Economic Themes (2011) 49 (4) 11, 681-694
Vukašin Šušić, Dejan Ž. Đorđević
Abstract: Modern information and communication technologies have influenced the changes in the way of travel agency business - tour operators and retailers, in the direction of the efficiency increase and speed of operation as well as in providing quality tourist services. Nowadays, with the use of these technologies, small travel agencies are allowed, at a relatively low cost, to computerize most business operations and to operate successfully in the global tourism market (e.g. Internet sites, e-mail, booking travel services through the Internet). At the same time, technological innovations in the tourism business have jeopardized the mediating role of travel agencies on the one hand, that is, transformed the nature of tourist supply and provided consumers - tourists greater autonomy in deciding on the purchase and consumption of tourist products. It is believed that in the future tourists will obtain most of the services related to travel electronically, and services of travel agencies will be used only for the purchase of complex tourism products (cruise travel, longer journeys, visits to unknown destinations, adventurous forms of tourism etc).
Keywords: information technology; tourism; travel agencies; tour operators; tourists
THE ROLE OF ICT IN BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT OF TRAVEL AGENCIES
Vukašin Šušić, Dejan Ž. Đorđević
Abstract: Modern information and communication technologies have influenced the changes in the way of travel agency business - tour operators and retailers, in the direction of the efficiency increase and speed of operation as well as in providing quality tourist services. Nowadays, with the use of these technologies, small travel agencies are allowed, at a relatively low cost, to computerize most business operations and to operate successfully in the global tourism market (e.g. Internet sites, e-mail, booking travel services through the Internet). At the same time, technological innovations in the tourism business have jeopardized the mediating role of travel agencies on the one hand, that is, transformed the nature of tourist supply and provided consumers - tourists greater autonomy in deciding on the purchase and consumption of tourist products. It is believed that in the future tourists will obtain most of the services related to travel electronically, and services of travel agencies will be used only for the purchase of complex tourism products (cruise travel, longer journeys, visits to unknown destinations, adventurous forms of tourism etc).
Keywords: information technology; tourism; travel agencies; tour operators; tourists
