The economic and cultural aspects of the social web

Abstract

The social web is more than a technological innovation: it is a social innovation – it changes the way people and companies interact and communicate. New business models, new structures and new hierarchies in tourism enterprises and tourism organisations are the reason for this transformation. Because of this circumstance, tourism organisations and companies not only meet tough challenges, but also hold a multiplicity of potential. The environment of tourism is going to change permanently by the influence of the social web on media landscapes, media consumption and the construction of tourism imaginations. This article visualises the challenges in tourism associated with the developments of the social web out of a scientific and practical point of view.