Internet and organisation of the industry in tourism: a focus on the distribution of travel and tourism services

The paper establishes that the internet basically explains the organisation of the activities and markets that emerge today in the tourism activities, with a special focus on the European case.

Abstract

This paper analyses the impact of internet on the organisation of industry and the market dynamics in the tourism activities, focusing in the European scene. Tourism incorporates many features of the contemporaneous information and communication economy. Even if e-tourism still stands for a small share of the whole tourism activity, the paper establishes that the internet basically explains the organisation of the activities and markets that emerge today. A relevant analytical framework able to apprehend these dynamics is first defined. The concept of sectoral system of production and innovation is shown to provide a relevant analytical framework to grasp the basic changes of the tourism industry. The paper enlightens on this basis the evolution resulting from the emergence of e-tourism and the uses of internet, their impacts on the coordination of the activities and the markets, with a special focus on the European case.