The Measurement of the Marketing Effectiveness of the Internet in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry

Abstract

The subject of the use of Information Technology (IT) in the tourism industry has become increasingly important in recent years and Information Technology (IT) has already begun to have a great influence on the tourism industry. In its various forms, the advent of the Internet and its remarkable growth has enabled tourism organisations to reach customers worldwide with both ease and cost effectiveness. As the number of Internet users increases and the size of the electronic market grows, tourism organisations, such as National Tourism Organisations (NTOs), Hotels, Airlines, and Travel Agencies are developing an Internet presence and adopting the Internet as a mainstream marketing strategy. It is meaningful, therefore, to investigate the perception by marketing managers of the Internet as a marketing tool and to identify how they measure the success rate of any websites they have established in the tourism and hospitality industry.