e-tourism

This year’s “Best Ph.D. Workshop Paper Award” has been presented to Clemens Költringer from MODUL University Vienna for his work on Information Needs of City Travellers – Investigating the Implications of Consumers’ Information Search and Actual Travel Behaviour.

The PhD Workshop at the 16th International Conference on Information Technology and Travel & Tourism (IFITT | ENTER conference) is a platform for doctoral students undertaking research in the area of Information and Communication Technology in Travel and Tourism.

The application of interactive media to destination or cultural attraction websites can enhance the user experience and is likely to increase user satisfaction. Media such as interactive maps, sound, videos or 3D models can engage the user longer on the site, increase variety and fun, facilitate heritage interpretation and offer a better experience to the user while increasing knowledge related to the attraction or destination.

Online bookings of hotels have increased drastically in recent years. Online hotel booking, the second most important product in online tourism revenue is the focus of this research. Hotels make use of the Internet to not only offer services to customers but to simultaneously provide a platform for customers to give feedback on their stay in a specific hotel.

How destination information is used, searched for and represented in electronic networks is the focus of a special session initiated by Astrid Dickinger and Karl Wöber at the American Marketing Association’s Summer Educators Conference.