concise, operational, applicable and globally relevant conceptual framework to set the scene and contribute to establish a common ground for a clear harmonized understanding of:

i) concepts, models and operational definitions used in the tourism value chain;

ii) the quantitative and qualitative factors that explain competitiveness at the destination level which may be translated into technical guidelines facilitating a methodology for destinations to identify and evaluate their own factors of competitiveness. 

As an outcome of the work of the CTC, the 22 nd Session of the General Assembly held in Chengdu, China (11-16 September 2017) adopted as Recommendations  key  definitions.  Along with these definitions the Committee also focused on identifying the key quantitative and qualitative factors for “tourism competitiveness ” under two categories: i) governance, management and market dynamics, and ii) destination appeal, attractors, products and supply. 

Full list of definitions adopted by the 22 nd  Session of the General Assembly held in Chengdu, China (11-16 September 2017)

As part of the work of the UNWTO Committee on Tourism and Competitiveness (CTC) in its mandate for the period 2015-2019 prepared a paper on " Tourism Policy and Strategic Planning " which delves into this factor for tourism competitiveness. This paper (available below in pdf) aims to:

• Provide UNWTO Members with a comprehensive understanding on national tourism policies and contribute to their successful formulation and implementation;
• Explore key areas which need to be addressed in tourism policy and strategic planning in order to ensure the competitiveness and sustainable development of tourism;
• Assess the key areas addressed by UNWTO Members in their tourism policies and provide case studies to illustrate key elements of a sound tourism policy; and
• Serve as a practical tool for UNWTO Members and tourism policymakers by including a set of recommendations.

Composition of the CTC (2019-2023)

Full Members 

Bahamas Bahrain Brazil Fiji (Vice-chair) India Israel Kenya Republic of Moldova Senegal (Chair)

Representative of the Associate Members Macao, China (2019-2021) Puerto Rico (2021-2023)

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Meetings of the CTC:

1st Meeting: 25 August, 2013, Victoria Falls, Zambia /Zimbabwe (during 20th UN Tourism General Assembly) 1st Virtual Meeting: 27 March, 2014 2nd Virtual Meeting: 3 July, 2014 3rd Virtual Meeting: 22 October, 2014 2nd Meeting: 28 January, 2015, Madrid, Spain 3rd Meeting: 13 September, 2015, Medellin, Colombia (during 21st UN Tourism General Assembly) 4th Meeting: 22 January, 2016, Madrid, Spain 4th Virtual Meeting: 21 April, 2016 5th Meeting: 20 January, 2017, Madrid, Spain 5th Virtual Meeting: 2 March, 2017 6th Meeting: 11 September, 2017, Chengdu, China (during 22nd UN Tourism General Assembly) 7th Meeting: 19 January, 2018, Madrid, Spain 8th Meeting: 10 September 2019, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation (during 23rd UN Tourism General Assembly) 9th Meeting: 24 January, 2020, Madrid, Spain 10th Virtual Meeting: 30 July 2020 11th CTC Meeting: 30 November 2021, Madrid, Spain (during the 24th UN Tourism General Assembly) 12th Virtual Meeting: 12 September, 2022

11th CTC Meeting: 30 November 2021, Madrid, Spain

During the 24th un tourism general assembly.

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• Position Paper on Tourism Policyand Strategic Planning
• UN Tourism Tourism Definitions
• Composition of the Committee on tourism and competitiveness

ICT and the future of tourist management

Journal of Tourism Futures

ISSN : 2055-5911

Article publication date: 31 May 2019

Issue publication date: 21 November 2019

The purpose of this paper is to speculate how recent and emerging trends in information and communication technology (ICT) could change the way tourism businesses and organizations communicate with and manage their guests.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper applies elements of futures and design thinking to analyze current tourism management practices and identify critical touchpoints that link tourist decisions to management strategies.

Fictional travel stories were used to identify and analyze how technology might affect tourism through five touchpoints– choice, connection, co-creation, customization and compliance. These stories were analyzed to identify changing forces and suggest potential paradigm shifts that tourism managers need to consider. These included increasingly complex content, the importance of compatible connections, and the critical role of coordination and cooperation in future tourism systems.

Originality/value

While there have been numerous discussions of how tourists and tourism businesses access and use technology, there is little evidence of scholars and practitioners applying formal futures thinking to ICT and tourism. This paper used design thinking and stories to predict and illustrate ways in which technology could be embedded into tourism experiences and services. It suggests that technology can, and probably will, fundamentally change the way in which we manage tourists and their experiences.

• Tourist management
• Emerging ICT
• Internet of Things
• Futures thinking
• Design thinking

Hughes, K. and Moscardo, G. (2019), "ICT and the future of tourist management", Journal of Tourism Futures , Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 228-240. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-12-2018-0072

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Karen Hughes and Gianna Moscardo

Published in Journal of Tourism Futures . Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

Introduction

“We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction.” In this commonly cited quote, the Founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, is urging organizations to be more future-oriented in the way they plan for technology adoption and manage change ( Weil, 2008 ). These sentiments are especially pertinent to tourism, as thinking about and planning for future change has been identified as a major weakness in both tourism research and practice ( Yeoman, 2012 ), particularly in relation to information and communication technology (ICT).

Use of computers and other digital technologies is rapidly evolving. The widespread uptake of mobile devices enables access to multiple sources of information in a ubiquitous, continuously connected environment. The ways in which organizations change and respond to new technology are commonly categorized into three stages ( Rainie and Wellman, 2012 ). In the first or substitution stage, organizations use new technology to automate or do existing tasks more efficiently ( Contractor and Bishop, 2000 ). In the second or enlargement stage people learn to use the new technology to increase both the volume and complexity of existing tasks ( Contractor and Bishop, 2000 ). Through this learning process users begin to recognize new possibilities and new opportunities before moving into the third or reconfiguration phase where the “new technology fundamentally changes the nature of the things it was created to address” ( Rainie and Wellman, 2012 , p. 297). It is in this third phase that systems experience significant innovation and disruption and organizations face strong competition from those who have adapted more quickly to the changes ( Rainie and Wellman, 2012 ).

