Faculty of Business: Leisure, Sport and Tourism
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level: Undergraduate

Result Type: Grade and marks

Requisite(s): 27648 Tourism and the Industry 2 AND 27642 Tourism Marketing
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are also course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.

Handbook description

This subject examines how information and computer-mediated communication technology is used in the information-intensive travel and tourism industry. It examines and analyses the use of this technology in each sector of the tourism industry to establish why it is used, what efficiencies it brings and the implications for the links in the tourism service distribution chain. It gives students an understanding of how e-commerce in the tourism and travel industry is changing the way in which travel and tourism services are promoted and distributed to the consumer.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to demonstrate:

1. An understanding of the development of information technology in the travel and tourism industry.
2. An understanding of the application of information technology and e-marketing to the management of tourism services, firms and organisations.
3. An ability to describe and apply the technology (hardware and software) used in the electronic marketing of tourism services and its connectedness to its various users.
4. The benefits and disadvantages of the use of e-commerce techniques in tourism from the perspective of tourism principals, intermediaries and consumers.
5. An ability to produce a marketing or management plan for a tourism industry firm that incorporates information technology applications.

Contribution to graduate profile

Travel and Tourism is an information intensive industry. This subject represents an area of travel and tourism management that is growing ever more important with the growth of information and communication technologies and computer mediated communication, which facilitates the flow of information between principal, intermediary(ies) and consumer. It enables students who seek a career in marketing or management in tourism industry firms or organizations to be familiar with the various ways that information technology can be used to achieve desired marketing and management outcomes. It gives students the basis on which to apply the principles of e-commerce to the management and marketing of tourism services.

Teaching and learning strategies

Classes will incorporate lectures, practical exercises in computer labs, student presentations of project work, guest lecturers, and a site visit. The project work requires students to both apply and review information technology development practices. Content for this subject will be supported by UTS Online.

Students are to contextualise all the electronic marketing and management theories, techniques, and applications into a case study of a medium sized tour wholesaler. This applies knowledge and skills discussed in class and in other forms of learning to a small to medium tourism enterprise, in which students may find themselves working in the future.

Content

• Introduction: A history of the application of information technology to the travel and tourism industry from the first reservations system to e-tickets and e-bookings
• Consumers: the use of the Internet and Global Distribution Systems by travel and tourism consumers and its implications for the travel and tourism industry
• The tools: a description of the different types of communication technology hardware and software used in tourism firms for marketing and management, and their application
• The WWW – navigation, hyperlinks, search engines, e-commerce business models, security issues
• Marketing and management issues of e-commerce
• Emerging trends: the future for tourism information and communication systems, and its impact on traditional tourism services distribution channels.

Assessment

E-Travel and Tourism Tutorial Commentary (Individual)	20%
This addresses objectives 1-4.
Case Study (Individual)	40%
This addresses objective 5.
Final Examination (Individual)	40%
This addresses objectives 1-5.

Security of assessment is maintained by having primary data collected from current web sites. Exams are held under university controlled conditions, hence thoroughly address security requirements.

Recommended text(s)

Strauss, et al. 2006 E-Marketing 4th ed., Pearson Education, New Jersey.