Important points 1) Does your chosen business need IT? 2) Why IT is important for business survival? 3) What is required to apply IT into your chosen business? (I.e. cost, planning, designing,...

Role of IT in Tourism
Importance of IT
In the present times of globalisation Information technology plays a very important role in
almost every business. Most activities in organizations are dependent on Information
technology or at least use it in one form or the other. Many businesses such as web
marketing, social media and application based businesses are based on information
technology itself. Others use it for maintaining internal records and communicating with
employees, customers and creditors of the business. Information technology fosters
innovation. This has resulted in a range of applications being used by businesses, greater data
storage, faster processing and greater degree of communication both internally and
externally. The world has witnessed an era of online shopping, digital marketing and social
networking with the emergence of Information technology (Business Vibes, 2015). This
paper attempts to understand the role that Information technology plays specifically in the
Tourism industry using Tripadvisor as the instrument for analysis.
Use of Information Technology in Tripadvisor
Tourism has become a significant phenomenon in the modern day. The tourism industry is an
amalgamation of different functions such as transportation, hotel bookings, sightseeing and
ecreation. The internet has revolutionized the way in which the tourism industry operates.
Tripadvisor business uses a lot of Information technology in its day to day business. Both
customers and the business benefit with the use of IT in business. Continuous and speedy
communication, quick bookings, long distance bookings and research are all possible with the
help of Information technology. In the present scenario, a tourism company like Tripadvisor
cannot think of conducting business without the use of Information technology. IT has
enlarged the scope of its operations to an extent that was unimaginable without its presence.
Unlimited information and options are available to the customers due to the use of
Information technology in the business. The manner in which IT is used by Tripadvisor is
discussed further in this paper.
IT is important for business survival
The modern world is an era of globalisation. Every business faces severe competition from
other businesses not just in its domestic area of operation but also from companies all over
the world. This is especially true in case of the tourism industry. Tripadvisor faces immense
competition from other companies such as Makemytrip, Expedia, Kayak and Yelp to name a
few. All these businesses make use of technology to pull in customers and meet their
equirements. This makes it all the more necessary for Tripadvisor to use Information
technology in the most efficient way possible. In the present scenario, the business cannot
sustain itself without Information technology.
Information
Tripadvisor uses Information technology to communicate with customers. The experience for
a customer begins with the first visit to the website. Most customers are not sure of which
places they want to visit. They use the website of Tripadvisor to decide the places they want
to visit. With the use of Information technology clients can view the places the visit and get a
feel of the location. They can read about the various places of attraction and things to do at
the places. Thus, with the help of Information technology the clients can decide on the place
they wish to visit.
The site lists the various hotels in the location the client is looking to visit. The clients can see
the rates of the hotels based on the travel dates. They rely on the website to see the pictures of
the hotels and read the various reviews regarding the hotels. They can make direct bookings
through the website. Not only that, the clients can view the various restaurants in and around
the are of their choice.
With the help of Information technology, clients can also see the air fares to various locales at
various dates. This has reduced the burden of getting information from airline counters and
allowed people to book tickets and plan their holidays from the convenience of their homes.
Clients can make comparisons of various flights and fares available to the place they want to
visit. This helps them to get the best flight of their choice available at the best rates.
Tripadvisor has also made a provision for providing reviews about the...