The challenge for tourism organizations is to find ways to think ahead to this reconfiguration phase and anticipate the changes that might be required to respond to possible transformations in their markets, processes and systems. The existing literature on ICT and tourism has tended to focus on the adoption, use, and evaluation of specific technologies, generally arguing for greater use of technology in tourism, usually with a substitution or enlargement claim. While some recent papers have begun to give attention to the potential for ICT developments to produce disruptive and transformative change ( Gretzel, Sigala, Xiang and Koo, 2015 ; Gretzel, Werthner, Koo and Lamsfus, 2015 ; Werthner et al. , 2015 ), to date there appears to be no systematic attempt to analyze tourism futures with regard to ICT. Additionally, scholars have tended to focus on implications for tourism supply with only limited attention paid to tourist decisions. What has not been explored to date is the possibility that advances in ICT are highly likely to change the way tourists contact and interact with suppliers. This paper seeks to address these gaps by combining elements of both futures and design thinking approaches to develop a conceptual framework focused on the touchpoints that link tourists and tourism suppliers, and by using stories to highlight how ICT may transform and disrupt these touchpoints.

Futures thinking, design thinking and stories

Much academic research in tourism looks backwards, providing detailed descriptions of the past and adhering to very traditional communication formats ( Sheldon et al. , 2011 ). Futures thinking usually seeks to present ideas about what could happen in the future “to stimulate thinking around key issues” ( Varum et al. , 2011 , p. 100). It has been argued in other areas that if academics want to look forward and study futures and innovation they need to develop not only new methods but also be more innovative in the way they present the resulting knowledge ( Gobble, 2014 ). Analyses of effective futures thinking in both general and tourism contexts consistently conclude that “best practice” approaches are based on mapping and analyzing existing systems; critically examining current assumptions, ideas and practices; and building scenarios or stories of the future ( Inayatullah, 2008 ; Page et al. , 2010 ; Yeoman, 2012 ).

Design thinking is concerned with presenting ideas about what should happen in the future to guide innovation. Design thinking suggests paying greater attention to analyzing user intentions and evaluations, advocating the use of stories ( Brown, 2009 ) and combining creativity and science for more effective innovation ( Goes, 2014 ). Stories are particularly effective for engaging with and presenting information to key stakeholders ( IDEO, 2012 ). User stories have also been used in futures thinking about ICT in general (cf. Atzori et al. , 2014 ). Given their complementary goals, it is not surprising that descriptions of futures and design thinking offer a similar set of steps and tools for analysis and presentation ( Goes, 2014 ).

Inayatullah’s (2008 ) Six Pillar model offers five steps for futures thinking that was adapted for this paper. An overview of the futures/design thinking approach used is presented in Figure 1 . The first step involved mapping the present by briefly reviewing current approaches to researching tourism and technology adoption. Second, a deeper systems analysis using a story was conducted. This focused on identifying critical touchpoints where tourist goals connect to management actions. Third, the emerging technologies most likely to cause transformation in tourism were described. Fourth, the touchpoints were used to organize a future user story highlighting likely paradigm shifts within tourism management. Finally, the paper presents possible challenges and barriers to change.

Step one: reviewing current tourism ICT research

A review of current research into ICT and tourism was conducted focusing on papers published in the Journal of Information Technology and Tourism between 2010 and 2017, and papers presented at ENTER conferences. These were supplemented by a search through Google Scholar and the major electronic databases of Proquest, Science Direct, Emerald Insight and Sage Journals, which collectively cover all the major journals in tourism including the Journal of Tourism Futures . This second part of the search used the search phrase “ICT tourism review” and variants such “information technology tourism review,” and “technology tourism review” in order to focus attention on a broader level of analysis.

describing and or advocating the use of different ICT options to do existing tasks better;

profiling which tourists use ICT and how tourists use ICT;

examining user experience and evaluations of ICT applications in tourism;

studying tourist organizations’ adoption and use of ICTs;

researching data analytics;

discussing technical and design features of, and improvements to, specific technologies;

exploring the role of ICT in tourist experience enhancement and co-creation; and

analyzing the concept of smart tourism and smart tourism destinations ( Law et al. , 2014 ; Liang et al. , 2017 ; Navío-Marco et al. , 2018 ; Standing et al. , 2014 ; Wang et al. , 2010 ; Yuan et al. , 2018 ).

As noted previously, while many ICT and tourism papers suggest ICT has the potential to fundamentally change the nature of tourism and tourism business structures, few have attempted to systematically map out likely changes.

Step two: using a story to identify critical touchpoints

The next step in futures analysis is analyzing current systems and processes. It is rare to find information on how tourists interact with and connect to the supply components of a destination ( Pearce, 2016 ). The lack of a widely accepted tourism management system model necessitated use of an alternative approach to analyze management processes and systems. Stories were chosen for two reasons. First this approach is commonly used in both design and futures thinking to link user experiences to management actions ( Brown, 2009 ; IDEO, 2012 ). Second, tourists’ stories are emerging as an important research and analysis tool because they provide important insights into tourist management issues ( Moscardo, 2017a ; Woodside, 2010 ).

The Bennett family has been planning their short break for many weeks. Together they have planned an itinerary that includes three nights in a beachside luxury resort in a tropical location [Choice]. Mr and Mrs Bennett are looking forward to exploring the local art gallery, while Josh and Ella (aged 9 and 11) excitedly discuss the nearby jungle walk to deserted temple ruins and how it sounds just like the setting of one of their favourite Adventure Dan online games.

They check in and click through the online menus on their TV. Mrs Bennett has special dietary requirements and makes a booking at a restaurant where the menu looks like it might accommodate her requirements [Choice]. They adjust the room’s air-conditioning so that it will be nice and cool on their return [Customization], then head out to the nearest art gallery, ignoring the sign asking them to save energy by turning everything off when they leave the room [Compliance].

At the art gallery they explore the art on offer, learning about the local artists from the labels and listening to an audio visual presentation on the role of the environment in inspiring the exhibition. The kids are restless – they have been promised the jungle walk that afternoon if they behave but really, there’s nothing much of interest for them here [Customization]. The kids’ audio trail is boring and the activity centre only has colouring-in sheets and video games [Customization]. Mrs Bennett thinks it would be lovely to meet another family with children of similar ages so the kids could have someone to play with [Connection]. Mr Bennett thinks it might be nice to meet some of the local artists and get more connected to the local community and its culture [Connection].

They return to the hotel for a short siesta in the air-conditioning, then set off on their walk. The kids excitedly push past each other trying to be the first to the ruins. Mrs Bennett has to constantly remind them to stop to read the signs. Together they discuss who might have made the path and how they did it – none of the signs seem to mention this [Customization]. Mrs Bennett gets flustered about making sure the kids stay on the path – it’s quite steep in places but luckily there are fences to stop them getting too close to the edge [Compliance]. Mr Bennett isn’t too pleased though – the barriers spoil his scenic photographs and intrude on his quiet contemplation of nature [Customization].

