T&T

• Ecosystem


  A network of interactions among living organisms and between these organisms and their environment
• A key feature of ecosystems is that organisms change and adapt in response to each other and the physical environment, resulting in the process of evolution
• Components of an ecosystem

  • Living Organisms
  • Non-living Organisms
• Digital ecosystem


  Consists of users, companies and governments who converge in the space of IT, telecommunications, and media and entertainment industries
• This concept describes the technology-mediated interaction between key entities and the technologies that support these interactions
• Digital tourism ecosystem


  Composed of the interactions between living entities such as travelers, suppliers, intermediaries, governments and communities, and the nonliving technological environment of devices, connections, content and touch points
• A digital tourism ecosystem can apply to a particular sector of the travel industry, to a specific destination or to the global travel phenomenon
• Major entities and technologies in the digital tourism ecosystem

  • Living
  • Non-living
• Components of Digital Tourism Ecosystem

  • Entities (travelers, suppliers, intermediaries, governments and communities)
  • Communities (virtual communities such as social networks and media sharing)
  • Digital technological environment (Devices, Connections, Content, Touch points)
• Entities


  Represent both the supply (e.g. the Tourism Industry such as hotels, travel agencies and airlines) and the demand side (e.g. Travelers and tourists) side of tourism, as well as numerous agencies, organizations and businesses that facilitate, regulate and support the interactions between suppliers and end-users (e.g., intermediaries such as GDSs, Booking.com, etc)
• Roles of digital entities

  • Catalyzers (supporters)
  • Dictators
  • Milkers
  • Niche players
• Digital communities


  Connect online to communicate, share knowledge or exchange content
• Without travelers no digital ecosystem would be needed, travelers also play an important role in creating content for other travelers through a range of digital communities
• Examples of digital communities

  • Social networks
  • Blogs
  • Reviews
  • Forums
  • Wikis
  • Local experts
  • Media sharing
• Elements of digital technological environment

  • Devices
  • Connections
  • Content
  • Touch points
• Devices


  Provide travelers with access to travel information, there is a trend toward the convergence of digital devices
• Connections


  Information moves between devices using various connections, wireless connections are most common but there is growing interest in mobile technologies such as Near Field Communication (NFC) and Bluetooth to facilitate contactless transactions and information exchange
• Content


  Different media deliver information about travel experiences, from high quality documentaries and travel shows to User Generated Content (UGC) on social media websites
• Important considerations for travel suppliers and intermediaries include the quality, trustworthiness and persuasiveness of the information
• Touch points


  Provide interfaces for entities to engage with each other and with technological systems, traditional touch points include face-to-face and telephone communication, the Internet has delivered a suite of new touch points, including websites, search engines, Mobile apps, and email, Smart phones and Mobile Apps provided innovative touch points, e.g. Apple Siri, Google Assistant
• Functions of the Digital Tourism Ecosystem

  • Inspiration
  • Transaction
  • Experience
  • Reflection
• Inspiration


  The digital ecosystem delivers the information, pictures and videos that inform and inspire travellers, important considerations include providing high-quality information, rich media and personalization to support traveller decision-making, and trip planning
• Transaction


  Travel intermediaries, global distribution systems (GDSs), booking engines and payment gateways support travel transactions, important considerations include security, privacy, real-time availability, market competitiveness and price transparency
• Experience


  Various entities use technologies to create experiences during the trip, location-based services, mobile apps, augmented reality apps, and on-site technologies provided by destinations, suppliers and intermediaries play a major role in information and experience delivery, technology also enable the customer to share their experience instantly using apps such snapchat, Facebook and Instagram
• Reflection


  IT advances have allowed visitors to reflect on and share travel experiences with family and friends or with large audiences of followers using platforms such as blogs, review websites and social networks, this reflection in turn influences the inspiration phase of subsequent trips
• Measures of a healthy tourism digital ecosystem

  • Productivity (click-through and conversion rates, number of users, number of transactions, value of transactions, timeliness of delivery and the satisfaction of travelers)
  • Resilience (survival rate of entities within the ecosystem)
  • Diversity (capacity to create new entities or niches)
• An ecosystem with a diverse range of entities occupying various niches is more sustainable than one dominated by a few large entities because diversity drives both productivity and resilience