Impact of Technology on the Tourism Industry - Essay Sample

Introduction

The United Nations World Tourism Organization, UNWTO defines tourism as a phenomenon that entails the movement of people from one country to another or to places away from their usual living environment for the purposes of leisure, business, or professional purposes. Tourisms encompasses social, cultural, and economic aspects. A tourist according to UNWTO can be domestic, inbound, or outbound (Wyllie, 2011; p. 4, 5).

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The importance of tourism in supporting the growth of country economies and communities had caused it to receive global attention. To signify the recognition of this importance the world leaders in 2015 incorporated a new agenda in the agenda 2030 goals. The revised 3 out of the 17 agenda to among other things promote tourism. Goal 8 target was revised to decent and economic growth, goal 12 on responsible consumption, and goal 14 on life underwater (Comerio & Strozzi, 2019; p. 110).

According to Comerio and Strozzi (2015; p. 111), the United Nations (UN) General assembly held in 2015 unanimously declared the year 2017 as the “International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, recognizing the potential of the tourism sector to lead economic growth, social inclusion, and cultural and environmental preservation.” This signified the recognition that tourism has received globally as one of the key frontiers in driving the global economy.

Greatest Global Industries

Zolfani et al. (2015; p. 1, 2) indicates that tourism is considered one of the greatest global industries. There is a need to develop sustainable tourism practices to align with the fast-paced and evolving world. The impact of tourism reverberates across the social, political, environmental, economic, and cultural aspects of countries. These factors also affect tourism significantly. Sustainable tourism enables the creation of employment especially for women and marginalized groups, promotes environmental sustainability, and wildlife protection. Community-level tourism promotes the local economy while maintaining cultural integrity and establish social justice.

According to Wyllie (2011) tourism represents the greatest mass migration in the history of human beings. The social, economic, and cultural phenomena are of great value. Factors such as war, political instability and unrest, terrorism, disease epidemics, military coups, and natural disasters such as earthquakes and flooding are temporary setbacks that cause gross negative impacts on tourism.

Major Technological Changes

Over the last years of the 20th century and the 21st-century major technological changes have happened that affect every aspect of human life. There are myriad benefits in advancing technology that enable convenience for human life. Similarly, there have been negative effects of technology in today’s world. Notwithstanding the negative effects, the adoption of technology in every sphere of human technology is inevitable. Generation change from the dwindling numbers of baby boomers to a larger population of generation Y persons has led to increased reception to technology (Ciobanu and Neamtu, 2017, p. 699).

According to Xu and Quaddus (2010), the rapid growth in internet services had been beneficial in enhancing business operations. These benefits have led to an increase in the market due to globalization. The customer trends have also changed with advancing technology. Besides, technology has led to increasing customer exposure to available products or service options in the market.

Nikoloski (2014, p. 303) postulates that advancement in digital mobile technology has brought a new more dynamic transition in the business environment. Besides, the managed information systems supported by computer hardware, software, and networks provide automation solutions for businesses for ease in carrying out tasks and support in decision making. Business adoption technology is indicated to present the advantages of operational cost reduction and improvement in customer service quality and experience. Moreover, information technology helps in developing innovative products for new markets, help in access to new markets, and support the diversification of business operations.

Information Technology

After highlighting the background information of this study, this section highlights the main rationale for the basis of this study. It is no doubt the importance of information technology in the business environment cannot be undermined. Businesses must therefore be ready to embrace the advancing technology in order to remain competitive. It is important to note that project planning, implementation, and evaluation cannot happen today without the application of technology. Technology has also shaped the political, social, and cultural order all aspects that affect the business environment (Berisha-Shaqiri, 2015, p. 73).

Internet technology and innovation intersect communication and interaction aspects with great potential impact in the business environment as-is for other sectors of human life. According to Internet World Stats, as cited in Berisha-Shaqiri (2015, p. 74) there were approximately over 3 billion internet users globally representing about 42.3% of the global population. This study, therefore, presents evidence from previous studies and literature on the impact of the use of technology in the tourism industry.

Theoretical Frameworks

According to Kim1 and Kim2 (2017, p. 1), the need to create sustainable tourism in response to the United Nations (UN) General assembly (Comerio & Strozzi, 2015, p. 111) and UNWTO (Wyllie 2011, p. 4) visions has led to various research activities to develop theoretical frameworks for achieving this goal. Advancement in information and mobile-based technology has proofed to be an indispensable tool in advancing sustainable tourism by conceptualizing smart tourism. Moreover, innovations in software, computer, and the internet have presented great opportunities and threats to the tourism sector.

The gaps that exist in the various studies on the impact of technology on tourism necessitate the need for this study. Also, the cost, benefits, opportunities, and threats of technological innovations understanding is a concern raised in various literature underscore the importance of this study (Kumar & Shekhar, 2020, p. 749; Alisha & Andrew, 2014, p. 14; Law, Leung & Buhalis, 2009, p. 614).

Conclusion

The findings of this study will have a significant impact on the tourism practice, existing literature, and guiding the direction for future research regarding the impact of technology on tourism. The findings can also be used to guide decision making regarding the impact of technology on tourism. Based on the study findings, the tourism industry players can be able to make justifiable choices on the use of technology in tourism. Besides, the study will play a substantial role in updating the already existing body of literature on technology and tourism. This update of literature will be critical as it combines the evidence from diverse studies this increasing the validity and reliability thus increasing its usability and reliability. Furthermore, the limitation highlighted in this study can form the basis for which future research can be based. Therefore, this study is significant now and in the future.