A Study on Application of Information Technology on Tourism Development

Application of Information Technology (IT) has revolutionized the functioning of business all over the world. Its impact has been felt mostly in the information dependent industries. Tourism is one such industry. This study examines the penetration of Information Technology in the context of Tourism Management. This study has found differences in usage of IT and attitudes towards its dependence upon size of tourism organizations. In the case of smaller companies, the low cost access to Internet and on-line systems was viewed as an expensive investment. Tour operators, travel agents and direct tourism suppliers can increasingly use information technologies to communicate destination images to prospective consumers. The advent of Computerized Reservation Systems (CRS) means that travel products can be marketed directly to the potential consumer. This paper also investigates about different applications of information technology like Virtual Reality (VR) simulations, e-payments, CRS that can be used to develop tourism market. Although VR technology is rather primitive at present, it is argued that through its ability for interactivity, consumers will be able to experience a destination without leaving their origin destination.