Once at the temple, the kids climb all over the walls, ignoring the safety signs at the bottom [Compliance]. They’re both really excited to be exploring ancient ruins in the jungle like Adventure Dan. They wonder who built the temple and what it would be like for the explorer who had actually discovered this temple [Customization]. They plead with Mr and Mrs Bennett to buy them paint from the gift shop so they can help colour-in a large frieze of Adventure Dan propped up near the temple walls [Co-creation] but Mrs Bennett isn’t interested and Mr Bennett is too hot and bothered. Perhaps another day…

making choices or decisions about the next course of action such as finding an appropriate restaurant or planning an activity;

customizing activities, services and experiences to meet personal needs, circumstances and interests;

complying with safety and minimal impact directives such as staying on paths and not climbing on walls;

seeking to build connections, either to enhance in-group relationships by ensuring a balance of activities that appeal to all members, or to meet other people such as the local artists or families with children; and

co-creating experiences that are personally meaningful, engaging and memorable.

Inayatullah (2008 ) refers to the process of identifying underlying goals and functions as deepening and argues that this process focuses attention on core areas for futures analysis and change strategies. In the Bennetts’ holiday story, the five touchpoints identified (choice, customization, compliance, connections and co-creation) provide a way to think about tourist experiences and management systems that progresses beyond simply describing the elements in the current system.

Step three: describing emerging and predicted ICT development

In 2013, the McKinsey Global Institute identified a set of disruptive technologies predicted to significantly alter the way we think, work and play. Table I provides a summary of technologies most likely to affect tourism. These have considerable scope to influence a broad range of industries, products and services; have the potential to create substantial economic impact; are advancing rapidly; and are likely to change how we view and interact with the world ( Manyika et al. , 2013 ).

Many areas of tourism are likely to be impacted and changed by disruptive technologies. Mobile communication devices help travelers to navigate through unfamiliar terrain and to connect with a broad range of tourism providers. They allow tourists to create itineraries “on the run” by providing access to websites, apps and social media sites that offer travel information, booking services and user recommendations. ICTs will allow greater sharing of recommendations from travelers with similar characteristics, motives and preferences. In the future, networks of travelers could be the primary source of hints and advice, with location-based services enabling travelers connect with others in their current surroundings who can provide “real time” advice on things to see and do. As Lamsfus et al. (2015 ) argue, internet access is virtually ubiquitous which allows people to connect to their social networks and networks of others who may be present in the same time and space. At the moment, social media networks send alerts when someone in your network is in the same vicinity. In the future, we may be able to expand our networks by inviting likeminded others in our immediate vicinity to share our experiences. For example, traveling families could connect to locals with similar aged children to share experiences and resources; or link back to family and friends back home who could simultaneously experience their travels using AR technology.

Digital technologies have already allowed organizations to develop experiences where the virtual world responds to tourists’ actions. To illustrate, the Disney company has developed technology that places weight sensors in cakes so that when a guest takes a slice, butterflies (images projected on the cake) are released ( Mine et al. , 2012 ). Augmented Reality can superimpose images of the past (architecture, furnishings, events) over what is currently visible; headsets and helmets combine computer generated sounds with sounds in the immediate surroundings; and hand-held devices and/or gloves can respond to touch and pressure (Jung et al. , 2015).

The key challenge here is that the proliferation of information may hinder rather than enhance tourists’ understanding and decision making. One strategy to help tourists cope with the increasing volume of information and possible choices is the use of semantic tagging and programming to customize information more closely to individual preferences. Many websites already offer additional information and advertisements to tourists based on their patterns of search and use. As sensors embedded in the Internet of Things and data analytic algorithms become more sophisticated and accurate in measuring consumer behaviors, commercial provision of information and advertisements will become more closely aligned to an individual’s needs and preferences. Apps are already able to track tourists’ movements; inform them when they’re in the proximity of favorite brands, events and social contacts; and provide directions and recommendations ( Lua et al. , 2015 ). Tagging could also be used to direct people’s movements. Currently, site managers use a combination of physical environmental design (fences, walkways) and persuasive communication (e.g. signs, brochures, guides), sometimes supported by threat of penalty, to guide tourist behavior in areas where safety and negative impacts are a concern ( Mason, 2005 ). In the future, these functions could be allocated to onsite sensors linked to the Internet of Things. These could be programed to send vibrating or audible warning when tourists stray into dangerous or prohibited areas or engage in undesirable actions.

Step four: using stories to understand the forces for change

At the beginning of the year the Bennett family registered their interest in a June mini-break and three weeks ago got notification that their dream holiday was available! Bookings for hotels, tours and activities that match holidays they have taken previously are on hold if they wished to take up the offer [Customization]. They decide to go! Mr and Mrs Bennett are looking forward to exploring the local art gallery that has been sending them pod casts [Customization], while Josh and Ella (aged 9 and 11) excitedly discuss the nearby jungle walk to deserted temple ruins that feature as the background in their favourite Adventure Dan online games.

On arrival, the robot receptionist accesses their cloud-based guest profiles – no need for tedious forms and procedures – and programs their in-room TV to provide multi-sensory menus from near-by restaurants [Choice]. The automatic Skype connection with each restaurant allows Mrs Bennett to talk to the chef about her dietary requirements and custom-design something suitable for that night [Customization]. As they leave for the art gallery, room sensors turn off the air-conditioning and lights [Compliance].

Sensors in the art gallery retrieve their profiles from their mobile devices and suggest a route through the space that would best suit each of their tastes. As they wander through, each family member receives different information, stories and questions through their Alexa connected headphones [Customization]. Then they all receive a message that a family with similar demographics and taste has entered the gallery – would they like to meet up so the kids can do a treasure hunt together? [Connection] Mr Bennett has concentrated his visit on galleries displaying contemporary artwork and declines because he’s just received a message that his favourite artist is part of a live-stream broadcast in the gallery’s sensory dome and he has lots of questions he wants to ask her [Customization].

The kids and the mums meet up [Connection] and spend the next hour happily looking for the “treasure” in certain art works. They adjust the colours and composition of each painting by holding up their mobile devices, giving it instructions and seeing it change on screen [Customization]. This provides much entertainment, especially as their Snapchat glasses allow them to share their “new” paintings with their social media networks [Connection].

After lunch, the family sets off on their walk with their new friends [Connection]. The kids excitedly push past each other trying to be the first to the ruins. As the families reach points of interest, their mobile devices vibrate to alert them to audio and/or visual information about the place [Customization]. Together they discuss who might have made the path and how they did it – their wearable devices interpret the conversation and almost immediately the answers start to appear. Mr. Bennett doesn’t really want this information so he turns that function off on his device [Choice]. The path is quite steep in places but sensors activate loud warning sounds if anyone gets too close to the edge [Compliance]. Mr Bennett is happy because there are no fences to spoil the view and the feeling of being in nature [Customization].

