Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Tourism

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Tourism
Tourism has closely been connected to progress of ICTs for over 30 years. The establishments of the Computer Reservation Systems (CRSs) in the 1970s, Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) in the late 1980s and the Internet in the late 1990s have transformed operational and strategic practices dramatically in tourism (Buhalis, 2003; Buhalis & Law, 2008). The tourism industry at first focused on utilizing computerized systems (e.g., CRS, GDS) to increase efficiency in processing of internal information and managing distribution. Nowadays, the Internet and ICTs are relevant on all operative, structural, strategic and marketing levels to facilitate global
interaction among suppliers, intermediaries and consumers around the world (Buhalis & Law, 2008; Egger & Buhalis, 2008).
In this section, we first provide the concepts and definitions of the key terms related to the Internet and ICTs. Then we discuss benefits and limitations of the Internet and ICTs.