Travel Agencies vs Internet: What Distribution Channels Reposition the New Business Models
The provision of self-service technologies in the travel and tourism industry has increased rapidly with the widespread use of e-commerce. However, there is an apparent contradiction between increasing the opportunities for customer autonomy while encouraging firms to develop close and lasting relationships to gain competitive advantage in an intensely competitive electronic market. Traditionally, travel agencies have been the key intermediary between travel suppliers and consumers, with information as their primary stock in trade. However, changes to information technology and the use of the internet have the potential to allow travel suppliers and consumers to interact directly, thus threatening the existence of the traditional travel agencies. Meanwhile, internet-related technologies greatly change the transaction costs in communication-based activities and raise both challenges and opportunities for travel agencies relating to issues of the nature and value of intermediation. Now, two major threats currently perceived are the disintermediation of retail agencies by primary producers, and the emergence of new virtual intermediaries. The potential for structural changes in the travel sector highlights the need for travel agencies to actively select between business models which can best support an effective organizational strategy and changes that can be expected to accompany the incorporation of e-commence into the mission and core business processes of firms. To aid in the creation of new business models, the article suggests several potential sources in the tourism firms regarding internet. The value of the framework is offered to support the development of more effective travel agencies within the e-commence environment. It is argued that the characteristics of traditional travel agencies are not yet ready with the demands of the new travel economy. A rapidly changing business environment, largely brought about by the internet, will require travel firms to quickly develop new tools and alliances. It is suggested that the potential practices and awareness of the possible organizational forms will assist travel companies’ adaptation within a changing business environment.
travel agencies travel agencies and internet potential sources virtual forms reposition
Biao Zhang Wei Zhang Yuzhu Zhang
School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China Institute of Business Management, Muenster University, Muenster, Germany
国际会议
The Third International Conference on Operations and Supply Chain Management(第三届运营与供应链管理国际会议)
武汉
英文
1010-1016
2009-07-28（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）