Impact on tourism demand

More and more users are using collaborative tools for identifying and sorting content. The new economic situation that is being created is called folsconomy, since user define how to sort information which in turn defines how others search and find information. For some, tagging helps and boosts the creation of the semantic web (Web 3.0) whereby web content and search is directly related to its meaning for the users.

Impact on tourism suppliers

Several websites offer the capability for users to sort, share and categorize content based on tagging, e.g. flickr (for pictures sorting and sharing), travbuddy 9for travel experiences sharing). Because of the folsconomy power of such websites many companies nowadays include and consider them when designing their search engine optimization strategy. For example, Thomson’s website provides an affiliate link to deli.cious so that its users can tag and sort its website through this technology.

Mash – ups

Mash ups describe the seamlessly combination of two or more different sources of content and-or software for creating a new value added service to users. For example, based on a project amongst Google Earth, Carnegie Mellon University, NASA, the Pennsylvania Tourism Office and the National Civil War Museum, virtual tourists would have the chance to view Pennsylvania's Civil War trails online. In traintimes.org.uk one can see on real time where trains are located and when they will arrive at destinations, since the website combines information from Google maps, and information from the British rail website about train time tables, delays etc.

Impact on tourism demand

Tourists more and more demand and expect to combine and cross check information from different sources so that they can better and easier make a holistic decision. For example, tourists may not be able to clearly understand where a hotel may be located when the description of the hotel writes that is located on the beach. And what is the difference if the hotel is located at the beach, near the beach, along the beach etc. Tourists easily get confused from different descriptions found in different websites. On the contrary, mash up websites, e.g. earthbooker, tripmojo, enable users to see where exactly a hotel is located (sometimes even locate the exact orientation and view of a room) and then decide whether to book a room at this hotel. Many mash ups are enriching their services with Google maps and other related geographical information.

Impact on tourism suppliers

Apart from the rise of new cyber-intermediaries such as the ones described before, many tourism suppliers enrich their website content with maps. Moreover, many companies leave their software as an Open API so that users can create limitless combinations of their services. For example, backstage.bbc.co.uk is the services whereby users can take content of BBC structure it and present it the way they prefer. Enabling user innovation is another way that companies aim to exploit on users creativity instead of investigating only on R&D.

Wikis

Wikis are technologies that enable users to add, delete, and in general edit the content of a website. As a result such websites are developed collaboratively through their users. The most popular is the wikipedia website, an online encyclopaedia that is created and continually updated by its users. In tourism wikitravel.org represents the effort of Internet users to collaboratively create and continuously update an online global travel guide. Visitors’, creators’ and content sizes at wikitravel.org are mushrooming.

In conclusion, Internet users and travelers are nowadays empowered to create and distribute in their own way the content and the channels through which they wish to distribute it. Web 2.0 technologies enable Internet users to become the co-producers, the co-designers, the co-marketers and the co-distributors of tourism experiences and services as well as the co-entrepreneurs of new e-business models. The business implications (threats but also opportunities) that are created for tourism and hospitality enterprises are tremendous. However, Web 2.0 is here to stay and unless a firm realizes its potential and try to exploit it, unfortunately it will not manage to survive.