As they approach the complex, they receive notification that a large tour group is currently onsite; consequently, a secondary path is now open – taking this will ensure that by the time they reach the main temple, the group will have left [Customization]. Suddenly, the path lights up – it’s an Adventure Dan hologram inviting them to don their portable AR headsets to explore the temple with him! Using their AR headsets, they are able to see, hear and smell what the temple would have looked like when it was first discovered 200 years ago. Adventure Dan invites the children to take on the role of their favourite character, and together they act out a story about discovering hidden treasure [Co-Creation]. The kids are particularly intrigued that Adventure Dan knows so much about their tastes and preferences [Customization]. This is so cool and they don’t need an adult to play! Their parents start to relax – each child is tagged through their devices so it’s easy to see where they are on the online interactive site map. They also know that onsite cameras and sensors will prevent the kids climbing the walls or doing anything silly [Compliance].

Just as she’s wondering how to spend the next hour or so, Mrs Bennett is delighted to receive an invitation on her mobile device from the tribal chief to hear the story of the temple’s creation – exactly what she’s interested in! [Customization]. She pops on her Snapchat glasses so she can livestream the experience to her best friend at home [Connection]. Mr Bennett wants a more solitary experience. He turns his device to “quiet contemplation” mode and wanders through the site listening to relaxing music [Choice].

That evening, Josh and Ella download a recording of their Adventure Dan experience that features them as the lead characters in their very own story [Co-Creation]. They can’t wait to post this to the Adventure Dan online community for other gamers to enjoy and comment on [Connection]!

The changing forces within tourism management that have been highlighted in this story are summarized in Figure 2 . This is a positive scenario in which the predicted technologies enhance the visitor experience along a number of dimensions. It is possible to generate a number of alternative scenarios ranging from a very negative one in which the predicted technologies detract from all dimensions of the experience through to scenarios in which the technology is sometimes a positive force and sometimes a negative one. It is also possible to extend this analysis to include features beyond the immediate visitor experience in some detail including pre-travel decision making and post-travel reflection. Unfortunately space restrictions in a single paper exclude detailed examination of all these alternatives. The choice to focus on a positive scenarios reflect the strong focus in the existing tourism and ICT literature on highlighting how these predicted technologies will enhance tourism. Negative or critical analyses of ICT and tourism are extremely rare. The choice to focus on the tourist or visitor experience rather than on other travel phases was based on a desire to explore this aspect of tourism in more detail as the existing literature mentions it but generally focuses on tourism organization and processes not directly linked to the tourist experience. Thus the aim was to use the existing literature, which is about enhancement and to add to that literature by examining the tourist experience in more detail.

Figure 2 provides a preliminary conceptual framework for the further analysis of these changing forces on tourist experiences. An examination of the tourism literature found no existing general models, frameworks or theories of tourist management as a system or set of interconnected processes. There are numerous texts on tourism management that have implicit models expressed in the topics covered and the order of that coverage, but they are about tourism more broadly and are typically oriented toward setting out supply side components. In these approaches tourists are markets to be attracted, customers to be served, or potential sources of negative impacts with each of these being seen as separate activities ( Pearce, 2016 ). These tourism management approaches do not provide information on how tourists interact and connect to the supply components of destination ( Pearce, 2016 ), or how they manage themselves. The story supported the development of preliminary model of tourism management that connects tourism businesses to tourists through a set of critical touchpoints that in turn are likely to be changed significantly by emerging and predicted technologies.

The authors now examine these changing forces in more detail, paying particular attention to backstage tourism management changes that would be needed to support the future tourist story. A key feature of emerging technologies is the proliferation and complexity of content available for both tourists and tourism managers. Every aspect of the future story is based upon the generation and use of complex content about the sites, the Bennetts, and other tourists. This suggests a level of knowledge and data collection and manipulation far beyond what is currently considered as user-generated content. Considerable sophistication in the use of data analytic results will be required ( Gretzel et al. , 2015 ).

While connectivity is a key theme in discussions of the emerging and predicted technologies, this focus is almost exclusively on the connectivity between devices and between devices and their immediate users. The connections critical touchpoint and the future story alert us to the changing ways in which tourists connect to other people. In future, these types of connections could be more immediate in both time and space and made based on more complex judgments of compatibility between the people being connected ( Werthner et al. , 2015 ). While new businesses such as AirBnB and Uber are often cited as disruptions ( Gretzel et al. , 2015 ), they are arguably simply a new type of intermediary connecting tourists to providers. The possibility of connection without any intermediaries could be much more disruptive, especially in terms of changing the power relations amongst providers at a destination ( Atzori et al. , 2014 ).

One notable absence in the future tourism story is lack of any immediate contact with, or use of services from, a destination marketing organization (DMO). Currently DMOs identify markets, advertise, provide information about destination businesses and assure service quality. These activities are already becoming obsolete ( Wang et al. , 2013 ), consequently DMOs are increasingly engaging in alternative functions such as coordinating smart infrastructure, data analytics, and disseminating knowledge to destination stakeholders ( Buhalis and Amaranggana, 2014 ).

The ability of tourists to connect directly to other tourists, destination residents and small specialized tourism businesses supports tailored customization and extensive co-creation of experiences. A future tourism world that offers complex choices, customized experiences, compatible connections and opportunities for co-creation assumes a high level of cooperation and coordination amongst tourism providers.

Cooperation is not just about creating meaningful tourist experiences. The future tourism story also highlights potential ways in which tourist site and attraction managers might be able to use the new technologies to encourage compliance with safety directions and minimal impact behaviors. The story describes the absence of onsite physical structures such as gates, fences and signs to provide safety and support onsite experiences. Moscardo (2017b ) notes that over time there have been changes in interpretive practice and theory toward a strong focus on managing tourist pressure on heritage places. The ability of emerging technologies to take on these tasks will require a significant change in the way interpreters think about their roles. The future story presented here is a hopeful one in which site managers and tourists cooperate in ways that support safety and minimize negative impacts on the site. This vision is based on a level of cooperation between the tourists and the site managers that requires much less direct control from managers. A less hopeful story might have cooperative compliance replaced by more severe management control.

The future tourism story also highlights the extensive automation that could happen in tourism. Such automation could make many current tourism employees redundant, an outcome acknowledged in general discussion of ICT futures ( Anderson et al. , 2014 ) but not given much attention in ICT and tourism. While this creates immediate concerns for the endangered tourism employees, it should also create concern at a broader level as in many destinations, residents only tolerate the negative social, cultural and environmental impacts of tourism because of the employment it generates.

