This book investigates the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Caribbean travel firms, particularly for sales and marketing purposes. By examining the decision-making process in tourism companies deciding whether to become more dependent on digital capabilities and artificial intelligence, this text seeks to understand the role of strategy and resources in technology adoption. Further, the author assesses the role of factors both external (such as culture) and internal (such as leadership) in this strategic process. Economies in the Caribbean are reliant on tourism to bring prosperity to the region, and with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry is being forced to transform the way it operates. With implications for those studying organizational behavior as well as strategic and tourism management, this study analyzes rapid change in this pivotal industry.
This book investigates the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Caribbean travel firms, particularly for sales and marketing purposes. By examining the decision-making process in tourism companies deciding whether to become more dependent on the digital capabilities and artificial intelligence, this text seeks to understand the role of strategy and resources in technology adoption. Further, the author assesses the role of factors, both external (such as culture) and internal (such as leadership) in this strategic process. Economies in the Caribbean are reliant on tourism to bring prosperity to the region, and with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry is being forced to transform the way it operates. With implications for those studying organizational behavior as well as strategic and tourism management, this study analyzes rapid change in this pivotal industry. Andrew Spencer is Deputy Executive Director and Senior Lecturer at the Mona School of Business and Management, as well as Head of the Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Management at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica. He is the former Executive Director of the Tourism Product Development Company, the agency responsible for the maintenance, development and enhancement of the tourism product in Jamaica. He is the author of Travel and Tourism in the Caribbean, published by Palgrave Macmillan and has published extensively in international journals. .
Tourism Through Troubled Times is an illuminating read for all scholars of Tourism Studies, Hospitality Management, and the Sociology of Tourism, as well as practitioners and managers within the hospitality sector, and gives clear insights into the industry’s next steps forward.
This book explores the distinct nuisances and obstacles that are brought on by the tourism and travel industry within Caribbean small island developing countries (SIDS). The author explores best practices and measures that can be used to overcome or alleviate the hardship faced by the industry by giving voice to the nations that are often overshadowed or restrained by their developed counterparts. This book reflects on and assesses the transformative power that tourism has in Caribbean small island developing states, while unearthing the threats that affect the longevity and economic viability of the industry in general. It is an important and overdue text focusing on this unique group of islands and will inform students and researchers on the struggles and opportunities they face.
To preserve the environment with the lowest possible cost to the social sector means that private costs should be aligned with social costs. Many governments in the Latin American and Caribbean Region are doing this now using market-based instruments (MBIs). This publication investigates the use of MBIs in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) context. The investigation covers a sample of eleven countries in the region and a cross-section of environmental issues in an urban setting.
This book very specifically focuses on technology application in tourism in Asia. The book contains twenty-seven chapters in four sections (i.e., theories, innovations, practices, and future research directions), based on the intriguing qualities and importance of technology applications in the Asian tourism business. This book, a blend of comprehensive and extensive efforts by the contributors and editor, is designed to extensively cover technology applications in tourism in Asia, including distinct topics such as mobile computing, new product designs, innovative technology usages in tourism promotion, technology-driven sustainable tourism development, location-based apps, mobility, accessibility, the post crisis situation of COVID-19, etc. This book is a significant contribution towards the very limited knowledge of technology applications in tourism, with selected examples of Asian countries. The importance of technology in Asian tourism is rapidly increasing, and has led to a rise in luxury, allowing citizens to enjoy leisure travel over both long and short distances. The rise of low-cost airlines and the region’s growing, affluent middle class have changed the tourism environment dramatically. More tourists are booking their holidays online as a result of technological advancements. Online travel is the most important and well-established aspect of Asia's Internet economy. Considering the ongoing trend of technology applications in the tourism industry in Asia, more research attempts like this book need to be made aiming towards exploring diverse aspects. As tourism is an expanding area, this book can serve as a reading companion for tourism students, policy planners and industry professionals. This book is expected to be appreciated by expatriate researchers and researchers having a keen interest in the Asian tourism industry.
Make the most of your online business resources The growing acceptance and use of the Internet as an increasingly valuable travel tool has tourism and hospitality businesses taking a critical look at their business-to-customer online environments while pondering such questions as, “How do I get people to visit my Web site?” “Is my Web site attracting the ’right’ kind of e-consumers?” and “How do I turn browsers into buyers?” The Handbook of Consumer Behavior, Tourism, and the Internet analyzes the latest strategies involving Internet business applications that will help you attract—and keep—online travel customers. Researchers from the United States, Europe, and Asia present the latest findings you need to make the right decisions regarding long-term e-commerce development and planning. The Handbook of Consumer Behavior, Tourism, and the Internet examines vital issues affecting the travel and tourism industry from an online perspective. This book analyzes the latest theory and research on general online buyer characteristics, the differences between online and offline consumer behavior, the differences between broadband and narrowband users, the online search process, quality and perception of lodging brands, and Web site design, maintenance, and development. Each section of the book includes a model/diagram that serves as an overview of the topic, followed by a thorough discussion on the topic from several sources. Each section ends with commentary on the areas where future research is needed. The book’s contributors use a variety of research methodologies ranging from qualitative data analyses using artificial neutral network analysis, to experimental design, non-parametric statistical tests, and structural equation modeling. Topics examined in the Handbook of Consumer Behavior, Tourism, and the Internet include: the need for businesses to use internal examinations to determine and meet online consumer needs the emerging field of e-complaint behavior—consumers taking to the Web to voice complaints about travel services how to use e-tools to measure guest satisfaction how to measure consumer reaction to Web-based technology the Internet’s impact on decision making for travel products and how to use e-mail marketing, electronic customer relationship management (eCRM), Web positioning, and search engine placement The Handbook of Consumer Behavior, Tourism, and the Internet is equally valuable as a classroom resource or professional reference, providing up-to-date material on Internet applications and their impact on consumers and e-commerce.
"In this volume the authors address the most important elements necessary for the success of any tourism product - People, Service and Hospitality. Issues such as the quality of human resources available, their development and management and the role and function of the host population are addressed through detailed country studies and references. They see the creation of a service attitude in the Caribbean hospitality industry as a crucial factor, particularly in the all-inclusive resorts, highlighting the importance of service over servility. Special attention is given to the small hotel sector through case studies drawn from Curaçao, Dominica and Jamaica. The contributors to this volume, as indeed to the other two that follow, are drawn almost equally from academia and from practitioners and industry experts providing he kind of balance that will make this book accessible and relevant for practitioners, researchers, policymakers and students in training. "
The tourism sector has been deeply affected particularly in economic terms by the COVID-19 pandemic. This crisis has led to new practices and radical changes. Scientists emphasize that mankind will face pandemics more frequently in the forthcoming years. Thus, it is important to understand the negative impacts the COVID-19 pandemic had on the tourism sector as well as the measures that were and are being put in place to protect the industry during future outbreaks. The Handbook of Research on the Impacts and Implications of COVID-19 on the Tourism Industry is a comprehensive reference source that reflects upon the evaluations of the experienced and ongoing pandemic crisis in the context of the tourism sector. The positive and negative effects experienced by tourism employees and tourists are examined, and post-pandemic processes and business practices are evaluated. Covering topics including consumer rights in tourism, dynamic changes in the tourism industry, and employment in tourism, this book is suitable for travel agencies, restaurateurs, hotel managers, brand managers, marketers, advertisers, managers, executives, hospitality personnel, policymakers, government officials, tourism practitioners, students, academicians, and researchers seeking the latest sustainable policies and practices that are being utilized to increase the productivity of the tourism sector and will allow it to thrive in the years to come.
