Information, Technology and Tourism

Introduction

Information technology has influenced all walks of our lives over the last few decades in a large manner with the Tourism and trip sector being one of the chief beneficiaries. The introduction of computers can be traced back to the early 60's when the vacuum tube was the original component of computer systems. This was largely inefficient and error prone and soon gave way to transistors which were replaced by Integrated Circuits. Now the technological advances have allowed industrialized graphics integrated with engaging images and sound to be incorporated into the contemporary computers.

Server Rails

The Tourism stock being largely intangible stands to gain a lot from technology. trip was determined a risk in the early days mainly due to the fact that the knowledge about the terrain, climate, culture etc of the destination was wee or unknown. Only the adventurous and men in quest for newer pastures ventured into such journeys. With the coming of It into the trip sector, things have changed. trip has become much more enjoyable and comfortable. The contemporary day traveller has a plethora of options to choose from, with Internet being the favourite haunt for the inherent traveller. Places of traveler interest and scenic beauty often do not catch the concentration of the customer largely due to the fact that they are not marketed well. Internet in the early days did not preserve graphics, video, sound etc. Hence the tourism products could not be marketed over the net effectively. Now things have drastically changed with the introduction of protocols like the Transmission operate Protocol/Internet Protocol (Tcp/Ip). This has led to easier transmission of graphical images, music, videos etc over the net with speed and clarity. Thus tourism has been effectively marketed over the Internet. This has led to the mushrooming of Tourism and trip sites.

There are estimate of software which cater to the needs of the tourism and hospitality sectors. trip agencies, tour operators, hotels etc use contemporary systems qualified with marvelous applications that work on huge databases. Computerised front office has lent elegance to the contemporary offices which are largely paperless. Office automation has led to productive and exact data processing. A person armed with the right data is the most marvelous in the contemporary era. Computerised systems are used to excerpt data out of the voluminous quantities of data store in databases. Querying a database, be it for reservation enquiry or booking a mark is in the hands of the end user. The customer is the king and rightly so has a estimate of options to choose from when embarking on a journey or getting data about a traveler spot.

Earlier users of computer systems were required to be experts. Even starting up the theory required a computer operator. Only then the application could be run. Now systems with Graphical User Interface (Gui) and the Wysiwyg (What You See Is What You Get) technologies, even a layman or a child is able to operate a computer or way internet. A person who doesn't know the local language at a place has data at his finger tips with the coming of touch screen facilities. Approximately all banks have now introduced Atm (Automatic Teller Machine) facilities at their premises so as to allow the customers to way their accounts any time of the day.

In the Kerala scenario the coming of It has been restricted to trip agencies using reservation systems and amelioration of websites by Governmental and non-Governmental agencies. Also office automation is in place in with the accounting process also being computerized. The valid website of Kerala Tourism has won many national and international accolades as being one of the best sites in tourism worldwide. In the instruction sector institutes such as the Kerala produce of Tourism and trip Studies (Kitts) has imparted It instruction in Tourism sector by giving hands on training to students in Gdss (Global Distribution Systems) and computerized applications. Kerala Tourism amelioration Corporation (Ktdc) has also fully computerized their reservations and a traveler can authentically book a room through the net. Hotels have linked their systems to other global systems so as to produce a link worldwide. Let us witness in brief the applications of It in Tourism.

Global Distribution Systems

Global Distribution Systems (Gds) have evolved over the years and has played a major role in production online trip possible. A Computer Reservation theory (Crs) is used to store and retrieve data and escort transactions linked to travel. They were originally industrialized by airlines, but it was later extended to trip agents as a sales channel. A functionality of Crs has been extended and what is known as the Global Distribution Systems came into existence. The major Crs operations that book and sell tickets to complicated airlines are known as Gds. Many airlines have opted to divest most of their holdings to Global Distribution Systems due to which many systems are now accessible to consumers through Internet gateways for hotels, car rental agencies, and other services as well as airline tickets. A traveller or a trip agent can chalk out an itinerary using a Gds which is a global theory interconnecting airlines, hotels, trip agents, car rental companies, cruise liners etc. The four major Global Distribution Systems are Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre and Worldspan. Amadeus boasts of a store share of 31% and is followed by Sabre with 30% of the market, Galileo with 26% and Worldspan which has captured 12% of the market.

