THE INTERNET AS A MARKETING TOOL FOR TOURISM IN THE BALEARIC ISLANDS
Mature tourist destinations are usually highly controlled by tour operators. The recent introduction of the Internet as a commercial tool has provided the supply side with an alternative channel for communication, marketing, and distribution, which may prove capable of sidestepping these middlemen. In this article the use of the Internet among hotel and airline companies is analyzed, and its effect on the tourist industry in the Balearic Islands is discussed. Primary research was conducted among these companies in order to find out the extent of the use of Internet, and the perceived value of some of its attributes. The results show very different levels of use, and establish the existence of five different groups based on these evaluations.
Keywords: Balearic Islands; E-commerce; Internet; Marketing; Tour operators; Tourism; Web
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: Universitat de les Illes Balears, Carretera de Valldemossa, Km 7.5 Edif. Mateu Orfila, 07071 Palma, Mallorca, Illes Balears, Spain
Publication date: 01 January 2002
- Information Technology & Tourism is the first scientific journal dealing with the exciting relationship between information technology and tourism. Information and communication systems embedded in a global net have profound influence on the tourism and travel industry. Reservation systems, distributed multimedia systems, highly mobile working places, electronic markets, and the dominant position of tourism applications in the Internet are noticeable results of this development. And the tourism industry poses several challenges to the IT field and its methodologies.
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