E-tailing as an evolution of the distribution channel in tourism

Abstract

The paper aims to provide a concrete understanding of the changes that have affected the tourism market. More specifically, the study applies the wider literature in e-tailing in order to ascertain how the structure of the tourism industry has been transformed and how it will continue to follow an evolutionary path. New companies have entered the market, existing ones have revised their strategies, consumers have become more sophisticated using the Internet as a tool for doing research and finding affordable deals. From the results of an online questionnaire, the paper provides empirical evidence of how the tourism industry can improve the virtual world on the basis of its experiences in the real world.