Today's Gds systems have the following capabilities

Available and accessible 99.9% of the time Process up to 17,000 messages per second during peak time Operates on cutting edge enterprise systems architecture Enjoys response times of a fraction of a second Is capable of booking a multitude of transactions Can make itinerary changes up to the last wee and faultless involved international routings to every country in the world Automates the time engaging and involved process of re-pricing airline tickets when itineraries change Permits customers to send e-mail and faxes without exiting from the system Allows customers to assess fares and availability in order to shop for the most suitable trip at the bottom cost Stores all data linked to the tens of millions of travellers securely so that the customers receive the trip preferences they desireOn a given day a Gds can access

Over a billion fare combinations More than 95% of the ready seats worldwide More than 750 airlines More than 50,000 hotel properties Over 400 tour operators Nearly 30,000 car rental locationsGds systems are capable of booking

One way and roundtrip airline seats Hotel rooms Rental cars Tours Cruises Bus and rail tickets Insurance Limousines Event and theatre attractions Dining Reservations Itinerary Changes Complex international routings
E-Ticketing

An electronic mark or e-ticket is a means by which a passenger or a group of passengers can ensure their seat in a commercial airline by booking over the internet. This greatly reduces the procedures linked with issusing a paper ticket, which consists of a estimate of copies. Both the airlines and the passenger are benefited by this form of ticketing. An image of the mark is stored in the computer from which the customer can take a print out and board the plane directly if he or she is carrying no luggage. If there is luggage after obtaining the clearance the passenger can board the aircraft. The customer can request that a hardcopy confirmation be sent by postal mail, but it is not needed at the check-in desk. A confirmation estimate is assigned to the passenger, along with the flight number, date, departure location, and destination location. When checking in at the airport, the passenger plainly presents positive identification. Then needful boarding passes are issued, and the passenger can check luggage and lope through security to the gate area.

The main advantage of e-ticketing is the fact that it reduces booking charge by eliminating the need for printing and mailing paper documents. Someone else advantage is that it eliminates the possibility of needful documents getting lost in the mail or being sent to the wrong address. It is estimated that globally about 25% of the passengers book their tickets online which has resulted in the booming of low cost fliers.

The Internet has in case,granted a new economic environment to escort business. E-commerce is a growing sector and many tourism businesses are involved in developing their internet services including original trip agents, tour operators, national traveler offices, airlines, hotels and other accommodation providers and car hire firms. This means of doing enterprise is known as 'e-tourism', or 'tourism e-business'. The key differences from original markets are the speed at which data can be communicated, global accessibility and the minimal costs of establishing a enterprise online.

Property administration Systems

As the term indicates, asset administration systems refer to systems which have been used world wide to conduct and effectively operate the assorted day to day and other procedures linked to managing large properties. Even in Kerala, these systems are used in large scale.

The core functions which a Pms can handle are reservations, front office operations, some back office operations and some managerial functions. A Pms is generally used for handling the accounting functions of the assorted departments in a Hotel. This is in increasing to being the hub for all interconnectivity with other systems in the hotel. Just as a person, who is cut off from the rest of his colleagues during work a standalone computer is not of much use. Hence a networked environment is in case,granted whereby a server can cater to the needs of the end-user who may be a boss to receptionist or a waiter. This is achieved by networking the systems and sharing of resources. Software may be industrialized to suit the needs of the hotel which may have a front end and a back end. A front end is user interface, through which data may be entered or data retrieved. The back end may consist of a Rdbms which acts as the storage hub. Queries and reports may be used to retrieve information. For example, if a guest wants to know details about tariffs during off season, a click of the mouse may be sufficient to retrieve information.

