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What are the opportunities and dilemmas for tourists who book holidays…
What are the
opportunities
and
dilemmas
for tourists who book holidays using online tools?
Opportunities
Saves time
allows users to reserve accommodation ahead of time in the comfort of their own home, without the need to go to a travel agent
reduces the possibilities of any issues, such as not getting a suitable place, high prices, and time spent on looking for a place to stay at once in the country
Users can plan their holidays at home during their own time
Eliminates the time taken to travel to and meet with a travel agency.
space, change: digital space to book instead of physically going to agencies
dynamic pricing
can book places at a lower price before major holidays
easy to compare prices
More personalisation
Can use filters and recommendations systems to find options that match the individual's own identity, preferences and budgets
The users/ tourists can find relevant options more quickly and efficiently
Increase in user satisfaction
24/7 booking availability
Space: increase efficiency, tourists can book whenever they want, no need for the physical office to be available as now things are being process on a digital space. Efficiency
they can message hotels/hosts before travelling -> asking details(check-in/out times, facilities,)
Wider access to information regarding the bookings
The users are no longer limited to the advice and recommendations given by the travel agencies
Access to different reviews, ratings and blogs from other tourists/ users posted online
Less likely to be influenced by biased marketing or sales tactics from such travel agencies
Such feedback determines whether potential tourists choose or avoid certain hotels or airlines
Results in the customers gaining more influence/ power in relations to purchasing decisions, as they are able to publicly leave their own feedback and opinions online
Real time data management
Availability updates across all your sales channels the moment a booking is made.
Eliminates double bookings and the manual effort of syncing inventory across the website and reseller network
Stakeholders: Consumers(tourists) and agencies like Booking.com
Dilemmas
risk of personal data leakage
online platforms collect personal data to personalize feed for users
RWE: agoda, booking.com
if data is leaked -->
identity
theft
systems, algorithm -> recommending based on users activity, interests, preferences
users may save their credit card on the website for quick bookings
risk of card information being leaked or misused or hacked --> users lose money unintentionally
RWE: booking.com
values & ethics
tourists(users) may not know how thier data is used
Data: Booking systems collect customer information such as emails, booking history, and preferences => tourists gain personalized services, but data might risk being stored, tracked, or shared
Technology dependency
If the system goes down, the booking process goes down with it + risk of losing money / personal informations
Older travelers may prefer phone booking, the system needs to ensure that it supports both online and manual entry so no booking is lost during the transaction
Dynamic pricing
Might exacerbate the regional bias that already exists in modern society, as the price is no longer set by the platform itself, but biased towards your history bookings, location..
Geo-pricing: Price can be decided based on the affordability of different countries -> unfairness between countries (values and ethics)
misleading information
photos uploaded on websites may not always be accurate (power)
tourists disappointed when receiving the room
risks of scams and fraud
large number
of booking websites nowadays
copycat websites can be made for scams
tourists may lose a big amount of money due to these fraudulent activities (values & ethics)