Internet Usage In Travel Agencies And Social Media

Abstract

The
 involvement of information technology in every aspect of life leads to more
 frequent and effective use of information technology in the individuals
 involved in tourism. Travel agencies, one of the most active actors of tourism
 marketing. They have to use systems based on information technology and
 parallel to information technology. The use of the Internet in travel agencies,
 especially Global Distribution Channels (GDS) and Central Reservation Systems
 (CRS), is becoming widespread in order to reach new markets. Especially with
 the use of 3G and 4,5 G technologies, internet agency has become very
 important. It is observed that dynamic web sites over the Internet and strong
 demand for travel and tourism products increase interest and competition to online
 travel agency. The aim of this study is to provide travel agencies with
 developing technologies and social media as a marketing tool. For this reason,
 developments related to information technology, internet and social media usage
 of the final consumer have been discussed. In particular, the use of social
 network sites has been emphasized. Facebook which is one of the most popular social
 sharing site with 1.7 billion of users is examined. In addition, advantages of
 Facebook in marketing has been checked and given to the travel agencies. It is
 thought that this matter is important in terms of travel agencies. In this
 context, the document examination method in qualitative research methods is
 used for the research. The main result of the research is travel agencies need
 to use web sites, internet and social media to secure their future business. Recommendations
 have been developed for travel agencies which have not been able to catch up the
 age regarding internet usage.