Information Technology and Tourism: A Research Agenda

The findings illustrate that in the 6 years of 1994-1999 inclusive there has been a sustained level of research activity with the principal sources being the UK, Germany, Austria, and the US.

Abstract

This article describes an attempt to bring together the tourism information technology research literature and provides an initial critical analysis. Literature sources were restricted to refereed/reviewed research work in this domain and from which significant themes, trends, and issues were derived. Within the identified contextual boundaries, definitions, and resource constraints, some preliminary analyses and interpretation are offered. The findings illustrate that in the 6 years of 1994-1999 inclusive there has been a sustained level of research activity with the principal sources being the UK, Germany, Austria, and the US. Significant efforts have been focused on tourism information systems, electronic distribution and commerce, and diverse Web-based developments. The implications of the mismatch between actual areas of research activity identified in the findings and those forecast by earlier studies are considered.