Location aware auctions for tourism services

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual architecture for the development of an auction business‐to‐consumer marketplace where sellers offer available resources and services aiming to maximize their revenue while on‐the‐move travelers bid for them subject to the geographical area they are located in.Design/methodology/approachBased on previous findings from the literature and aggregate results from a preliminary field survey, core communication requirements, marketplace architecture, and communication workflows are presented.FindingsFindings from the literature and field study exhibit a great potential for the successful use of location sensitive auction applications in tourism sector. Mobile auctions seem attractive for the efficient allocation and pricing of travel resources by abolishing the internet's barriers related to travelers computing requirements; furthermore, location‐based services (LBS) may reduce significantly the communication costs for sellers. The proposed marketplace is beneficial for a number of stakeholders beyond sellers, like auctioneer, mobile communications providers, and LBS providers.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed architecture is in conceptual form and is currently under development. Infrastructure issues (like communication load, required bandwidth and protocol) are being investigated. Future research will focus on the integration of the architecture in an extended multi‐provider environment forming virtual enterprises. The viability and acceptance of the proposed model should be further investigated through an extended detailed market survey.Originality/valueTo the authors' best knowledge it is the first attempt to propose a location‐sensitive auction marketplace for tourism services.