01Handout 1: Introduction to Tourism and Information Technology

One benefit of information and communications technology (ICT) in travel agencies is making it possible to store information in a data warehouse that helps develop proactive marketing tools to target individual customers with specialized products.

• False

• True

The intangible nature of tourism has brought the information technology and tourism industries together to market the tourism product and make it more tangible creatively.

• False

• True

Information and communications technologies allow customer management relations and supply chain management to be combined into a single source that facilitates various operations.

• False

• True

Sometimes, the tourism product is also referred to as an experience.

• False

• True

Information systems can be defined as the application of computers and telecommunications equipment to store, retrieve, transmit, and manipulate data.

• False

• True

Travel products and services cannot be standardized and vary enormously.

• Heterogeneity

• Intangibility

• Perishability

• Inseparability

Unsold hotel rooms, aircraft seats, and tours cannot be stored for later sale.

• Heterogeneity

• Intangibility

• Perishability

• Inseparability

Production occurs alongside consumption. The product or service is being “consumed” as it is delivered.

• Heterogeneity

• Intangibility

• Perishability

• Inseparability

Services cannot be experienced, touched, felt, or sampled before purchase.

• Heterogeneity

• Intangibility

• Perishability

• Inseparability

Tourism includes the international movement of people on a mass scale.

• Heterogeneity

• Global Scope

• Intagibility

• Inseparability