The future travel experience described in the Bennett story also assumes the existence, coordination, maintenance and management of the required infrastructure and systems, a common assumption in many ICT futures scenarios ( Rose et al. , 2015 ). In these new systems value is created and exchanged in new ways ( Gretzel et al. , 2015 ). Emerging business opportunities include the design, creation, installation and maintenance of the infrastructure and systems ( Anderson et al. , 2014 ), and services to assist users to navigate complex systems ( Atzori et al. , 2014 ).

In addition to the assumption that the required infrastructure and systems to support these new technology-based tourist experiences exist, is the assumption that all tourism providers have the capacity to effectively use these systems. Required capabilities has been discussed in both the general ICT literature as well as the ICT and tourism literature. The most commonly listed required skills are mastering and managing complexity and constant change, IT literacy, knowledge management, network management and continuous learning strategies ( Atzori et al. , 2014 ; Manyika et al. , 2013 ).

In the predicted future tourism world, businesses will not sell intangible service elements, but rather offer specific skills, services and capacities to tourists creating their own experiences, or to other providers in dynamic, flexible informal networks ( Manyika et al. , 2013 ). Such providers would need to be able to identify what they have that is of value to others in the network. They will also need to be able to engage in and manage multiple relationships within complex networks. This will require considerable sophistication in cooperation, knowledge sharing and coordination skills ( Gretzel et al. , 2015 ).

Step five: identifying constraints, challenges, concerns, cautions

Organizational reluctance to use technology. Purchasing, installing and maintaining equipment, then training staff to effectively use and manage these systems, is expensive and time-consuming ( Manyika et al. , 2013 ). Where businesses choose not to adopt new technologies they may create frustration for tourists who want to use new technologies and systems in places where these are not supported.

While computers may make some tasks more efficient, tourism is a people-based industry where the quality of customer service often determines tourist satisfaction. Replacing staff with computers, introducing self-service for tasks such as hotel check-in and meal ordering, and booking every element of tourists’ itinerary prior to arrival may remove the interpersonal and spontaneous elements of travel. Tourists who want the personal touch may go elsewhere. Any introduction of computer-based solutions to management issues needs to consider the importance of functional benefits vs personal/emotional engagement.

Some businesses and organizations may resist sharing information as it limits their control over the content ( Proctor, 2010 ).

The many opportunity for tourists to connect amongst themselves may circumvent the need for formal tourism providers, thus fundamentally changing the key players as well as the nature of relationships in tourism experiences.

Privacy and security issues are a genuine concern, particularly if data are stored permanently. The Internet of Things and supporting Cloud technology raises questions about the use and dissemination of data that have been collected and stored with or without people’s knowledge or permission. Identity protection and possible security and infiltration of the network for criminal or terrorist purposes are also concerns ( Gubbi et al. , 2013 ; Manyika et al. , 2013 ). Recent studies of young adults revealed that Gen Y and Gen Z are particularly concerned about war, terrorism and political conflict, and that these concerns are more evident amongst young adults living in developed economies than those living in emerging economies ( Coca-Stefaniak and Morrison, 2018 ). Given that these are the tourists of the future, issues related to personal safety, cyber security and cyber terrorism need to be taken into consideration when designing and implementing ICT solutions to managing tourist destinations and tourists.

The same systems that collect data and monitor behavior could also be seen as surveillance that supports control over that behavior ( Anderson et al. , 2014 ); not all tourists will appreciate this.

As technologies continue to evolve and advance, there’s a possibility that people will replace real travel with augmented reality experiences. While this could help mitigate the challenges of managing tourists in fragile, remote and/or over-crowded destinations, it may create new problems in terms of attracting sufficient people to particular places.

Conclusions: to infinity and beyond

The existing discussion of ICT and tourism has mostly focused on ways in which new technologies can automate or make existing tasks more efficient (doing old things better) or ways that expand and alter existing tasks (doing old things in new ways). For many organizations the real challenge lies in trying to think ahead to what happens beyond these options, what new things are going to emerge and what fundamental changes might ensue ( Contractor and Bishop, 2000 ; Rainie and Wellman, 2012 ). Futures and design thinking are both areas that offer methods for systematically examining this third stage with the aim of stimulating thinking about what could or should happen in the future. The ability to generate potential future scenarios or stories is critical for developing proactive strategies to engage with these options ( Yeoman, 2012 ).

Although papers in ICT and tourism often talk about the possibility of declines in areas and the emergence of new businesses, few have offered specific details. The present paper expands upon this discussion by highlighting the potential for the loss of many of the current jobs in tourism in a number of areas and the need for DMOs to carefully consider their role in tourism. Studies are needed to explore how technology-driven experiences and services influence tourists’ perceptions and satisfaction – can technology really be used in roles that have for many generations been delivered by humans? If the answer is affirmative, studies to identify which sectors of the industry are particularly well-suited for ICT solutions will be required. The paper also identifies a number of areas for new business and employment opportunities. The challenge now is to take these possible paradigm shifts and seek practitioner responses.

Slogging through the snow to her front door, Mrs Bennett gets notification on her mobile phone that next weekend the local travel complex will be featuring her first preference, The Great Barrier Reef. Delighted, she confirms the booking. That Saturday, the family check into the complex and change into their summer clothes. It’s hot and slightly humid in their personal AR theatre – just what they ordered! Mr Bennett pulls an icy cold beer from the in-house fridge, and settles into the lounge chair to watch the “waves” breaking on the shore and read his online newspaper. The kids plunge into the waves, delighting at the cool refreshing water that they feel on their AR wetsuits. They ask if they can swim to the furthest life buoy – Mrs Bennett nods happily as she lies back onto her towel. She knows that they won’t actually physically move from the room and that by the time they have tired themselves out, she’ll have a lovely all-over tan as a reminder of the relaxing day.

But maybe the Bennetts don’t even need to travel to the complex – AR travel rooms may become a feature of homes in the future. These rooms could show AR places of the Bennett’s choice; alternatively, they could show livestream footage from people in their social networks who are currently traveling. With a flick of a switch, the room could convey the temperature, smells and sounds of “their” traveler’s physical environment. The Bennetts can see exactly what their friend sees and can talk to them during the experience, all from the comfort of their own home.

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Predicted paradigm shifts in approaches to tourism management

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Corresponding author

About the authors.

Dr Karen Hughes is Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland, Australia and researches and teaches in the area of sustainable tourism, tourist behavior and visitor management. Her research focuses on the areas of interpretation, environmental education and using stories to connect with new and emerging visitor markets. In 2009 Karen completed a PhD exploring the impacts of post-visit support on families’ conservation learning at Mon Repos turtle rookery. She is currently working on several research projects investigating the impact of interpretation on visitors’ long-term environmental knowledge, attitudes and behavior.

