Information Services Industry in Tourism

Abstract

Information appears as a commodity in modern society and the sphere of tourism is defined as an information-rich service that speaks of a direct information connection from tourist activity. Tourism in the modern interpretation cannot exist without the transfer of information. It acts as an information-rich service that shows once again the important role of information in the field of tourism. In this context, there is the phenomenon of tourism as an industry of information service. The paper deals with the information services industry and information technologies and focuses on its implementation in tourism industry. The researchers try to find a solution on how information technologies could increase the effectiveness of tourism business, so they introduce a model that consists of eight components (information, users, information resources, suppliers, information system, information processes, etc.). Then, the model is tested in hospitality and tourism industry companies. As a result of the test, the authors highlight some points to be improved in the model. To sum up, the model in its final version can assist and allow increasing the competitiveness of the tourism business. The authors conclude that the performance of the company also can be improved through computerization and informatization processes, especially in such an information-rich industry as tourism.