INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR TOURISM MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Nowadays, to be competitive in society means to
have a technological framework that fi ts customer
responses. In tourism, the need for ICT (Information
and Communication Technologies) is even more
important, since to sell the tourist product it is
crucial to disclose the information that characterizes
it, plus, it is necessary to organize, manage and deal
with it in accordance with the tourists’ expectations.
After the tourist product has been consumed, it
is important to share the experience with other
travellers.
The process of purchase and consumption of
a tourist product is possible only if tourists and
professionals have access to the information
required, and for this it is necessary to use systems
that can: manage results, fl ights and customer
loyalty, distribute information and travel planning,
among other things. All these systems have tourist
information management in common, which leads
to the conclusion that they are indispensable to
tourism. This paper presents several information
systems that coexist in the tourism sector, as well as
those used in tourist distribution channels. Finally
we show the trends that these systems are causing
in tourism.