Exploratory study: A best practice model for online tourism websites

Abstract

The emergence of the Internet and its related online services brings a whole new opportunity for businesses to expand and adapt to this relatively new technology. It presents a great possibility for the tourism industry to sell and market its services online. This includes businesses such as accommodation providers.

The focus of this research is on accommodation service providers who have adapted to the Internet era. It tries to explore the current state of the different accommodation types available in New Zealand which utilize the website as their tool to market their services. This thesis also provides some guidelines on how to improve the service offered and to maximize the benefit of selling and marketing services online for the accommodation industry in New Zealand.

Firstly, a literature review was carried out to find the most suitable model for the theoretical framework. The theoretical framework has four main prerequisites which could lead customers to become satisfied with the online purchase experience and result in repeat business and loyalty. Then structured interviews were used to collect the data which was then analyzed against the theoretical framework constructs. The interviews were conducted at four different accommodation types of establishments by telephone and face-to-face.

Results of the study indicate that many accommodation providers do not yet have the knowledge and tools to work out which sales channels give them the most benefit and which channels give the least benefit. However, it was found that accommodation web sites which take credit card details were securely encrypted for maximum customer protection. The results also show that the New Zealand Model Code for Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce produced by the New Zealand government is not widely known to businesses in the accommodation industry. It is suggested that government take the role of publicizing and promoting the existence of the model code document to attract the wider business community.