BIG DATA AND TOURISM: opportunities and aplications in tourism destination management

Abstract

With the advancement of technology, the use of mobile devices and the rapid generation of data by electronic devices, it has become increasingly strategic for managers to use tools capable of capturing and analyzing the data generated, in order to turn it into useful information. This article addresses a tool known as Big Data for data analysis and the provision of relevant information that can contribute to decision-making by agents involved with the tourism sector. It aims to demonstrate the application of this method and the opportunities for data analysis using Big Data, exploring aspects related to the adoption of this tool. A qualitative descriptive research was used, with a literature review as the main data collection instrument, focusing on the use of advanced technologies. The data were interpreted in light of the technological and competitive demands of tourism services. This study addresses some ways of using this tool, and the importance of using innovative and up-to-date techniques to understand the trends and transformations in tourism flows and improve the care of consumers in the growing tourism market. It exemplifies through two cases; the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil, and the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina - destinations that already use Big Data to assist in decision-making.