Information and Communication Technology Application in the Asian Tourism Industry

Tourism becomes a major player in global trade and also a major income source for several developing countries. Tourism is one industry that has adopted the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in its services realizing its potential in enhancing the business prospects since mid of the last century. It was in 1946 that the first automated booking system was installed by the American Airlines. Since then, the use of ICT in tourism has diversified for providing large source of information to tourists and better and faster service to its customers, improving relationship between distribution channels, and enabling promotion and distribution of products directly to its customers. The advent of information technology during the years has seen tourism industry capitalizing the use of Internet, eBusiness applications, and even artificial intelligence. This has encouraged small players to launch business in tourism and depend on ICT for their product branding and marketing. The tourists themselves have online platforms to review the products and make the best choice of the destinations and packages. Robots have already taken up the role of waiters in hotels in many Asian countries including India. Recognizing the importance of ICT in tourism, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) had chosen the theme for World Tourism Day 2018 as “Tourism and the Digital Transformation.” This paper looks into the historic evolution of ICT in tourism, its application in different areas of the tourism industry especially in the Asian context, barriers in adopting to new technology, and the digital divide in tourism.