Travel and tourism has seen a revolution in the ways in which products
and services are being marketed and distributed. Key forces at work
explaining website developments include the following:
• increased competition in the marketplace means have to keep up with rivals and maximise distribution opportunities
• more consumers have Internet access and like the 24/7 availability - this means booking online more likely
• Internet is global, accessed from work or home and can hold more information than other media
• Bookings and payments can be done in real time allowing immediate confirmation and e-ticket distribution streamlining operations and increasing efficiency/profitability.
Use level of response criteria
Level 1 (1-2 marks) will identify up to two valid reasons, providing
some detail but will be mainly descriptive.
Level 2 (3-4 marks) can be awarded for an analysis of selected
reasons, clearly indicating suitability for tourist needs and/or provider
requirements for at least one or two of the reasons.
Level 3 (5-6 marks) can be awarded for evaluative comment about
provision and this will probably be related to customer and/or
organisation needs/suitability. The better answers will have a reasoned conclusion.
Example
There has been a trend to do-it-yourself packaging of holidays and
consumers enjoy the freedom to make Internet bookings. The Internet
is available at all times and consumers can search for products from
the convenience of home (L1). This means that providers have to keep
up with rivals and maximise distribution opportunities if they want to
maintain their market share and so the development of web-based
functions continues to grow (L2). However, the main reasons are
efficiency and profitability. The Internet allows for real time booking,
payment by credit/debit card and the convenient sending of e-tickets.
This works to the advantage of both producer and consumer (L3).