Virtual Reality Systems

Virtual reality is a relatively new area which is linked to synthetic intelligence and neural networks. synthetic intelligence is an area where technology has made rapid strides in new years. Human beings have been blessed with intelligence which ranges from their capability to remember things to inventing gadgets and production life more meaningful. It goes without saying that human brain is an overwhelming and intricate organ which has till date not been surpassed by even the fastest super computer. It is doubtful if such thing will happen in hereafter too. But synthetic intelligence has paved pathways to new gadgets and robots which help man in potentially risky and intricate tasks.

Tourism has in increasing to the natural attractions, theme parks, man made rides, simulations etc. Singapore, Disneyland etc house some of most overwhelming man made wonders thanks to It and its applications. Particularly theme parks and rides along with recreation of fantasies and dinosaurs have added mileage to traveler destinations.

Virtual Travel

With the ever increasing need to use the net, Tourism has entered a new era. Virtual trip has gained popularity and a traveler if he wishes can use the assorted tools and internet and sit at the relax of his office or home and do a virtual travel. Earlier there used to armchair travelogue creators who used to produce the show from articles and hearsays. But now trip writing has been simplified just because there is a plethora of data in Cd's, brochures and on the net.

There are even virtual trip agencies on the net which offers a tour through its gallery and offers a great deal of information. Gone are the days when a guide used to take travelers for ride narrating some cock and bull stories and feeding the customers with false information. Virtual travellers are more informed and many of them do not even need an introduction to a destination which they plan to visit.

In increasing to the virtual tour of the real world, artificially created virtual worlds are there, waiting to be explored. These sites offer a free holder for a week which can be downloaded. After going through this demo, the user can see the real stuff, if he registers online and pays for it. This is a trend which is fast catching on. After all globalization has shrunk the world and it wouldn't be long time before new destinations in the cyber world comes up.

Travel Recommender Systems

Travel has become a part and parcel in the lives of human beings. Efforts from trip agencies and tour operators coupled with inputs from Governmental organizations have resulted in great changes which have eased the hardships placed on the traveller. The contemporary day traveller has a plethora of options to choose from when planning his trip. trip Recommender Systems though in its infancy has established its utility value in trip planning. In the coming years, its importance as tool in aiding trip planning will be indispensable. A few recommender systems are ready in the store that give the tour operator or the customer options to take off the intangibility linked with the product. Austria is one of the few countries which have introduced Recommender Systems to the travelling communal and have found favourable response from the users. Recommending a trip plan consists of many aspects such as the destination type, location definite information, seasonal definite recommendations etc. All this has to be presented to the user in a customer cordial manner so that he or she can input the options to the theory which in turn will advise the most recommended trip plan. These systems use synthetic intelligence and fall under the kind of expert systems.

Geographic data Systems

The usage of maps dates back to centuries. Man has been using maps for advice and for locating places. With the advancement of computer technology and graphics, maps have been digitised and used for providing exact and timely data to users. Databases have been combined with computer graphics in the area of Gis.

Gis is used to display and analyse spatial data which are linked to databases. This association in the middle of spatial data and databases is the driving force behind the working of a Gis. Maps can be drawn from the database and data can be referenced from the maps. When the database is updated, the linked map also gets updated. Gis database consist of a wide range of data including geographic, social, political, environmental and demographic data. Gis technology is a computer based data collection, storage and prognosis tool that combines previously unrelated data into authentically understood maps. A Gis can perform involved analytical functions and gift the results visually as maps, tables or graphs, allowing decision-makers to visually see the issues before them and then adopt the best course of action.

Gis finds wide applications in Tourism especially in mapping traveler destinations, hotels etc. The end user can pin point a destination and even browse the hotel room in which he or she plans to stay.

Conclusion

On the whole it can be said that data technology has left an indelible mark in the application area of Tourism and Travel. In the coming years, areas like trip Recommender Systems, Gis, Space Tourism etc will gain popularity and will help in giving a new dimension to the trip and tourism sector. Kerala Tourism which has established its proximity in the global store will bank on these applications to additional weighty its growth trajectory. The International store which is growing has been given a shot in the arm with introduction of It and will stand to gain additional from it.

Information, Technology and Tourism

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