Dr Gianna Moscardo is Professor in the College of Business, Law and Governance at James Cook University, Australia. Her research interests include evaluating tourism as a sustainable development strategy with an emphasis on understanding the relationships between characteristics of tourism development and dimensions of destination community well-being. She is also interested in understanding tourist behavior and experiences, the effectiveness of tourist interpretation and the role of stories in tourist experience design. Dr Moscardo has authored or co-authored more than 200 international, peer reviewed academic publications. Dr Moscardo is the current Chair of the Building Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Education Network (BEST EN), an international organization committed to the creation and dissemination of knowledge to support the sustainable tourism education, research and practice.

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Leiper’s Tourism System: A simple explanation

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Leiper’s Tourism System is a basic conceptualisation of the structure of the tourism industry . It is one of the most widely accepted and most well-known models used in tourism research when attempting to understand the tourism system.

Many tourism students will learn about Leiper’s Tourism System towards the beginning of their studies alongside the history of tourism and the importance of tourism . Many people working within the industry learn about Leiper’s Tourism System in order to underpin and inform their operational plans.

But what is Leiper’s Tourism System? In this article I will tell you about who Leiper was, why he was a credible scholar (and why people listen(ed) to him) and how his Tourism System model works in the context of tourism management.

Who was Leiper?

Why was leiper’s tourism system developed, leiper’s tourism system – how does it work, the tourists, the geographical features, the tourism industry, the traveller generating region, the tourist destination region, the tourist transit region, the benefits of leiper’s tourism system, the disadvantages of leiper’s tourism system, to conclude, further reading.

Neil Leiper was an Australian tourism scholar who died in February 2010. His work was extremely influential and continues to be well cited throughout the tourism literature.

Leiper has four major areas in which he focussed his research: tourism systems, partial industrialisation, tourist attraction systems and strategy. It is his work on tourism systems that I will discuss in this post.

Leiper’s research was identified as having a significant influence on travel and tourism academic literature, as well as the conceptualisation of tourism as a discipline. This applies to both research and educational contexts.

Leiper was famed for the connections that he made between theory and strategy, which helped to bridge the gap between theory, policy and practice.

You can read more about Neil Leiper and his academic contributions in this paper .

Discussions about what tourism is and how tourism is defined have been ongoing for many years.

Leiper’s contribution to the debate was to adopt a systems approach towards understanding tourism.

Leiper (1979) defined tourism as:

‘…the system involving the discretionary travel and temporary stay of persons away from their usual place of residence for one or more nights, excepting tours made for the primary purpose of earning remuneration from points en route. The elements of the system are tourists , generating regions, transit routes, destination regions and a tourist industry. These five elements are arranged in spatial and functional connections. Having the characteristics of an open system, the organization of five elements operates within broader environments: physical, cultural, social, economic, political, technological with which it interacts.’

Rather than viewing each part of the tourism system as independent and separate, Leiper’s definition was intended to allow for the understanding of destinations, generating areas, transit zones, the environment and flows within the context of a wider tourism system.

In essence, therefore, Leiper’s Tourism System was developed to encourage people to view tourism as an interconnected system, and to make relevant assessments, decisions, developments etc based upon this notion.

So now that we understand who Neil Leiper was (and that he was a credible tourism scholar), lets take a deeper look at his Tourism System.

In the diagram above you can see the way in which Leiper depicted tourism as being a system.

Leiper did not want people to view each part of the tourism industry as being separate and independent, because it is not. Rather, each component of tourism is closely interrelated.

This means that each part of the system relies strongly upon other parts in order to function properly.

Lets take an unrelated example of a car engine. If one part of the engine isn’t working properly, the car won’t run efficiently or may not run at all…

Lets put this into the context of travel and tourism. If the airline isn’t running flights to a destination, then the hotel will have no business. And if there are no available hotels in the destination, then people will not book flights there.

Now, this is a very simplistic example, but hopefully that helps to provide a clearer picture of how the ‘tourism system’ is interconnected.

The basic elements of Leiper’s Tourism System

There are three major elements in Leiper’s Tourism System: the tourists, the geographical features and the tourism industry.

The tourist is the actor in Leiper’s tourism system. They move around the tourism system, consuming various elements along the way.

In Leiper’s tourism system he identifies three major geographical features: the traveller generating region, the tourist destination region and the tourist transit region.

I will explain which each of these geographical features means short.

The tourism industry is, of course, at the heart of the tourism system. All of the parts that make up the structure of tourism , are found within the tourism system.

The geographical features of Leiper’s Tourism System model

Leiper identifies three main geographical regions in his tourism system. These are visually depicted in the diagram above.

I will explain what each of the geographical features mean below.

Other posts that you may be interested in: – What is tourism? A definition of tourism – The importance of tourism – The history of tourism – Stakeholders in tourism – The structure of tourism – Types of tourism: A glossary

The traveller generating region is the destination in which the tourist comes from.

Exactly what this means, is not entirely clear. Does it mean the departure airport? The home country? The area of the world? The home town? Well in part, I think that this depends on the nature of the tourism that is taking place.

If, for example, a person is taking a domestic holiday , then their home town will almost certainly be classified as the ‘traveller generating region’.

However, when we travel further away, the precise details of our home locations become less important. For example, you may refer instead to the country or district in which you live. Or you may simply refer to the country.

For example, if I were to travel to Spain, I may refer to my traveller generating region as the United Kingdom.

Similarly, sometimes we refer to areas of the world. This is especially the case with travellers from Asia. Some countries in Asia (such as China ) are substantial tourist generating regions. Rightly or wrongly, however, the traveller destination region is often given the vague description of simply being ‘Asia’.

Within the traveller generating region there are many components of tourism.

Here you will often find stakeholders i n tourism such as travel agents and tour operators, who promote outbound or domestic tourism.

The tourist destination region can largely be described in the same vain.

In Leiper’s tourism system, the tourism destination region is the area that the tourist is visiting.

This could be a small area, such as a village or tourist resort. For example, Bentota in Sri Lanka or Dahab in Egypt.

The tourist destination region could be an entire province. For example, Washington State.

Likewise, it could be a country, such as Jordan . Or it could even be an area of the World, such as The Middle East.

In the tourist destination region you will find many components of tourism. Here you will likely find hotels, tourist attractions, tourist information centres etc.

The last geographical region identified in Leiper’s Tourism System is the tourist transit region.

The tourist transit region is the space between when the tourist leaves the traveller generating region and when they arrive at the tourist destination region. This is effectively the time that they are in transit.

