Tourism firms need to understand the importance of
e-commerce and adopt new ways of working if they are to make more
effective use of their online activity, a government report has
advised.The “E-Commerce Impact Study for the Tourism
Sector” report, carried out by consulting firm PwC for the
Department for Culture Media and Sport and UK Online for Business,
said the tourism industry must utilise online technologies to
overcome the difficulties caused by the tough economic
conditions.
“This report demonstrates why e-commerce is
crucial to the future of the tourism businesses throughout the
country,” said tourism minister Kim Howells. “Now is the time for
the industry to grab hold of new technology and the benefits it
brings - improved efficiency, increased profits and competitive
advantage in a tough market.”
The report said firms should integrate their
e-commerce strategies into their overall business plans, rather
than viewing technology as an add-on. For example, it said, systems
need to be integrated to allow real-time online booking and
payment.
In addition, the report said, CRM systems need
to be exploited more effectively - only 16% of those firms
interviewed said they analysed customer data collected from their
website.
A joint industry and government action plan
has been drawn up to help tackle the barriers identified by the
report, based on four core themes: promoting the benefits; business
advice; skills; and infrastructure.
