Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2002

Consumers, who are increasingly mobile and better informed, are becoming more demanding in the eTourism world. However, what role will mobile devices play in the communication process with marketing, strategy and other functions? How do online consumers really behave in this globalizing, converging, and consolidating tourism industry? How does their behavior differentiate them from other customers? To what extent will new technologies, expert systems, new types of online-available consumer or business databases, and sophisticated models influence traditional research approaches in both the tourism and information technology arena? What is the contribution of information technology to organizational performance and social welfare when considering the microstructured characteristics of the tourism industry? What new forms of intermediation will emerge?These questions have provoked a number of exciting responses. They are collected in this volume.