Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Travel Technology shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Travel Technology offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Travel Technology at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Travel Technology? Wrong! If the Travel Technology is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Travel Technology then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Travel Technology? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Travel Technology and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Travel Technology wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Travel Technology then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Travel Technology site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Travel Technology, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Travel Technology, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
Travel technology is a term used to describe applications of
Information Technology (IT), or
Information and Communications Technology (ICT), in
travel,
tourism and
hospitality industry. Travel technology may also be referred to as tourism technology or even hospitality automation. Web 2.0 is a current buzzword in the travel technology community, used to describe various
social software applications.
XML is an increasingly important aspect of travel technology for handling
metadata toward the
semantic web.
Immigration technology, known as tecurity, such as the
biometric passport may also be included as travel technology in the broad sense.
Definition of Travel Technology
Since travel implies locomotion, travel technology was originally associated with the computer reservations system (CRS) of the airlines industry, but now is used more inclusively, incorporating the broader tourism sector as well as its subset the hospitality industry. While travel technology includes the computer reservations system, it also represents a much broader range of applications, in fact increasingly so. Travel technology includes virtual tourism in the form of
virtual tour technologies. Travel technology may also be referred to as
e-travel /
etravel or
e-tourism /
etourism (eTourism), in reference to "electronic travel" or "electronic tourism".
In other contexts, the term "travel technology" can refer to technology intended for use by travelers, such as light-weight laptop computers with universal power supplies or satellite Internet connections. That is not the sense in which it is used here.
Applications of Travel Technology
Travel technology includes many processes such as
dynamic packaging which provide useful new options for consumers. Today the tour guide can be a GPS tour guide, and the
guidebook could be an
audioguide,
podguide or I-Tours, such as City audio guides.
History of Travel Technology
Certainly travel technology was born on the coattails of the airline industry's use of automation and their need to extend this out to the travel agency partners. It should be kept in mind that there was an online world before the advent of the world wide web in the form of private and commercial online services, via
packet switched network using
X.25. Travel technology played a significant role in the so-called dot-com boom and bust, circa 1997-2001.
See also:
History of the Internet , History of the World Wide Web
See also
References
- (2006) Fesenmaier, D. R., Werthner, H, Wober K. W. Destination Recommendation Systems: Behavioural Foundations and Applications. London: CABI.
- (2005) Tesone, Dana V. Hospitality Information Systems and E-Commerce. New York: Wiley.
- (2004) Zhou, Z. E-Commerce and Information Technology in Hospitality and Tourism. Canada: Thomson.
- (2003) Buhalis, D. eTourism: information technology for strategic tourism management. England: Prentice Hall.
- (2003) Kasavana, M. L. and Cahill, J. J. Managing Technology in the Hospitality Industry. Orlando: Educational Institute of the AH&MA.
- (2003) Maurer, E. Internet for the Retail Travel Industry. New York: Delmar Learning.
- (1997) Sheldon, P. Tourism Information Technology. New York: CAB International.
External links
- International Federation for IT and Travel & Tourism (IFITT)
- Annual IFITT ENTER conference
- Information Technology & Tourism journal
- Travel Technology Initiative (TTI)
- TRINET - Tourism Research Information Network
- Transportation Communications Newsletter
-
Travel technology is a term used to describe applications of
Information Technology (IT), or Information and Communications Technology (ICT), in travel, tourism and hospitality industry. Travel technology may also be referred to as
tourism technology or even hospitality automation. Web 2.0 is a current buzzword in the travel technology community, used to describe various
social software applications.
XML is an increasingly important aspect of travel technology for handling metadata toward the semantic web.
Immigration technology, known as tecurity, such as the biometric passport may also be included as travel technology in the broad sense.
Definition of Travel Technology
Since travel implies locomotion, travel technology was originally associated with the computer reservations system (CRS) of the airlines industry, but now is used more inclusively, incorporating the broader tourism sector as well as its subset the hospitality industry. While travel technology includes the computer reservations system, it also represents a much broader range of applications, in fact increasingly so. Travel technology includes
virtual tourism in the form of
virtual tour technologies. Travel technology may also be referred to as
e-travel /
etravel or
e-tourism /
etourism (eTourism), in reference to "electronic travel" or "electronic tourism".
In other contexts, the term "travel technology" can refer to technology intended for use by travelers, such as light-weight laptop computers with universal power supplies or satellite Internet connections. That is not the sense in which it is used here.
Applications of Travel Technology
Travel technology includes many processes such as
dynamic packaging which provide useful new options for consumers. Today the tour guide can be a GPS tour guide, and the
guidebook could be an audioguide,
podguide or I-Tours, such as
City audio guides.
History of Travel Technology
Certainly travel technology was born on the coattails of the airline industry's use of automation and their need to extend this out to the travel agency partners. It should be kept in mind that there was an online world before the advent of the
world wide web in the form of private and commercial online services, via packet switched network using
X.25. Travel technology played a significant role in the so-called
dot-com boom and bust, circa 1997-2001.
See also:
History of the Internet , History of the World Wide Web
See also
References
- (2006) Fesenmaier, D. R., Werthner, H, Wober K. W. Destination Recommendation Systems: Behavioural Foundations and Applications. London: CABI.
- (2005) Tesone, Dana V. Hospitality Information Systems and E-Commerce. New York: Wiley.
- (2004) Zhou, Z. E-Commerce and Information Technology in Hospitality and Tourism. Canada: Thomson.
- (2003) Buhalis, D. eTourism: information technology for strategic tourism management. England: Prentice Hall.
- (2003) Kasavana, M. L. and Cahill, J. J. Managing Technology in the Hospitality Industry. Orlando: Educational Institute of the AH&MA.
- (2003) Maurer, E. Internet for the Retail Travel Industry. New York: Delmar Learning.
- (1997) Sheldon, P. Tourism Information Technology. New York: CAB International.
External links
- International Federation for IT and Travel & Tourism (IFITT)
- Annual IFITT ENTER conference
- Information Technology & Tourism journal
- Travel Technology Initiative (TTI)
- TRINET - Tourism Research Information Network
- Transportation Communications Newsletter
-