The tourist transit region is largely made up of transport infrastructure. This could be by road, rail, air or sea. It involves a large number of transport operators as well as the organisations that work within them, such as catering establishments (think Burger King at the airport).

The tourist transit region is an integral part of Leiper’s Tourism System.

There are many benefits of Leiper’s tourism system.

Leiper’s model allows for a visual depiction of the tourism system. The model is relatively simple, enabling the many to comprehend and use this model.

Leiper’s Tourism System model has been widely cited within the academic literature and widely taught within tourism-based programmes at universities and colleges for many years.

The way in which this model demonstrates that the different parts of the tourism industry are interrelated and dependent upon each other provides scope for better planning and development of tourism .

There are, however, also some disadvantages to Leiper’s Tourism System model.

Whilst the simplicity of this model can be seen as advantageous, as it means that it can be understood by the many rather than the few, it can be argued that it is too simple.

Because the model is so simple, it is subject to interpretation, which could result in different people understanding it in different ways – I demonstrated when I discussed what ‘region’ meant.

Leiper developed this model back in 1979 and a lot has changed in travel and tourism since then. Take, for example, the use of the Internet.

Lets say that a person lives in Italy and books a trip to Thailand through an online travel agent who is based in the USA. Where in the model does the travel agent fit? Because they have little place in either the traveller generating region or the tourist destination region….

The post-modern tourism industry is not accounted for in this model, thus it can be argued that it is limited in scope because it is outdated.

Likewise, this model fails to address the way in which the tourism system is actually part of a network of interrelated systems. What about the agriculture sector? Or the construction industry? Or the media? All of these areas play an essential role in [feeding, building, promoting] tourism, but they are not represented in the model.

Leiper’s Tourism System is a key part of the foundation literature in travel and tourism.

It provides a good representation of the way that the many parts of the tourism industry work together as a system, rather than individually. However, it fails to account for many of the complexities of the industry and its ties with associated industries.

Nonetheless, this is an interesting model that is widely applicable both in an academic and practical sense.

If you would like to learn more about the fundamentals of the travel and tourism industry, I have listed some key texts below.

• An Introduction to Tourism : a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to all facets of tourism including: the history of tourism; factors influencing the tourism industry; tourism in developing countries; sustainable tourism; forecasting future trends.
• The Business of Tourism Management : an introduction to key aspects of tourism, and to the practice of managing a tourism business.
• Tourism Management: An Introduction : gives its reader a strong understanding of the dimensions of tourism, the industries of which it is comprised, the issues that affect its success, and the management of its impact on destination economies, environments and communities.

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Design and Implementation of Tourism Management System Based on SSH

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With the increasing pressure of life, more and more people want to have enough time to go to the outside world to release themselves and enjoy themselves. Therefore, tourism has gradually become an important industry. The traditional tourism management system mainly records, statistics and integrates the data generated, lacks the cognition of tourists’ needs, and can not meet the growing pursuit. Therefore, the system scientifically and reasonably increases the personalized function demand on the traditional tourism management system.

This paper uses the mature EE platform development, using the current more mature MVC design pattern and SSH architecture, to achieve the management of tourism information, and further elaborated on each functional module; at the same time, it focuses on the research and analysis of the function of scenic spot recommendation module.

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Liu, Q., Duan, Z.: On the impact of computer technology on social development. Comput. Knowl. Technol. 02 , 444445+447 (2013)

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Lu, X.: Research on demand oriented tourism destination information system. Chongqing Normal University (2009)

Campbell, C.K.: An Approach to Research in Recreational Geography. Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, British Columbia (1967)

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Yang, P. (2022). Design and Implementation of Tourism Management System Based on SSH. In: J. Jansen, B., Liang, H., Ye, J. (eds) International Conference on Cognitive based Information Processing and Applications (CIPA 2021). Lecture Notes on Data Engineering and Communications Technologies, vol 84. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5857-0_27

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User Registration: It is an amazing feature and the most crucial one for any travel automation software. The visitors on your portal create a profile with all the required details and gets secure login to engage on the portal. A user can register as a 'User,' 'Agent,' or 'Corporation,' depending on the type of interaction they plan to make with the site. This feature assists you in building a database with the details of their contact and other crucial details which can be used for growing your business.

Mobile accessibility and user-friendly: Mobile-friendly responsive design for easy browsing and accessing the website from all devices. Along with an easy-to-use interface that inspires customers to interact with the various options and generate the most pleasant experiences.

Around-the-clock availability: With an online travel booking portal , bookings can be made anytime from anywhere with ease. As the services will be available around the clock you do not need to be working all the time to receive a booking request. Consumers can book the activity as per their schedules.

What are the Top Modules of Travel Management Software?

The top modules of tour operator software are –

Flight module 

Flight management is extremely important for any travel business. The module allows you to access a wide range of flight/GDS APIs for further details. You can check the real-time availability of flights and proceed with booking.

Hotel module

One of the most vital components of travel management software is hotel booking. It is an essential module that is a critical part of every travel management system. It allows you to link to various hotel APIs . Following that, you can check out the real-time availability, pricing, etc., of various hotels.

Sightseeing management module

Another essential module that needs to be taken into consideration is the Sightseeing management module. This module connects you to a wide range of car and travel APIs . It allows simple and hassle-free vehicle booking after getting real-time information. You can book, reserve, and even cancel with ease.

Ticketing module

Keeping a track of the tickets associated with travel booking is crucial. For that, the ticketing module plays a significant role. The module keeps note of the ticket issued, confirmed, canceled, and redeemed. That way, you'll be able to schedule the full tour without any issues.

Payment gateways

Secured payment gateways are significant components of reliable travel agency software solutions . The in-built layered security aids in preventing fraud.

Key benefits of Tourism Management System:

Here are some key benefits of using TMS software:

Streamlined Operations: A tourism management system can help to streamline a travel business's various operations, such as bookings, scheduling, invoicing, and payment processing. This automation helps to reduce the workload of the travel business, improve efficiency, and increase productivity.

Better Inventory Management: A TMS can assist travel companies in more effectively managing their inventory, and keeping track of available accommodations, tickets, and other travel products. This enables travel companies to better allocate resources, optimize revenue, and provide better services to clients.

Increased revenue: Tourism management systems can assist travel companies in increasing revenue by streamlining operations and providing customized services. With enhanced inventory control and pricing strategies, travel businesses can offer competitive pricing and attract more customers.

Improved Customer Experience: A TMS allows airline companies to provide their clients with a more personalized experience. By keeping track of customers' preferences and previous interactions, travel businesses can offer tailor-made packages and promotions, which can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Enhanced Marketing Efforts: Travel companies can use a TMS to enhance their marketing efforts by leveraging client data. Travel companies can create tailored marketing strategies that turn leads into customers by analyzing customer behavior and tastes.

