The Impact of Digital Divide on Global Tourism: Strategic Implications of Overcoming Communication Gaps Caused by Digital Inequalities

Abstract

Based on the fact that information is nowadays commonly spread by means of digital media, poor access to any kind of digital information and communication technology can provoke severe information gaps. This paper aims at evaluating the impacts of the global digital divide on the tourism industry, taking into account various definitions and presenting the hierarchical aspect of four identified multiple divides, which is put into relation with the continuum from information to knowledge gap to be then analysed in the tourism context. It will be shown that the key impact of the digital divide on global tourism is on communication between demand and supply. Communication gaps are modelled in a proposed digital communication matrix which ought to be used for education amongst digitally underdeveloped destinations to support them in overcoming the digital divide.