The internet and other new technologies have changed the tourism industry in an unprecedented way, and keeping pace has become challenging. Online information is now one of the primary influences on consumer decisions in nearly all major markets. For example, 41 per cent of tourists arriving in Spain in 2007 had booked through the internet, and in the United States the number of trips bought online exceeded those purchased offline. Such changes are impacting and influencing the way destinations and companies manage and market themselves.

The planning, design, management and marketing of experiences for tourism markets is a major challenge for tourism destinations and providers in a globalized and highly competitive market. This book bridges the gap in contemporary literature by carefully examining the management and marketing of tourism experiences.

Aiming to provide the tourism industry with a practical guide of the new information and promotion technologies available, this report analyzes the influence of the Internet on the chain of tourism. It focuses on the changes in consumers' expectations for the major tourism generating countries caused by the Internet. It explores the activities of new entrants into the travel and tourism industry and describes who they are and why they have entered the market.

Tourism has become one of the world's fastest growing economic sectors in recent years. Governments around the world are increasingly recognising the power of tourism to boost their nation's development and prosperity. As more tourism destinations emerge and competition for visitors becomes more intense, a destination's ability to project itself on the world stage and differentiate itself from others is ever more important. Recognising the value of successfully building and managing a destination's brand, the European Travel Commission (ETC) and World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) have commissioned this Handbook to provide a useful and practical guide for both marketing novices and experienced destination managers. The Handbook on Tourism Destination Branding provides a step-by-step guide to the branding process accompanied by strategies for brand management. Case studies are featured throughout the Handbook to illustrate the various concepts, present best practices from destinations around the world and provide fresh insight into destination branding. The Handbook concludes with a section on evaluating brand impact and a set of practical recommendations.

This comprehensive Handbook offers an overview of current research on the use of social media within the tourism industry, investigating a range of social media practices and proposing strategies to address key challenges faced by tourist destinations and operators.

This handbook provides an authoritative and truly comprehensive overview both of the diverse applications of information and communication technologies (ICTs) within the travel and tourism industry and of e-tourism as a field of scientific inquiry that has grown and matured beyond recognition. Leading experts from around the world describe cutting-edge ideas and developments, present key concepts and theories, and discuss the full range of research methods. The coverage accordingly encompasses everything from big data and analytics to psychology, user behavior, online marketing, supply chain and operations management, smart business networks, policy and regulatory issues – and much, much more. The goal is to provide an outstanding reference that summarizes and synthesizes current knowledge and establishes the theoretical and methodological foundations for further study of the role of ICTs in travel and tourism. The handbook will meet the needs of researchers and students in various disciplines as well as industry professionals. As with all volumes in Springer’s Major Reference Works program, readers will benefit from access to a continually updated online version.

While tourism is a key economic generator for many countries, emerging economies are confronted with additional challenges that those well-established destinations in North America, Australia and Europe normally don’t have to contend with. The potential for terrorism, political unrest, natural disasters, accidents – not to mention epidemics – have the potential to derail tourism in emerging economies. To mitigate these risks, emerging destinations need well-coordinated management and marketing strategies. However, most texts on tourism destination marketing reflect destinations in more advanced countries. This book acknowledges the fact that emerging tourist destinations have unique characteristics and challenges, which have implications for destination marketing. Highlighting the marketing challenges, best practices and strategies relevant to emerging economies, this book covers core topics such as image creation and branding, destination marketing during crises and pandemics, market segmentation and the travel decision making process among others. Providing up to date knowledge on an otherwise under-explored topic, this collection is ideal reading for upper-level students, researchers and policymakers.