Real-Time Data Insights: A TMS offers real-time data insights into business performance, allowing travel organizations to make data-driven decisions. Travel companies that have access to data on inventory, revenue, and client behavior can optimize their operations, obtain growth possibilities, and stay ahead of the competition.

Increased Efficiency and Profitability: By streamlining operations, optimizing inventory management, and improving the customer experience, a TMS can help travel businesses increase efficiency and profitability. As a result, companies can engage in growth possibilities, extend their offerings, and remain competitive in an ever-changing industry.

What We Offer

Trawex platform currently empowers 1000+ customers across 4 continents, 10000+ bookings a day, 1000000+ travel searches a day, across 200+ suppliers, 600,000+ hotels, 1000+ airlines, 200,000+ activities, 30,000+ cruise itineraries and much more for your brand..

Inventory Consolidation

Instant integrations with more than 100 suppliers that are integrated on demand.

Travel APIs

A complete set of travel APIs that empower our clients to develop custom travel solutions.

Custom Modules

A production-ready library of Modules that can be used as is or customized as per your requirement.

Faster Time to Market

Integrate suppliers in matter of few days. Over 100 suppliers maintained.

Travel Portal Development

Travel APIs Dummy Text

White Label Travel Websites

B2C / B2B Booking Engines

Itinerary Planner

BackOffice Solutions Dummy Text

How we engage.

We Help Your Own Developers

• Third Party API Integrations
• Own Inventory Management System
• Offer your Customers Unparalleled Content
• Fully Managed Service
• Comprehensive travel inventory management system

Customized Hosted Solution

Off The Shelf

• Pre-integrated suppliers to provide the best inventory and prices
• Comes with Trawex APIs to build websites and apps in a fraction of time
• World Renowned Reliability
• Faster Time To Market
• Best user experience with 99.9% uptime

Grow Your Business with a Powerful Online Engagement Platform and Experienced Travel Partner

You won't be going on the engagement journey alone. We're there as a partner to help, support and advise to ensure your ultimate success.

• Online travel booking engine
• Multiple sales channels - B2B, B2B2B, B2B2C
• Centralised mid-office
• Ability to connect multiple GDS, LCC, and third party APIs
• Complete Reservation Management
• Travel Agent Management
• Transactional Accounting
• Accounting System Integration
• Comprehensive system to manage rates, discounts and allocation
• Payment Gateway Integration
• Multiple Supplier APIs
• Add direct contracts
• Redistribution API
• Configure credit limit and deposits
• Multilingual travel websites
• Add offline travel bookings
• Distribute white labels
• Dynamic fare caching
• Commissions and markup control
• Advanced Reports
• Manage multiple branches
• Sub Agents can create and manage multiple branches and users
• Optional cross selling platform
• SMS gateway
• Multi currency transactions for agents and suppliers
• Business intelligence reports

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Our products empower Retail Sales.

• Analyzing your requirements, fulfilling your business objectives and providing you the right solution.
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Tourism Management Tutorial

• Tourism Management - Home
• Tourism Basics
• Tourism Management - Introduction
• Tourism Management - Types
• Tourism Management - Terminology
• Tourism Management - Factors
• Tourism Management - Demand
• Tourism Mngmt - Motivation Factors
• Maslow's Pyramid of Motivation
• Consumer Behavior in Tourism
• Tourism Management - Plog's Model
• About Tourism Destinations
• Destination Awareness
• Tourism Management - Milieus
• Tourism Management Destination
• Tools for Destination Management
• Managing Tourism
• Tourism Management - Supply
• Tourism Functional Management
• Business Departments
• Market Segmentation
• Tourism Mngmt - Marketing Mix
• Tourism Mngmt - Products & Services
• Developing Product
• Product Development Phases
• Tourism Impacts, Trends, & Future
• Tourism Management - Impacts
• Tourism Mngmt - Trends & Future
• Tourism Management Resources
• Tourism Management - Quick Guide
• Tourism Management - Resources
• Tourism Management - Discussion
• Selected Reading
• UPSC IAS Exams Notes
• Developer's Best Practices
• Questions and Answers
• Effective Resume Writing
• HR Interview Questions
• Computer Glossary

Tourism Management is management of all activities related to tourism business. This tutorial introduces you to various types of tourism, geographical milieus, destination awareness, development, and management, market segmentation, tourism products and services, impacts of tourism, and trends in tourism.

This tutorial is prepared for the beginners to help them understand the basics of tourism. The ones who are keen on taking up career in Hospitality and Tourism, this tutorial is resourceful. For all other enthusiastic readers, this tutorial is a good learning material.

Prerequisites

We assume the reader has a basic knowledge of hotel and tourism businesses. Creativity, passion for service provision and travelling, and good communication skills are a plus.

• English (UK)
• English (CA)
• Deutsch (DE)
• Deutsch (CH)

17 must-have features in a travel management system

What is a travel management system.

See how to save money by automating your booking process

Key features in a travel management system, 1. customizable travel policies.

• Special policies for specific travelers (such as c-level or a department that often has to book last-minute flights)
• Global policies for nightly hotel rates
• Nightly hotel rate by city
• Global policies for maximum domestic and international flight cost
• Maximum flight cost for specific routes
• Minimum number of days required for advanced booking
• Global maximum train cost
• Maximum train cost for certain routes

2. Customizable approval workflows

3. extensive inventory, 4. support included at no additional cost, 5. no redirects, 6. travel spend reporting.

• Travel spend by time period
• Travel spend by department or team
• Amount of travel spend booked out of policy
• Travel spend by project or client or event
• Amount of travel spent for hiring

7. Consolidated invoicing

8. review the status of all trips in one place.

• Who has successfully booked their trip within policy
• Who is requesting an out-of-policy booking and why
• Who has an in-progress trip (they’ve saved an itinerary but not completed the booking yet)
• Who hasn’t booked a trip

9. Easy booking, including self-booking for travelers

10. methods of transportation that matter to you, 11. mobile app for travelers on the go, 12. saving in-progress bookings and collaborating.

• Your CEO selects a flight and hotel and wants you to finalize it
• Travelers are allowed to select the trips they want but not complete bookings (so you complete it after they pick their options)
• A trip for multiple travelers needs to be reviewed, so you save it and double-check with everyone before finalizing it
• A potential hire, client, or managed talent chooses their trip details and the main office books it

13. Easy to see what’s in and out of policy when searching

14. expense tool integration.

• Offers an external API so your development team can integrate it with your expense tool
• Offers custom integration services

15. Save traveler information

16. save loyalty points, 17. no long term contracts.

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