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Impacts

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EXAMINE THE BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF THE MODERN ETOURISM PLATFORMS
In the past few decades, information communication technologies (ICTs) have rapidly changed the way travel intermediaries operate and compete (Buhalis and Licata 2002). Travel has been traditionally distributed to customers by travel agencies and tour operators. Traditional electronic intermediaries or ‘eMediaries’ include global distribution systems (GDSs), such as WORLDSPAN and SABRE and teletext (Buhalis and Licata 2002). Teletext is a system for broadcasting text over an unused portion of a television signal and displaying it on a decoder-equipped television set (Merriam Webster 2013).
Tourism intermediaries have been forced to readdress their revenue and cost bases as well as to re-evaluate all partnerships and value chains. ICT tools reinvent the packaging of tourism to a much more individual-focused activity, offering great opportunities for both suppliers and intermediaries, and enhancing the total quality of the final product. In the future, eTourism will be focused on consumer-centric technologies that will support organizations in interacting with their customers dynamically (Wand and Pizam 2011).
Consumers now have access to a vast pool of high quality, topical, unbiased information, generated not by commercial interests but by other consumers, to help them in their decision making processes via the Web. This is done through social media as well as blogging websites. eTourism platforms are the basic technology of a computer system’s hardware for Web-based applications which are used to display the application of ICTs in the tourism sector (Almejalli n.d.). The main modern eTourism intermediaries or platforms include the Internet, mobile commerce and interactive digital television.
The Internet
The Internet is a public computer network that spans the entire globe (Jafari 2000). The Internet has been taken advantage of by tourism consumers and suppliers exponentially over the past few years. In this digital era, the Internet has become one of the most important sources of consumer information especially for young and better educated consumers (Cook, Yale and Marqua 2002). Suppliers, for instance, such as destinations, airlines and hotels have formulated websites so that consumers can easily make reservations or purchase airline tickets. A number of web based travel agencies have also emerged including Expedia.com and Orbitz.com. Other travel information available online can be accessed through newspaper websites and portals (such as Yahoo.com).
Advantages of the Internet
• It gives access to a great number of persons, as well as offers the opportunity to develop closer relationships with consumers (Buhalis and Licata 2002).
• The internet enables consumers to communicate with travel companies on a ‘round the clock’ basis.
• It enables organizations to implement Customer Relationship Management (CRM) programs which enhance the opportunity for interaction and better understanding on both sides.
• Tourism organizations have reduced their distribution and overhead costs.
Disadvantages of the Internet
• Lack of human contact and interaction making it difficult to instigate further sales.
• Security issues as it regards cybercrimes that include auction fraud, vacation fraud, spamming and identity theft, as well as privacy issues (Cook, Yale and Marqua 2002).
• Lack of access to a market that would not purchase products online due to lack of personal service and experience as well as the time consuming nature of purchasing products online.
Mobile Commerce
Mobile commerce or mCommerce is becoming increasingly popular as a medium for tourism providers and customers to share information and conduct business transactions. Mobile commerce is defined as the use of wireless handheld devices such as cellular phones and laptops to conduct commercial transactions online (Investopedia 2013).
Advantages of Mobile Commerce
• Used by tourism providers to provide quick, timely information regarding flight arrivals and departures and checking in to a hotel (Buhalis and Licata 2002).
• It is a great opportunity for last minute sales as well as a medium for consumers to make changes to reservations or arrival/departure times.
• It allows companies to target consumers at their proximity and to provide special promotions, offers and services.
• It empowers customers to access more information, in more detail and in a more independent manner.
• A certain degree of interaction is allowed between tourism suppliers and their customers.
Disadvantages of Mobile Commerce
• A company that adopts a multi-channel strategy and expand into mobile platforms may prove expensive for many small companies.
• Privacy issues as it regards marketers constantly bombarding a mobile user with advertisements.
• Mobile platforms are vastly diverse as it regards, using different browsers and operating systems.
• The availability of web applications that can be specific to a travel company or destination can prove to be overwhelming for mobile users.

Interactive Digital Television (IDTV)
Interactive television can be defined as the result of the process of convergence between television and the new interactive digital technologies (Net Industries 2013).
Advantages of IDTV
• It will enable easier access and increase the number of users dramatically.
• It can inspire greater confidence to the online buyer as transactions would be perceived as safer compared to the Internet.
• It is a richer communication medium, enables a more relaxed atmosphere, is interactive and allows videos on demand, is easy to use, and presents content to more families/groups than individuals.
• It can be considered an enabler and ePlatform for global travel distribution.
Disadvantages of IDTV
• Although consumers can watch the multimedia on television, they will not be able to interact and customise in the same way as they would via the Internet.
• IDTV usage is currently limited and can only reach a limited customer base.
• It is a higher cost to participate in this type of technology, and will prove to be a barrier to those who wish to use the technology to communicate their messages.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Almejalli, Khaled. N.d. Fuzzy based Decision Support System for E-tourism Investment Risk Analysis. http://eastwest.inf.brad.ac.uk/SKIMA%20Presentation/session%205-6/Fuzzy%20based%20Decision%20Support%20System%20for%20E-tourism%20Investment%20Risk%20Analysis.pdf (accessed February 23rd 2012).
Buhalis, Dimitrios and Maria Cristina Licata. 2002. The Future eTourism intermediaries. Tourism Management 23: 207-220. http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/1126/1/fulltext.pdf (accessed February 22nd 2013).
Investopedia. 2013. Definition of ‘Mobile Commerce’. http://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/mobile-commerce.asp#axzz2LmGT08KC (accessed February 23rd 2013).
Jafari, Jafar (ed). 2000. Encyclopedia of Tourism. London: Routeledge.
Merriam Webster. 2013. Definition of Teletext. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/teletext (accessed February 23rd 2013).
Net Industries. 2013. Interactive Digital Television - Background, A Definition of Interactivity, Local Interactivity, One-Way Interactivity, Two-Way Interactivity. http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/6634/Interactive-Digital-Television.html (accessed February 23rd 2013).
Wang, Youcheng and Abraham Pizam (ed). 2011. Destination Marketing and Management: Theories and Applications. Oxfordshire: CAB International.

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