Does IT matter? Nicholas Carr

Information technology (IT) is the study, design, development, application, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems , particularly software applications and computer hardware.

As it pertains to organizations within enterprises, IT represents an operational group that helps solve such problems as those related to data, information and knowledge capture, persistence, processing, brokering, discovery and rendering. Technology can help an organization improve its competitive advantage within the industry in which it resides and generate superior performance at a greater value. It is important to consider the overall value chain in technology development projects, as the challenge for the value creation is increasing with the growing competitiveness between organizations. The concept of value creation through technology is heavily dependent upon the alignment of technology and business strategies. While the value creation for an organization is a network of relationships between internal and external environments, technology plays a role in improving the overall value chain of an organization.

In this article, Nicholas Carr attacks the established idea that IT are essential for success. His theory, simple and clear, stems from an apparent paradox: IT are increasingly important as we become more powerful and that's the point spread and become more technology available to everyone. Through examples, the author shows how innovations in hardware and software quickly become part of the common infrastructure shared by all, which neutralizes its value as a competitive advantage. A similar phenomenon, says the author, as happened with previous technologies such as electricity and rail infrastructure.
In the World of tourism IT provide for both to consumers for identifying and purchasing suitable products and to suppliers for developing , managing and distributing their offerings on a global scale.

Global Distribution System

Today, about 190,000 travel agents book with approximately 600,000 terminals via the Global Distribution Systems (GDS), Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre and Worldspan. About this book four GDS companies and travel agencies, airline flights and hotel accommodation worldwide.

Detailed information about the four GDS companies,

Amadeus is the leading provider of Global Distribution Systems (GDS) used by the global travel and tourism industry in marketing, sales and logistics. The comprehensive center for the GDS data processing Amadeus provides 61 870 travel agency locations and more than 10,520 airline sales offices, are the total of more than 269,900 points of sale in over 200 markets worldwide. With Amadeus, travel agencies and airline sales offices bookings with 467 airlines that represent more than 95% of the seating capacity of scheduled flights to make. The system also allows access to 61,560 hotels, 48 car hire providers with about 24 400 stations, and other categories of providers, including ferries, trains, cruises, insurance and tours. Sabre Travel Network, a Sabre Holdings company, provides access to the world's leading global distribution system (GDS). brought together in 1960, Sabre was the first system, the buyers and sellers of travel. Sabre connects travel service providers - more than 400 airlines, 70,000 hotels, 37 car rental companies, nine cruise lines, 36 railroads and 232 tour operators - with 56,000 travel agencies worldwide. Sabre offers the most effective sales platform for service providers and travel agents real-time access to thousands of travel products of different vendors. Galileo is one of the leading electronic travel distribution systems in the world. At more than 44,000 locations in 116 countries today, travel agencies and tour operators are using the computer reservation system. About Galileo you have access to more than a billion of tariffs 470 airlines and the services of more than 57,000 hotels and 24 car rental companies. Worldspan is a leading travel technology companies with software solutions for travel suppliers, travel agencies, e-commerce sites and corporations worldwide. Worldspan links more than one of the fastest, most efficient and flexible networks and the latest computer technology 800 travel suppliers around the world and provides them with comprehensive electronic data services for a global customer base.

New technologies in the tourism sector

Since the beginning of the travel distribution, to the present day tourism has evolved significantly.
A clear example, tourism is undergoing a phenomenon called the Internet that has known how to transform and develop tourism. On the other hand the Internet has created jobs and income that country certainly no doubts exploit tourism as an economic good generator.
One of the most important factors to take into account today for travel agents is the Internet, as it will become very short term in a primary sales channel for customers and also for travel agents in some sense.
No doubt that with the introduction of Internet to the tourism industry have been able to achieve great benefits such as: the improvement of tourist companies' operations, better understand customer needs, provide better service delivery, reaching a greater number of customers, new markets and optimize its resources achieving greater efficiency.
There are many examples we can mention the use of Internet in tourism online booking systems, online ticket sales, data systems to meet the needs of customers, among others. Although each day is more advanced in implementing the technology, tourism-related businesses have had to face the great challenge of changing the existing problems and begin to see technologies beyond simple computer systems but also as part of the strategic plan that will allow senior management to achieve competitive advantage.
Internet has been a great support material for multiple tourist information systems such as: the provision of tourist attractions based on high technology from virtual theme parks until the introduction of virtuality in the traditional cultural centers and museums. Also the management of destinations that are in the market and the network as package tours where you can access the offers of competitors.

 

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